Always Look Up

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“With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God." – Mark 10:27

If you stand at the base of Mount Everest and look to the sky, you will see the challenging 29,029 feet summit reflecting the bright sun.  If in winter you will see the chilling winds blowing the ice and snow as if a volcano had just erupted.  The jagged rocks edge and the ice covered terrain create a fear of unknown and danger to the onlooker.  But in 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary, along with Tenzing Norgay, looked up at this magnificent wonder from the creator of the universe and ascended to the summit.  Together they rejoiced in the accomplishment and buried a cross and a few sweets at the top in remembrance.  They had accomplished something that had been tried many times for the 30 years prior, yet had never been done. People had died in their attempts, and some had successfully made it back down to tell the stories that it could never be done.  Today, there are groups of 40 at a time that reach the summit, alongside the help of trained expert Nepali sherpas, and lots of oxygen tanks.

What is your Mount Everest?  You don’t have to travel to Tibet to take on the unfathomable task.  Remember, “You cannot climb a mountain without looking up.” (Rich Palmer)  There are things in your life everyday that have you at a point of despair and ready to give up.  Finances, health, relationships, rebellious children or even the large task at the office.  God is an ever present source of answers in your life and through the Holy Spirit is engaged in your daily activities and decisions.  Turn these big challenges over to the Creator of the Universe, with a humble heart and desire for Him to take control.  It may not be accomplished in a day or two, because in many cases it is a learning experience for you and those around you.  But, God hears your prayers and will carry it through in His timing.  We see in Philippians 4:19, “my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus”  You need to trust and have faith in this word from the Lord.

Prayer:Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your love and Your all powerful spirit within each of us.  Thank you for guiding our footsteps in the way of your will that we might have the opportunity to impact the lives of others for Your name’s sake.  Let this prayer fall within Your will for my life, as I lift my struggles to You fully knowing that You can handle all things.  I humble myself before You and look to follow Your ways in dealing with this situation, for it is bigger than I am able to handle.  Lord, bless me as Your servant and show me the way through this circumstance that is within Your will.  In Your name I pray - Amen

             

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But I Asked in His Name

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“And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." – Luke 22:42-43 

I’m sure you’ve been there.  Needing something desperately, at the end of your rope, no way out and filled with despair.  Hitting your knees, and lifting your words to heaven in the most earnest prayer possible, you ask the Lord to help.  I’ve been there myself, crying out to the Lord for a specific answer, knowing in my heart that it had to be in God’s plans.  I waited patiently for His answer, for the circumstances to miraculously change and my prayers to be answered.  Time passed and no answers, no changes in the situation and if anything it had gotten worse.   

Unanswered prayers are on the lips of all of God’s children, some for our good and some for our growth.  I have found that often times when I am discouraged and impatient with God’s timing, is when I am focusing on my own desire for the prayer to be answered, not on His will.  Do you believe that God has an eternal perspective and not a moment by moment perspective?  If so, if you believe God to be omniscient, then you must understand that just because we want something, it might not be in His will.  This is the hardest part.

 What we don’t see in our myopic view are the halo effects of the Lord’s response.  As an example, you might be praying for a miraculous healing of a loved one’s illness.  Could the Lord reach down with His healing hand and remove the sickness, cancer or infirmity?  Instantly, if it were within His will to do so.  But, it may not be.  So, why wouldn’t it be within His will?  What if, hypothetically the medical practitioners could be influenced through the circumstance and come to a relationship with Jesus Christ as a result?  Or if your relationship with the Lord is strengthened, and you become more dependent and accepting of His control and power as a result.  You see how the perspective of the Lord is bigger then the circumstance that is right in front of you.

So it was with our Savior as captured in Luke 22^nd chapter.  Jesus Christ knelt and prayed that the cup be taken from him.  Knowing that He would be captured, beaten, tortured and die; He prayed that the Lord find another way to solve the problem if possible, so He would not have to endure it.  God, in all of His Sovereignty and loving control said, “No, my Son.  As much as it hurts Me to say no, this is My plan of salvation for mankind.”  As a father of 5, and grandfather of soon to be 3, I could not have that much courage.  I could not make a decision to watch my own flesh and blood be beaten, tortured and crucified.  I would fight with every ounce of energy I have, even to death, to protect and keep them from suffering. 

So, what if God had answered Christ’s prayer and decided to save His Son that night?  The plan of salvation, grace and eternity would have been halted at that moment.  The halo effect of God’s decision that evening before Christ’s arrest has covered your sins, mine and the worlds ever since that glorious day of His resurrection.  God knew the eternal plan was more important than the immediate desires of His Son’s heart and left that prayer unanswered.  This must be kept in perspective as we look at the prayers that we lift to our Heavenly Father.  We do not see the halo effect of the outcome when we look through our eyes.  So, although we may not like it and it might even hurt (emotionally or physically), we must trust and have faith that God is in control and He will work all things for the good of His kingdom.

Prayer:Almighty God,
Creator of the Universe and all that is within it.  We kneel before You with our hands raised and our hearts open to Your will in our life Lord.  We humble ourselves to know that You are in control and that we do not understand the mysteries of Your ways.  We trust that You are working all things for Your good and that it may not align with our desires and plans in this world.  We accept that You are Sovereign and we are here for Your glory, and that in all things You will be praised.  In Your name we pray – Amen.

.

             

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Don't Be Misled

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“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”  – Ephesians 6:13


A wise man once told me, “Always listen to God and be prepared for the worst.  It wasn’t raining

when Noah built the Ark.”  We are watching as more and more immorality and corruptness become the accepted norm in today’s society.  Watch the news, listen to the talk shows, read the blogs and newspapers. 

I recently heard a story of a police officer who observes an older pickup driving straight through a Stop sign early one morning.  He pursues the truck and hits his lights and siren.  Assuming the man was simply late for work and in a hurry, he radio’s in the information of the vehicle before walking toward the pickup.  As the police officer nears the vehicle the report comes back that the vehicle in question was involved in a convenient store robbery and the driver is assumed armed and dangerous.  The police officer did not hear the report as he was too far from his vehicle at the time.  He moves to the driver’s window and before he can ask for a driver’s license and registration, the barrel of a gun is pointed at his chest and a blast goes off.  The officer falls backward into the street, laid out flat on his back.  The suspect, fumbles with his keys trying to start the truck and get away, before realizing that the police officer is standing once again and has pulled his gun and fired twice.  The first round hits the windshield, but the second goes through the door and hits the suspect in the leg.  At this point the armed robber drops his weapon and surrenders to the police officer.  The officer’s forethought and preparation by putting on his Kevlar vest that morning saved his life.  He had no idea that this pursuit would result in a gun being fired, but he was fully armed and prepared for the worst possibility.

The war we battle each day we wake up is not with man.  Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12 that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, authority and power of this dark world.  Satan, and his demonic spirits are alive and well in this world in which we live.  You don’t see him walking the streets with red cape and horns, no he is much more creative and maniacal than that.  He works in the spiritual realm by working in your mind and heart.  He will find the slightest opening in your faith and pry it open as a burglar might in the middle of the night.  He uses emotions, guilt, and worldly things to entice, seduce and lure you into his darkness.  Many are blinded by his manipulation of the truth and follow along unknowingly because it doesn’t seem to hurt anyone else, therefore it must be good.  People have told me, “I’m a good person, I don’t drink, swear or do drugs; I’ve never hurt anyone, stole anything or lied; I help the homeless and work at the nursing home on Thursdays.  I’m sure God will take me to heaven, when I die; why wouldn’t He?”  This sounds like the perfect Christian role model.  The person I am referring too doesn’t believe in Jesus Christ though.  Satan’s misleading this person to believe that all “good” people go to heaven.  Another of his tremendous lies that is influencing today’s world in an enormous way.  Jesus himself teaches us in Matthew 7:21-23 that doing good works without a relationship with Jesus Christ himself is considered evil work.

Satan is going to use our laziness, our busyness and our lack of patience against us in these last days (no prediction here, could be hundreds of years from now).  Face it, we are a society looking for a quick answer to today’s problems and lacking any answers, have shown a willingness to settle for the next best thing.  Just as the police officer prepared for his day by putting on his Kevlar vest, we need to put on our armor every morning as well.  Start with the word and prayer each day, asking God to walk with you, protect you and watch over you.  This is the first step each of us should take to battle Satan in this world.

Prayer:

Almighty God,

You have given us Your word as a weapon against the evil in this world.  Let it live within us, real and inspiring to protect us when we are pursued by the trials and temptations of the day.  We draw upon Your name and Your protection against Satan and his power, equip us to fight the battle for You.  In Your name we pray - Amen
             

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Follow Your Guide

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“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” – Psalm 32:8

 Do you believe that God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth?

I mean, do you truly believe it, without a doubt – 100% committed in your belief.  If you answered yes to this question after careful consideration, then ask yourself the next question:  Did God create me, or am I a simple random act of conception resulting from a passionate encounter between my biological mother and father?

If like me, you believe that God created you within your mother’s womb, despite the act of intercourse that led to the conception, than you must have been created for a purpose that He has arranged and scripted.  You are given one life to live.  From the moment of conception to the moment of your last breath, there are a given amount of days that you will walk upon this earth.  

If you are like most of us, you wake each morning, looking at the day-timer and calendar to align your priorities.  Then the day unfolds in a manner that is nothing like the way it is written on paper.  Problems are not prescribed, they happen.  Your ability to react to the problems that arise are the key to a successful and joy filled life.  Nothing can occur in your daily walk that is not already foreseen by the same authority that created you.  The question is why aren’t you turning to Him for the answers.

Do you believe that the Holy Spirit walks with you, everywhere you go?  The triune God: (The Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit) are one in the same.  The scriptures tell us that the Holy Spirit will be your comforter, counselor, teacher and helper.  You must accept that He lives within you and is your guide, your mentor and will convict you of your sinful nature.  He does not condemn, but also cannot condone the sinful nature by which we live.  He will bring to your recognition the sins and transgressions and bring you to the point of receiving redemption from the Father.  There is no place where you might escape His presence, and there is no problem you are facing that He has not already overcome.

Receive the Holy Spirit, and acknowledge His presence in your life.  Then strengthen your relationship with Him to draw you closer to understanding God’s will in your life.  Through the Holy Spirit your heart can be purified and your mind set free from the bonds of this world.  When mankind is pressing down upon you, reach inside and draw from the righteousness that resides within your soul.  Your path is laid out before you, but it is completely your responsibility to place one foot after another down that pathway of life.  Trust in the Holy Spirit to clear your path for you and light the way.


             

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Give Up the Wheel

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“For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." – Matthew 6:13b

 Humility begins with you.  It’s a condition that requires that you must put aside your desires, your thoughts, your greed and your selfishness.  It is a contradiction to everything you will learn in this world.  Your friends, your family, your co-workers will all give you advice from a perspective of what is best for you in their opinion.  You will think of what it is that you want for yourself and those around you as you attempt to take care of them with the depth of your wisdom and knowledge.  Why?  Yes, why are you trying to solve the problems in your life with the limited thoughts and knowledge that you might have obtained in your time on this earth when you have access to the Creator and King of all Kings.

 Do you not understand that He is your Father and wants nothing more than to work through you?  His desire is to be alive in your life every single day, every moment and every breath.  You are limiting His participation in your life because you don’t want to give it up.  The simple truth is that you are just like me and the majority of believers in that way.  We hold onto the steering wheel and control of our life, knowing that His way is better and that He is our Supreme Authority.  We are inclined to keep Him just outside of the perimeter of our heart and soul, because we want to continue in the life we have chosen, despite what He may have chosen for us.

 I want you to read Matthew 6:9-13 closely today.  Open up your heart to God the Father before you read it, ask Him to speak to you through these words.  You will find that these words are strong, powerful and fully empower you to the richness of His presence and grace in your life when you embrace them as fact and not just something to memorize.  Study the words, swallow them and digest them into your life.

  God is the Supreme Lord of all things.  His power and glory cannot be matched by anything in this world.  The power of mankind, the power of evil, the power of Satan and his demonic spirits are nothing when we involve God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in our battle.  We are overwhelmed and destined to fail time and time again, despite our knowledge, wisdom and strength; unless we open up our hearts and mind to His power and authority.  The Holy Spirit dwells within you and will fight on your behalf, only if you will allow Him too. 

 Is the Holy Spirit truly welcome in your life?  You must ask yourself this question and desire it.  Living for Him means every aspect of your life, not just the easy ones when other people are watching.  Open up every filthy corner of your life to His embrace and let the Holy Spirit cleanse your mind, your heart and your soul.  Let Him fill you with love, peace and the desire to serve your Lord completely.

             

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Living Your Life

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At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven" – Matthew 18:1-3

  There is within each of us a competitive spirit that comes naturally when necessary.  It forces us to evaluate our standing in life against that of those around us.  There are times when a woman will look at another woman pushing a baby stroller and resentment may rise because the first woman is unable to have children.  There are times when a man looks at another man’s car or home and is deep with envy and jealousy over the material possessions that he has been unable to obtain.  At work, how many times are you challenged by a supervisor to work harder like so and so?  Certainly in the area of sports the competitive spirit flows freely and often times destroys individuals dreams and aspirations in life.

  God charges us to be humble and to be child-like in our faith.  We often find ourselves judging our walk with the Lord against our neighbor, friend or family member.  I cannot count the number of times I have heard a fellow Christian make a rude or judgmental comment about another person.  This could not be farther from the representation of God’s love for mankind.  Calling out the weakness’ of another’s person walk with Christ is never going to strengthen your walk with Christ.

  Think about it this way.  We all look at the great evangelist’s and unintentionally (or sometimes intentionally) we begin ranking them on a scale against the accomplishments of their peers.  For example: Take this list: Billy Graham, Ghandi, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther, Joel Osteen, Nic Vujicic, Michael W. Smith, Pope John Paul II, Charles Spurgeon and Jim Elliot.  Who is the greatest?  If you had a scale from 1 to 100 would any of these individuals fall below 95 on that scale?  Now ask yourself this question:  Where are you on that scale?  I might be in the 5-10 range if I’m brutally honest with myself, looking at it from my perspective.

  Now, think about that same list of individuals and add the other 10-12 billion people in history to the list.  Is Jesus Christ death, resurrection and sacrifice any more valid for the above list of 10 individuals than it is for you?  The answer is an emphatic “NO”.  Jesus Christ died once for the propitiation of mankind’s sins.  We are all offered the same grace and eternal glory that is available to the Saints, Popes, and greatest evangelists of all time.  So, from the perspective of salvation we are on par with every other person.  The differences come from what you are doing with the gift that was provided to you.

  The reason we hold these individuals and others like them in high esteem, is that we admire their contribution to the Kingdom whilst here on earth.  They have chosen to give it all and pursue God’s call on their life with everything they have.  They have helped or are helping others discover the love of Jesus Christ, and they are doing it for God’s glory, not their own.  You are given that same opportunity in life, but are you doing anything about it?  Your eternal destination is set, and that’s a great thing.  The real question is are you helping anyone else set their’s in place along side of you.  What you do for God’s Kingdom while you are here on this earth is your daily purpose, once you have accepted Christ as your Savior and Lord and secured your eternal peace.  I don’t care how old you are, the challenge is still before you.  The disciple John wrote the entire book of Revelation in his late years while he was on the island of Patmos, banished there by the Romans.  Billy Graham stood in a pulpit just four years ago, in his 90’s and preached an incredible sermon of redemption and grace.  So get up, quit making excuses and go do something for God today.

             

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Just a Minute

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“making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”  Eph 5:16

He closed the door behind himself and twisted the deadbolt lock.  His mind was whirling with ideas, hypothesis and logical thought.  As he made his way to the table he slid his arms into the white lab coat and put his goggles on.  Picking up the beaker, and then the test-tube he mixed the green concoction and poured it back and forth between the two vials.  His eyes were filled with wonder as he set the tube down and set the hands on the clock to exactly 11:59.  He then began the countdown to midnight.  He held the tube in his trembling hands and watched as the second hand slowly moved around the face of the clock, passing the roman numerals ever so slowly. 

Finally, the time had arrived as the second hand made it’s way to the ‘12’ he raised the vial to his lips.  Exactly at midnight he tipped the tube up and swallowed the entire contents.  Closing his eyes he lowered his hands to the table to steady himself.  He choked on the substance and forced himself to swallow it despite his body’s reaction to throw it up.  He found himself rocking back and forth, slowly to an unheard rhythm within his mind.  Once his body had calmed down and the urge to throw up had passed, he opened his eyes and made his way back to the table.  His experiment this day was to see if he could speed the metabolism of the human body up to a point where time would slow down.  As he looked at the clock and then double checked it against the timer watch on his wrist, his disappointment was once again realized as the two clocks were in perfect synch.  As with the numerous attempts in the past, he would go back to the drawing board and re-design once again.

Time travel, black holes, portals, cryogenics and numerous other methods have been hypothesized and rationalized for decades.  But the simple fact of the matter is man cannot create time.  You cannot add one second to your daily calendar.  There are 86,400 seconds in a day and despite your desire or your attempts you cannot change that.  The Creator of heaven and earth created them in such a way as to define the amount of time it would take for the earth to rotate one complete revolution.  In addition, he created the exact amount of time it would take for the earth to revolve around the sun in a given year. 

Can you make the earth rotate faster or slower than it does?
Can you expand the elliptical orbit of the earth around the sun?

Time is the measurement of an interval between two events taking place in space.  It is such an infinitely small measurement that you cannot truly fathom it’s relevance in the world.  For the moment you try to state a point in time, it has changed by the time the thought has entered your mind or the words have left your lips.  It is infinitely large in the fact that there is no single person who can definitively point to the end.  It is a gift from the Creator of the universe, for each of us to use to it’s maximum capability. 

Man, has and will continue, to pursue his purpose for existing.  It has always been this way and will always continue.  Despite his/her belief in God Almighty, there is the constant of this uncontrollable yet constant entity of time that equally impacts every once of us.  The reality is that time does have a beginning and an end state for every person.  There is medical documentation that states the exact moment you entered this world through the birthing process.  There will be a medical document at the moment of your death, recording the time when you take your last breath.  The amount of time between these events is the variable that differentiates you and I.  Some will live for 2.5 billion seconds, some will only live for 750 million seconds.  Each of us will have the opportunity to maximize the use of that time in a manner that can have lasting impact on time after we have left.     

During a morning prayer once, I asked God for more time in the day.  He laughed, and said back to me, “Child, why would I give you more, when you aren’t using what I gave you.”  You have the choice how you use this precious commodity from God.  You can choose to use it for the company you work for, for going to the bar or nightclub, for hurrying here and there, for eating or sleeping, or to expand God’s Kingdom.  If you took His call on your life seriously, would you still allocate your time in the same manner by which you allocate it today.  You have a finite amount of time, unbeknownst to you, but finite none the less.  Do not continue to waste the precious gift that He has given you, to which you cannot create more, but choose this very day to dedicate more of your time to serving Him and His purpose in your life.  I assure you, the more you focus your time on His purpose, the more time will seem to stand still.

             

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He Carries Me

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“He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power." – Isaiah 40:29

  Burned out, pulling all-nighters over and over again.  We push as hard as we can to move ahead, to get something more from life.  Is it working?  Where are your strengths?  Strong endurance, financial planning, cooking, helping others, mechanically inclined, athletic, counseling, lovingkindness, parenting, teaching, . . .   Where does your strength come from?  Did you create it, or did it evolve from within your personality?  How often are you using your strengths before you become weary, burned out and overwhelmed? 

  I was watching a tennis match this weekend.  The two men were playing for the championship and the game just kept going back and forth for what seemed like an hour or more.  At one point, one of the players hit the ball, fell to his knees in exhaustion and watched the ball land just inside of the boundary line.  After seeing the ball land in, he fell forward and collapsed.  After a moment, he rose to his feet and returned to the baseline with racquet in hand.  He took a deep breath, closed his eyes and tossed the ball straight above his head, jumping and serving; he hit a 140 mph serve right down the middle line, one bounce and right passed the opposing player for an ACE and the right to claim that game. 

  A second wind, a wave of energy comes over us when we hit the most trying times of our life.  That point when your brain tells your muscles that you can overcome the exhaustion and continue on.  That point when your spirit wells up inside with a competitive impulse to overcome.  That point when your heart pushes blood through your veins despite the heavy, labored breathing.  It’s amazing to me how much the human body can endure, when pushed with passion and conviction.

  Jesus Christ fell to His knees.  Hands bound and chained to a whipping pole in the courtyard of the Praetorium at the Fortress of Antonia, Jesus was flogged and scourged time and time again.  His body hanging limp, but the beatings continued.  Somehow, through the gauntlet of beatings, He was able to get His feet under Himself and lift His body back up again; and the beatings continued.  Miraculous strength and courage came over our Savior as He took the whipping and scourging that was destined for you and I.  Supernatually, He withstood everything they could pour out onto His flesh, and then was drug back to the dungeon before being presented to the people of Jerusalem.  He endured it all through the strength from His Father, because He knew His task was greater than the weakness of His flesh.

  God doesn’t get weary, nor does He sleep.  He can strengthen you and I in any situation we are in, because His power and love are infinite.  The more strength and love He pours into you, the more you are able to serve and love others.  Trust in Him to see you through your struggles and pains.  I promise, He has all the help you need.

 

             

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Make A Choice

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“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ”  - James 1:2-3.
We will all face adversity in life.  There is no way to avoid it.  It’s how you react to the adversity that matters.  Others around you are going to learn from your reactions whether you want them to or not, and it is at these times you need to make a choice.

I recently read this story.  As was the father’s habit, he got up early each Saturday to make breakfast for the family.  This particular Saturday he found his daughter sitting at the kitchen table in a state of frustration and anger.  The daughter had come home from college the night before ready to give up.  Her professors aren’t supportive, the material is difficult and she’s just not blending in like she did in high school.  He decided to have her help him with breakfast.  “Honey, would you put 3 different pots on the stove and boil some water please.”  She lifted her head and began to help out.  As the water began to boil in each pot, he handed her the different items.  In one pot she put some whole potatoes, in the second she put eggs and in the third he had her pour in some coffee beans.  Then they sat at the table and he helped her try to get a better understanding of the material she was struggling with.

The air was beginning to smell of the rich aroma of coffee as the sun was peaking over the horizon out the back window.  He grabbed a few plates and a few cups and went back to the stove.  She came with him and began helping take the potatoes out of the water and placing them on the plates.  Next she removed the eggs and likewise place them on the plates.  He handed her a ladle and she scooped out a cup of coffee for her and one for him.  As they brought the food back to the table, the father looked at her and said, “Tell me honey, what did you notice that was similar about our breakfast preparation this morning?”  She looked at him somewhat confused.  “Everything we made was made the same way – with boiling water.  But, each reacted very differently.”  “So.”, is all she could muster.  He continued, “The potatoes went in hard and solid, but now are soft and weak”, as he pressed down and demonstrated with his fork in the potato.  “The eggs went into the water, delicate and fragile, but now are hard and solid”, he peeled back the shell.  “Both of these allowed the water to change their characteristics.  Now, what happened to the coffee beans?”, he asked.  Looking at her cup of coffee, inhaling the deep aroma and closing her eyes with a warm sigh; “They’re still boiling in the pot.”  He nodded, “Right, the coffee beans changed the environment around them, rather than being changed by the environment.”

When others see you deal with adversity are they seeing you being controlled by the circumstances or are they seeing you change the circumstances for the better.  God gives each of us the strength to take on the challenges each day, when we are walking with Him.  He has proven all throughout history to rise up leaders against adversity.  When we trust in His word and follow His path we are not promised an easy life, but we are promised to overcome.  What problems are you faced with today that you haven’t given to the Lord?  Why don’t you take the moment right now to pause, close your eyes and hand this situation over?  The next step is to move on and let God use you to demonstrate His power and ever present help in times of need.  Others will observe your confidence, strength and joy even in your struggles.  This my friend is when you can stand and claim you are living for God.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2013
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Finding the Light

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“. . .and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary.” – Revelation 2:3

  We stood and watched as the black clouds rolled over the horizon.  It seemed as if almost immediately the 9AM bright blue sky became as midnight.  Street lights began illuminating and the highway was filled with headlights and taillights.  Ominous could have been a word describing the rolling clouds, as the very thought that this could be big stretched across the brain matter of each person standing there with me.  Yet through the pitch there was a silver ray, a beam upon the distant horizon.  It was faint at first but then began widening and bringing with it hope and a comforting acceptance that the end was not upon us, but just a passing expression of the darkness of the world.  Within the span of 1 revolution of the large hand upon the clock, we were in the much taken for granted beautiful blue skies of Southeastern Texas once again and the storm had passed.

  Much like life, storms will come and go upon your daily walk with the Lord.  There will be times when you are fearful, tired, and distraught with uncertainty and the uncomfortableness of the darkness that has settled around you.  When we look upon these spectacles as if we are without hope it can often be overwhelming.  It’s easy to become lost in the worries and fears of this world and forget that we are the children of the most powerful King and Creator of all things. 

  The problem is we have a hard time finding the horizon or we grow weary as we wait for the sliver of light to appear.  Often times we expect that our hardships, our struggles and our worries will be swept away instantly at our request, without considering the sovereignty, authority and power of the Lord.  The strong will look at the horizon continuously seeking the Light, knowing that the evil of this world is only temporary.  We seek Him that brings peace, comfort, confidence and protection.  The Light is always there, though often hidden by the pitch and filth of the world.  His promise was that He will be with us always, even to the ends of the earth (Matt. 28:20).  You must ask yourself if you trust His word and believe that He can be trusted.  Do not grow weary in your quest, for He has given all for your salvation.  He will see you through the storms and valleys of this life and bring you to the calm and peace of His loving embrace.

© Sondove Enterprises, 2013
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Speak With Confidence

Read It, Learn It, Live It, Share It

“Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” – Matthew 16:16

  Confidence goes a long way when you are trying to make a point on anything.  Negotiating, public speaking, interviewing for a job or trying to close a sale – in all of these examples it is very important to have complete confidence in what you are saying.  Have you ever been in a situation where you had to defend yourself and the information that you were presenting as fact?  In many cases we preface our beliefs with something like, “I believe ….” or “It could be…”, both of which indicate that we are unsure of the following information, but we want to put it out there for discussion.  Stating information as fact requires a deep belief and understanding of the surrounding facts and debatable points.

In Matthew 16 we find Jesus asking His disciples pointedly;
                “Who do people say I am?”
                to which they reply; “Some say John the Baptist, Elijah or one of the prophets.”
                Jesus asks, “Who do you say I am?”
                to which Peter confidently states “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
He is emphatic, pointed, confident and secure in his words.  Why was Jesus asking the question?  It’s unlikely that Jesus needed to have His ego stroked, and be given the opportunity to brag about His heritage and divinity.  No, Jesus was setting the stage for Peter to become the leader of His church.  In His sovereignty, God must have known that Peter would jump to the lead in answering this question.

The scriptures go on to tell us that Peter’s words and knowledge to answer this question did not come from himself, but from God through him.  This revelation from God was specifically directed through Peter and led to his calling.  These 10 words, each profound in their own right, left the lips of Peter as he stood before Jesus and the other disciples, and set in progress a series of events that would forever impact the world.  The other disciples standing along the path that day may have had the same thoughts, but God chose to use Peter.  God’s message through this man, makes it clear:
                “You are the Christ” – make no mistake – the Messiah stands amongst you.  This is the One I have promised you through the scriptures
                “the Son” – a statement of divinity, He is a prince and heir to the throne of the Almighty
                “of the Living God.” – clearly this statement of God as a Living God, contrasts to all of the other Pagan gods of the time, which are dead idols – stones, rocks or temporary.  God is the source for life both in the here and now and in the realm of eternity.

Peter makes the first testimony of the Christian church in this statement.  Establishing a precedence that will later be used by the apostles and churches for all of time.  Profess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and receive salvation.  God places these words at the right time on the lips of every believer.  It is inherent in our being to seek higher authority and purpose in life.  That desire, that longing is within our hearts because God has placed it there.  Just as he placed it into the hearts of Peter and the other disciples to follow Christ.  God places these words upon our lips as we proclaim our salvation and receive His grace.  Acknowledge Him as the Christ, the Son of the Living God; and He will acknowledge you before the Father (Matthew 10:32). 

Follow in the path that Peter has established.  Do not hide behind your words and fear of man’s reaction, but trust in the Lord to speak through you and be bold and confident in declaring who Jesus Christ is.  There are so many today that are trying to be soft on this point and accepting of other ways to God the Father, but the bible is black and white on this point.  Peter acknowledged it here, and John, Paul and the others have stated it other ways throughout the scriptures.  Most clearly it is captured in John 14:6 – “I am the way, the truth and the light.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

Prayer:Almighty God,
Thank you for speaking through Peter and making it clear that Jesus Christ is Your Son.  Help us to put aside our emotions and feelings of being politically correct and boldly stand up with our testimony that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the only way to the Father.  You have given us Your Son as our path to salvation, and the promise that if we profess His name and accept Him as Lord and Savior we will rejoice in heaven.  We claim hold to that promise and confidently speak it on Your behalf.  Let our words fall upon Your ears with joyful praise and honor, In Your name we pray - Amen

             

© Sondove Enterprises, 2013
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com
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