Do You Trust God?

“May your unfailing love come to me, Lord, your salvation, according to your promise; then I can answer anyone who taunts me, for I trust in your word.”  
                                                                                                     – Psalm 119:41-42

 

They will always challenge your faith.  There will be no end to the ridicule and taunting, because you have demonstrated something others refuse to accept.  Live your life in full representation of the love instilled in you by God the Father.  I was 15 the first time someone actually told me that there was no God and I was foolish for believing in something I couldn’t see or touch.  This person’s premise was that he could not believe in something that wasn’t visible.  His impression was that Christianity was nothing more than a crutch for those who were weak, and struggling with their own independence.  He did not need anyone or anything else to make him feel good, it was completely his own wisdom and strength that would get him through this life.  I responded simply that he was right, I am weak and I can’t do it alone.  I pointed out to him that there is no way for me to experience eternal life without Christ Jesus death on the cross, and resurrection.  He challenged the existence of eternity as fodder.  There is no proof that eternity exists, this life is all there is and then we die; was his postulation.  To which I replied, then why are you here bothering me, if I’m going to die and you’re going to die and that’s it, why do you care how I live my life?  For that matter, why are we even alive? 

There is no real purpose for this life, why not end it now?  You see (I continued) if our lives mean nothing, than there is no hope for justice or reason for love or compassion or helping others.  Life has no value.  Your life, my life, the hungry child in Africa, the senile person in the nursing home – none of it matters.  In your position we are nothing but a waste of matter, breathing air and watching the clock tick/tock until we die.  The God I believe in has instilled in me a promise that there is more than this life.  There is more than what we see with our eyes and through a belief, faith and trust in His Son, we can experience that one day.  I have something to wake for each day, the ability to share His love with another in hopes that they will one day experience it as well.  When you wake up each morning, it’s just another day of breathing air.  I’ll keep believing in God, you can choose what you want to do tomorrow when you wake up.  With that he called me foolish and walked away.

God’s promises are our strength.  We trust that He will follow through, just as He has every time in the past.  Is there proof that Christ walked the earth?  No; there is no tomb, no pictures, no videos or DVD.  There are no eye witnesses that CNN can interview who can testify to His life.  There are countless promises from God the Father though, and every one of them are more credible than the trials and reports that have been published trying to prove His non-existence.  I trust in God’s promises for salvation, for grace and for eternal life.  Do you?

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It’s all about Trust

Read It, Learn It, Live It, Share It
“But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” – Matthew 26:32

The world is flat.  No, the world is spherical.  Aristotle, Plato, Alexander and other philosophers and early studiers of astronomy and physics would sit and pontificate the wonders of the universe and the relationship of the sun to the earth and the other heavenly bodies.  Through shadows and mathematics and physics they would argue and attempt to prove that the world was indeed spherical by nature.  They had certainly been upon the waters of the surrounding Mediterranean basin and seen the horizon in the formation of an arc, but all they could do is postulate based on the facts they had been given at the time.  They had no ability to be in space and take photographs.  Their teachings over time became understood and accepted and eventually proven when Christopher Columbus set out from Iberia on a Westward trek to find a shorter route to the Indies.  His trek proved to be successful only in that he did not fall off the edge of the earth and was able to return safely, albeit without ever reaching the Indies.  For we all know that the land he reached was actually the island of San Salvador to be specific.

When Jesus Christ walked with the disciples, he was educating them on things they did not, nor could not understand.  His parables were often confusing and beyond their ability to comprehend with their limited knowledge at the time.  Imagine for a moment that you are one of the twelve and Jesus says to you, “After if I have risen, I will go ahead of you in Galilee.”  What does this mean, “after I have risen”?  Risen from what, from where? Up to that night they had expected that He was going to usher in the new Kingdom in their presence, and now He is talking of being captured, struck and crucified. 

In parables up to that point He had spoken of rebuilding the temple in 3 days; and that Jonah was in the whale for three days the Son of Man will be in the earth for three days; but He had not come out boldly and stated that He would be resurrected.  David had spoken of the Holy One to not see decay in the grave.  Many up to that point had believed he spoke of himself, but in that day David’s tomb was in Jerusalem and his bones were in it, the flesh and body had certainly decayed.  The Holy One spoke of in Psalm 16:10 was the Messiah, who’s body would not see decay, for it would be risen up before decay ever set in.  The disciples of Jesus Christ had the writings of David, Daniel, Isaiah and Jonah who all gave prophecy to a resurrection of the Messiah, but they couldn’t grasp the reality of it’s meaning while Jesus was standing there with them and speaking to them.

Their hope and belief became knowledge when Jesus reappeared to them after the resurrection, just as He said He would do.  The importance of this is to realize that He has also told you and I that He will return one day and usher in the eternal Kingdom of the Father. We don’t understand it all and can’t really comprehend the timing or events of the last days, but we can trust in knowing that He will return just as He said He would. 

Prayer:,
Heavenly Father,
Your ways are a mystery to us, but we trust in Your Word and the truth of Your promises.  We long to be in Your presence and worship at Your feet.  Help us to remain strong in our faith as we wait upon that glorious day.  Help us to bring Your word to others that they may be with us on that day.  In Your name we pray – Amen


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Tomorrow is an Illusion

Read It, Learn It, Live It, Share It
“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”  –John 5:24

The International dateline is an imaginary line that runs North to South through the Pacific ocean along the 180° longitude.  It is by design that it doesn’t cross over land, so as not to cause an issue of date and time in any given country.  For you see if one crosses the International Dateline their calendar is adjusted by one day (adding a day if traveling east to west and subtracting a day traveling west to east).  At the crossing over of this line one can actually be in two different calendar days at the same time – today and tomorrow.  The concept of tomorrow is a foreign one if you think about it.  Other than standing on the IDL, tomorrow is not something that any of us will ever experience.  You see we can talk about tomorrow, but by the time it gets here it is today, and tomorrow describes another point in time in the future. 

It is a paradox of sort when you try to rationalize the time into the future.  Similar to the Zeno Dichotomy paradox.  If you look out in front of you and pick a target, judge the distance, and step forward until you are half way to the target.  Now, step forward again, half of that distance, then again halving the distance to the target, and so on and so on.  You quickly come to realize you will never fully reach the target.  You will come within an infinite fraction of the target without actually reaching it.  With this limitation and understanding, you can never cross over to the target.

We can procrastinate and postpone our decisions as long as we choose to, but the end is inevitable.  There will come a day when there is no tomorrow and the target has been achieved.  Between today and that day we do not know how many days, weeks, months or years we have.  Putting your decision on eternity off until tomorrow, with the assumption that things will slow down and you’ll be able to focus on your purpose, is another way of not dealing with the reality that we all must make a decision.  Matthew tells us in Matthew 6:34; "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own"

Jesus Christ made it very clear in the scriptures, that obtaining eternal life is not like a dichotomy nor impossible.  It is a matter of faith, trust and accepting the grace of God the Father as enough.  We will spend our entire lives trying to become good enough to earn heaven, but that is an impossible task.  You cannot earn heaven.  In your most holy and righteous 5 minutes of life, you are still unworthy of eternal life.  Only by accepting this fact and then turning to the One who was worthy are you able to enter His paradise.  By God’s grace, He has provided a way for you.  This is through the blood and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Do not put it off one more day and enter into the dichotomy of “I’ll get to it tomorrow”.  There is no tomorrow, there is only today and an entire history of yesterday’s that you have spent waiting for tomorrow. 


Prayer:
Loving God,
You have made it clear that salvation is through Your Son – Jesus Christ, and only through Him.  We trust in Your word as the Holy truth, inspired by Your hand and written for our hope and courage.  We believe in what it says and acknowledge that You have given us free choice in the matter of our salvation.  By grace, You have given us a path to Your Kingdom, and by choice we receive it today.  Thank You for this day Lord, for tomorrow is an uncertainty.  We draw upon Your loving grace and mercy to help us through today.  In Your name we pray – Amen
 
 
 
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Silently Addicted

“Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’” –Isaiah 41:10

 

Who are you trusting in?  For if it is any but the Lord, than you have established a barrier between you and Him.  The message from the very center of the scriptures is to take refuge in the Lord, not to trust in man (Psalm 118:8).  We have created separation from the Lord in our pride and arrogance in thinking that we have this life under control.  Do you not realize that tomorrow, everything you have can be taken from you.  Fire, floods, tornado, violence and theft are just examples of every day occurrences in this world.  There is no written by-law that says you will not suffer from these things in your lifetime.

Therefore, when we put our trust in things, in people and in ourselves; we are destined for disappointment and suffering at some point.  We’re all familiar with the story of Job.  If not, you really should take the time this week to read through that book in the Bible.  It’s right after Esther and right before the Psalms.  Job was a wealthy man by the standards of that day.  His house was filled with love, laughter, and joy.  His pastures were covered with livestock and his barns were full.  It was all taken away in a matter of days and he was stricken near death with sickness.  Everything he had been blessed with was lost and all he had left was his God, and that was enough.

Is God enough for you?  If your family were lost tomorrow in a tragic accident.  If your house burned to the ground, including your computers, TVs, cell phones and tablets.  Your insurance doesn’t cover it and your bank accounts are frozen to cover the loss.  You lose your job the very next day and as you leave the parking lot you run out of gas.  You have no money in your wallet, nowhere to go and no way to get there.  What will you do?  You are now homeless, penny-less, out of work and then you find yourself breaking out in a skin rash that covers your body with sores. 

I realize it seems extreme, but there is nothing in this world that cannot be taken from you.  We have become so dependent on the world around us and trusting in our own capabilities to solve problems in life that we have become vulnerable to the evil in this world.  We have turned from trusting in our Creator for our daily bread and our livelihood and taken the responsibility upon ourselves.  We must examine those dependencies in life and ask ourselves what happens when it’s gone?  Are you dependent upon your spouse, your children, your parents, your siblings?  Are you dependent upon a job, a mortgage, a creditor, a vehicle?  Are you dependent upon an ATM machine, a grocery store, a cell phone, an internet provider or social media giant?  How did we get here from where we were when Christ died on that cross?

Over 2 thousand years have passed and in that time frame the gospel has been watered down to something that we use for convenience rather than something we depend on.  God is viewed as the “Big Guy in the Sky” looking down like a puppet master, rather than our Father and Lord.  The message of Christ has been changed along the way to a To-Do list item rather than a lifestyle.  The fall of mankind started with a single bite of an apple, but has transcended into a life where evil is accepted and tolerated rather than challenged because of our weakness and unwillingness to stand up for righteousness.  So, again I ask you; “Is God enough for you?”  Could you give it all up today if He asked?   Recall in Matthew when the young rich man said to Him, “All these things [commandments] I have kept; what am I still lacking?”  Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”  I propose to you than many of us are silently addicted to the ways of this world, just as this man was.

In looking at your goals and resolutions created in the last few weeks, did you honestly address what’s keeping you from pursuing those things?  Would they change if you created those lists assuming you had nothing to your name?  No car, no money, no home, no job, no cell phone, no internet, no family.  What would you do for God today?  Put aside your self-righteousness, pride and arrogance.  It’s just you and God taking on the world.  What will you do?  Write it down as we discussed the other day.  It makes it much more concrete and actionable when it’s written. Think big, for our God is the Creator of the Universe and cannot be limited by our materialistic thinking.   





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Whom Do You Call On?

“Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him.   Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.   The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”   He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.”  – Matthew 8:23-25

 

If you’re reading this it is most likely that you have an understanding of who Jesus Christ is.  But, on the chance that you do not, indulge me a minute to share with you.  Jesus Christ was born to a virgin, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit within Mary.  He lived as the son of a Jewish carpenter, Joseph, in the city of Nazareth, in Galilee.  At the age of 30 (or so) this man Jesus of Nazareth went into the temple and declared that an ancient prophesy (Isaiah 57) was fulfilled in him.  This prophecy in Isaiah claimed “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because he anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor: He hath sent me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovering of sight to the blind, To set at liberty them that are bruised, To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”  In doing so, he declared to be of God.  Jesus spent the next 3 years of his life traveling across Israel, preaching, teaching, performing miracles including raising people from the dead, and challenging the Jewish authority of that time, as hypocrites.  Jesus lived a life that was free from sin, filled with righteousness and the spirit of the Lord. 

At the age of 33 Jesus was condemned to death by crucifixion, for his actions had offended the religious leaders of the day and posed a challenge to their control.  Jesus Christ died on a hill outside of Jerusalem, hanging on a cross.  His body was taken from the cross and buried in a tomb, and watched night and day by Roman guards.  On the third day, after his death and burial, Jesus rose from the grave, resurrected in the spirit to the amazement of His followers and the Jewish leaders.  Jesus then appeared to many in the days that followed, before He ascended to be seated at the right hand of God in the heavens, where He will one day judge the righteous and the unrighteous to determine their eternal resting place – Heaven with God the Father, or Hell, eternally separated from God the Father.  As prophesied in Revelations, Jesus will return one day to take His church home to be with God.  As a Christian, we look to the skies and wait for that day to come.

Now.  Many of you know these details.  You believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, because you have read the scriptures, and trust that what it tells you is the truth.  Some of you have seen Him (in a vision), felt His touch of healing, or heard His voice calling on you, but that is the minority.  Most of you reading this rely on your faith that He is who He says He is – Jesus Christ, the Son of the Most High God, your Savior and Lord.  Strong is the faith required to stand for something that is not evidenced in our physical world.  It is this faith that you all must hold onto, for the battle is just beginning and an unwavering faith will be required.

If you, like me, have a faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and our salvation; then why do we lack faith to call upon God for bigger things, more of His presence, and a deeper understanding?  We are barely scratching the surface of the bountiful love and abundance the Lord has in store for us.  Not to minimize your faith, but my friend, God is so much bigger and His blessings for you are so much greater than you are experiencing.  Do not limit His involvement in your life, but allow Him to fully engage in your life and fulfill His purpose through you.  Do not hold back, do not self-impose limitations on what God can do in your life, for He is omnipotent and every present with you. 

We read above in Matthew that Christ calmed the winds, then looked to the disciples – “You of little faith…”  I, for one, want a deeper faith in God’s almighty power.  I want a faith, where nothing can shake it, and I can stand in confidence before any trial or tribulation, knowing that my God is bigger.  I am weak, because I rely too much on myself, and those around me; and less on my Creator.  My resolution for 2019 is to deepen my faith in Him, beyond a salvation faith, but a faith for all things in my life.   



Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
You have promised in your word to pour out your blessing upon those who hear your voice.  I claim that my God, for I hear your voice in the quiet whisper of the morning wind, the crackling of the fire in the evening.  I hear your voice in the depths of my mind and soul and I know you are calling me to greater things.  I have faith Lord that you, who have called me, will see me through that calling.  In you alone will I trust for my daily walk.
– Amen



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37 Days – Anxiety and Worry Must Fall

Pastor Randy’s devotional:

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. Psalm 23 (NLT)

January 27^th Prayer:

Lord, You are the Shepherd of my life. You are near, and I will not be afraid. Even though worry, fear, dread, and threat of calamity are encircling me, you prepare a table—a meeting place in the middle of threats. Simply because You are with me, I will not be overcome. Your power and willingness to defend and protect— this is comforting to me. My soul will find rest today from all fear, anxiety and worry. I release this to You and worship You victoriously in the midst of it all . . . in Jesus’ name!

My thoughts:

Mrs. Sebring taught me the Lord’s Prayer.  I was no more than 5 or 6 and attending First Baptist Church, Tecumseh.  There was a picture of Jesus hanging on the brick wall in our Sunday School Class and we all sat around these small circular tables.  It’s a prayer that we all have heard numerous times and many have memorized, forgotten, memorized again and forgotten again.  But, looking at the words again now as a more matured adult, I have fresh eyes and different perspective than the small child sitting in Mrs. Sebring’s class. 

Then I was actually a little afraid of it; “Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil”.  Really, a small child can’t comprehend “valley of the shadow of death”.  I was looking over my shoulder all the time for the shadow of death to be following me (lol).  Seriously though, I have learned to trust in the Lord in all things and have come to realize that no matter where I am in this life, He is right there beside me and will guide me through.  I’m still learning to put my worries upon Him and to let them go.  This is a huge challenge for me, as my pride and determination often get in the way. 

What I am coming to understand is that trusting that God is good and only wants good things for me.  His love is unmeasurable and He is more than willing to pour out blessings upon me and my family.  By accepting His Son, Jesus Christ, as my Lord and Savior, God will guide me along the right paths and provide comfort, protection and safety through the darkest valleys.  I am His child.  Which parent would not do everything they can to ensure the comfort, protection and safety of their own children from the evil in today’s world?  David, in writing the 23^rd Psalm, was clearly in connection with God the Father, and had learned to put all of his faith in the Lord to guide him through the path’s in his life.  We all need to take a moment and re-read the 23^rd Psalm with the eyes of a child looking to God as our Father.  Put all of your trust and faith in Him, and He will guide your paths as well.

Be Blessed,

Rich

 

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37 Days – Take A Step: Confess

Pastor Randy’s devotional:

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. James 5:16-17

January 20^th Prayer:

Father, I long to be free from sin. I desire to be healed from the effects of my sin and pain. I will obey Your word. Show me who I can trust. Lead me to Godly counsel and a safe place to open up. Heal me Lord! Once and for all—deliver me from this bondage of sin as I obey Your word to “confess” . . . in Jesus’ name!

My thoughts:

Accountability – does that word make you cringe like the rest of us?  It means someone is there to hold you accountable to what is right and help you turn from those things that are not.  It takes serious trust, serious strength of character and serious commitment to one another if you indeed are expecting results of a positive nature.  Having said this, I strongly recommend it though.

We are all inherently wired to be self-interest first individuals.  We do what we want to do most of the time, and think of how it will impact us.  Often times we shy away from the difficult things, the stretch goals and the uncomfortable situations.  Most of the time we are less honest when evaluating our own actions than we might be of another.  We can frequently justify a wrongful act as we convince ourselves that we aren’t that bad.  An accountability partner will be strong enough to tell you, to point out those wrongful acts and yet still love you afterwards. 

An accountability partner should be a person close to you, but closer to the Lord.  A person that will never question bringing petitions before the Lord in prayer.  When you seriously look around yourself, there are no more than a handful of individuals that you can trust, love and that will also be a bright beacon of the Lord for you.  From this list, I suggest that you earnestly pray about who you should open up to and begin with a simple conversation.  Secondly, ensure that they know your intent and that you are seeking their support.  They need to know that there is a confidential relationship between the two of you that must be honored in order for this to work.  Finally, I suggest getting a meeting scheduled with them to lay out your needs, your intent, your goals and your obstacles.  Start from a clear playing field wrapped in truth and honesty.

Bring your meeting with this person before the Lord to ask His blessing and assurances.  He will be the guide for you and your partner.  You need to trust in Him for His power and blessing upon you.  Take heart young warrior, you are on the verge of expanding your presence in the Lord.

Be Blessed,

Rich

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37 Days – Take A Step: Speak

Pastor Randy’s devotional:

Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said, “Look, I have put my words in your mouth! Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. Some you must uproot and tear down destroy and overthrow. Others you must build up and plant.” Jeremiah 1:9-10

January 19^th Prayer:

Father God, You have placed Your words in my mouth. Your words can move mountains, change hearts, change minds and convict of sin. Your word is alive and active. Give me courage to speak to my world—to change the atmospheres in my relationships, business, school and family. Fill me with grace and truth so that I can speak Your word in love . . . in Jesus’ name!

My thoughts:

There are times in my life when I have no idea what I’m going to say in a given situation.  Have you been there?  When a friend is going through deep, heart wrenching struggles; or when a family member’s feelings are deeply hurt by something and they come to you for counsel; or the death of a loved one; or someone comes to me for counsel on life decisions.  These are examples where the answers are seldom something known or derived from my own wisdom.  But, in the moment of truth when the counsel is needed, the Lord has placed the perfect words in my mouth that the other person might need to hear.  Many times it has been in the written word, but also in the spoken word, as I have trusted that He is wise, compassionate, all knowing and will use me as a simple vessel for His truth and love.

In Numbers 22:28, “…the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak.”  In Exodus 3:4, “God called to him from the middle of the bush…” and in 1 Kings 19:12, “…but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.”  The Lord has the ability to put Himself wherever He so chooses.  He is fully sovereign over all things, plants, animals, elements and yes even humans.  If He wants to speak through you, do you truly believe it is not possible?

Has He spoken through humans in the past?  Certainly you must agree that He has.  Biblical examples include the prophets like Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Daniel & Elijah; the apostles like Paul, Timothy, John and Mark; John the Baptist in the wilderness; and of course the son of God – Jesus Christ.  Beyond the bible though, God has continued to speak through people in visions and dreams and even in prophetic voice.  Sure there are showmen who claim this, but there are also those who are authentically given the word of God to share with others.  Our Pastor Randy Harvey is one such man.  He has a keen ear and ability to hear the word of the Lord and then relay that to us in his congregation.  I believe Jesus is speaking to and through thousands of Muslims and Jewish people today as they come to a belief in Him as their Savior.

God can speak through anyone, or anything He chooses.  We have to have enough faith, trust and willingness to allow Him to.  Sometimes (as in the 2^nd chapter of Acts) this will sound like babble or utterances, and unrecognizable by humans in our given language.  This “speaking in tongues” is as real as the very next breath you take.  The Holy Spirit (God in spirit) is able to speak through us in a manner that most will not understand, but the Father does.  I’ve witnessed this first hand and know of it’s truth.

So, when you face the unknown and someone asks for your counsel, your advice, your helping support and wisdom on a subject, first go to the Lord in prayer and ask for Him to use you, to speak through you and to help you.  He is your provider and your counsel on all things and indeed will provide you with the right things to say at the right time.  Trust in Him.

Be Blessed,

Rich

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37 Days – Take A Step: Risk

Pastor Randy’s devotional:

About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost! “But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. Matthew 14:25-30

January 17^th Prayer:

Jesus, if it’s really You, tell me to come! If you are calling me to take a risky step, then help my heart to know Your voice. And, if it’s You, I’ll do it. I do not want to live safe and risk free when You have so much more for my life. I don’t want to coast in to my finish line. I want to take big steps of faith. Give me the courage to obey You . . . in Jesus’ name!

(If you have a decision in front of you now that involves risk, write it down and pray about it. A tough conversation that needs to happen . . . a business decision . . . a financial decision, etc.)

My thoughts:

What does it mean to trust in the Lord? 
Does it mean to believe in Him? Yes.  Does it mean to follow His teachings? Yes.  Does it mean to share His word with others? Yes.  Does it mean to step out and do what He is asking you to do?  Yes.  Peter stepped out of the boat, David picked up 5 smooth stones, Mary listened and followed the angel Gabriel, John the Baptist baptized others, knowing the Christ was coming, Abraham raised the knife above his son Isaac bound body – all examples of individuals in the scriptures that stepped out in faith, trusting God without knowledge of the outcome.  They took risk, which in turn lead to great things for the Kingdom.  So what is God calling you to do, and will you step out?

There are so many huge opportunities to make an impact in this world, but most of us aren’t willing to actually step out in faith and trust in the Lord’s promise that He will be with us.  We contemplate the risk to our current lifestyle and often times retreat back to a place of comfort.  By nature, most of us will evaluate a scenario and upon seeing the potential risk required, will find ourselves unable to fulfill His request.  Rather than stepping into it with faith and seeking the wisdom of the Lord, we pass and stay put in our comfort zone.

God calls each of us to greatness.  This cannot be achieved by staying in place, it takes an act of courage, and act of faith and getting out of your comfort zone.  In Houston and surrounding area there are around 6 Million people.  By national statistics 35% of those are 2.1 million claim to believe in God and saved by Jesus Christ.  Because we are in the “Bible belt” you could raise that percentage to over 50%.  So 3 million +/- would make this claim, and 3 million +/- would say they don’t believe.  How will these folks come to know the truth about Jesus Christ?  What about your city, your area or your state?  Think about those that are destined for eternal separation from God the Father simply because someone did not take the risk to step out and have a discussion with them.  Perhaps today is that day.  Praise be to God the Father.

Be Blessed,

Rich

 

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37 Days – Take A Step: Witness

Pastor Randy’s devotional:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” - Acts 1:7-8

January 16^th Prayer:

Precious Holy Spirit, I open to You today. Place an opportunity before me today. I have (name the person)__________________________________________ on my heart today. Please use me to be a witness to them. Empower me to move past any apprehensions and fear to be an opportunity for them to be saved. I know You are the one who deals with the heart. You are the “Convincer” of the soul. I avail myself to be used today . . . in Jesus’ name!

My thoughts:

The day of Pentecost in the scriptures, referenced in Acts 2, as an amazing event; “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Some would laugh this off as one of those crazy bible stories, but not me.  You see I believe that God is capable of things we cannot imagine or fathom.  He created the universe, the water, the land, the sun, the stars, the moon, the animals and finally man.  Is it so far fetched to believe that He actually spoke to and through these individuals in a manner that they could not understand?  Why is this so hard to accept?  He’s God and capable of anything He so chooses to do.  Perhaps we need to think on that for a minute or 10; and accept it as fact rather than cliché`.

The Holy Spirit is God indwelling in every Christian.  Jesus tells us the Holy Spirit is our counselor, advocate and helper.  He is not a “force” as in Star Wars; or a “ghost” as in Casper.  He is ever present in your life though and there to encourage, comfort and lead you towards righteousness and away from the evil in this world.  Some would refer to the Holy Spirit as your conscience, but they would be wrong.  Is the Holy Spirit guiding your conscience, probably so, but only towards those things of the Father.  For you see, the Holy Spirit is the Father, but within you.

Your prayers, your thoughts, your actions and your words are all a part of your being.  The Holy Spirit is capable of engaging you in all of these areas, if you will let Him.  Many struggle with the concept of God living within them because they still have sin, they still make mistakes and they still struggle each day.  The closer your relationship with the Holy Spirit becomes alive in you, the less of these things will threaten you each day.  Living in the Holy Spirit is our goal.  This helps defend against the worldly evil which knocks on your day every hour of every day. 

First, you must accept the fact that there is truly a Holy Spirit living within you.  Second, you must be able to trust and have faith that the Holy Spirit will guide you and bring you comfort against the world.  Finally, you must strengthen your walk with the Holy Spirit through your prayers, words and action so that you can become the person you were created to be for God’s true purpose.  Take the steps today, with a prayer to the Holy Spirit, and ask Him to walk with you and strengthen you.

Be Blessed,

Rich

 

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37 Days – He Will Do It

Those of you familiar with my writings in the past, I start out each year with the 37 Days of Prayer.  This program comes from Pastor Randy Harvey, of The Crossing Church in the Woodlands, Texas.  Each year Pastor Randy starts us off with 37 Days (10% of the year) in fasting, quiet time and focused prayer.  For the next 34 Days I will be posting his devotional and my journal entries and I encourage all of you to follow suit.  Read through Pastor Randy’s devotional and then capture your thoughts in a journal, on a notepad or on your digital device.  This will help center your mind, thoughts and heart for the year ahead.  You can also follow along (or jump ahead if you’d like by going directly to https://www.thecrossing.cc/37-days ). I hope you will find this invigorating and challenging to help strengthen your walk with Jesus Christ in 2018.



This weeks devotion from Pastor Randy:

Our Inheritance Awaits

Joshua and Caleb, members of the scouting party, ripped their clothes and addressed the assembled people of Israel: “The land we walked through and scouted out is a very good land—very good indeed. If God is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land that flows, as they say, with milk and honey. And he’ll give it to us. Just don’t rebel against God! And don’t be afraid of those people. Why, we’ll have them for lunch! They have no protection and God is on our side. Don’t be afraid of them!” Numbers 14:12

We also stand at the shores of our inheritance from the Lord—2018, the coming year with all its potential and possibilities. God’s promises await us. His provision is right here in front of us. It’s ours for the taking. However, He left giants on the land of inheritance to assure that only a people of faith in Him would possess it. As surely as you and I move toward the promises of God this year, giants will rise to attempt to keep us from our inheritance. Fear will surely leap in our hearts momentarily and voices—convincing voices—will speak to discourage us from believing our God.

Be strong and very courageous! The God who promised is faithful! He will give us the land and release His inheritance to us.

Israel never fully took all the land originally provided by the Lord. We too have outstanding promises we have not received. Let’s go get our inheritance! A promise remains and it’s ours for the taking.

“Let’s go up and take the land—now.”
“We can do it!”

This week, we will stir our courage and faith in God’s promises as we pray His Word over ourselves and our inheritance in 2018!

January 3^rd Prayer

“Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.”  - Psalm 37:4-5

Father God, I delight myself in You today! I find my joy, hope, encouragement, and faith in You. Today, I release the desires of my heart and ask You to give me Your desires. You are gracious to give me Your desires so that my prayer and focus is in sync with You. And, thank You! The burden is not on me to accomplish all the things You have placed in my heart. Your Word says You will do it. I believe that You will do it . . . in Jesus’ name!

My thoughts:

We’ve all been there a time or two.  That place where the challenge ahead seems daunting and impossible to overcome.  Where there is no visible solution to our problem, and every step we take seems to push us farther away from our objective or create additional complexities that prevent us from tasting the sweetness of victory.  It’s funny, those of us who claim to believe in the all powerful Creator of the Universe, Lord of Lords and King of Kings, look to our own knowledge to try and solve life’s challenges.  We are willing to accept, by faith and hope, that He will save our souls, but not willing to accept that He actually will help us achieve success and accomplish the desires of our heart.

Perhaps it’s because many times the desires of our heart are not aligned with His desires for your life, and therefore we realize that we are on our own in those situations.  If we reach out to Him in thoughtful prayer and humility, seeking the desires He has for our life, He promises to give them to us and to help us accomplish them.  Do you truly believe that your plan for your life is greater than His?  You believe that in your limited wisdom from your life experiences, you can plot out a better path than the Omnipotent, Omniscient Creator of the Universe?

Seek His wisdom, His counsel and His desires and He will give you the purpose and plan that is best designed for you.  Then trust that He loves you, and will accomplish great things through you.

Be Blessed,

Rich

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Part of the 1%

“During that night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands.”
                                                                                                – Judges 7:9

As they awoke that morning 32,000 strong, armed and ready to fight for their God, Gideon heard from the Lord.  What he heard had to come as a surprise, but he knew to obey and trust in the Lord.  “You have too many men…”  Gideon then proceeded to watch 22,000 men leave his army, and I can imagine that immediately he began recalculating and wondering how to adjust his tactical plan to defeat the Midianites with only 10,000.  But wait, there’s more.  God wasn’t done just yet, as His word came down upon Gideon – “You still have too many…”  God sifted another 9,700 from the ranks and left Gideon with 300 courageous men, ready to defend God’s honor against the Midianite forces which lie awake in the valley below.  What Gideon had prepared, in all of his careful planning and strategy to succeed in battle could be thrown out the window.  How could he execute an attack on such a strong formidable adversary with less than 1% of his forces still under his control. 
That’s the issue.  You see, Gideon had prepared an army that could have won the battle, but the outcome would have brought glory to them rather than to God the Father.  With only 300 men standing for God against the massive Midianite army, there would be no doubt in anyone’s eyes that it was the hand of God that won this battle.  All of the planning and strategies Gideon had prepared were useless, he must resort to following the plan and direction of God perfectly, and the Lord promised to deliver the Midianites into his hands.  Gideon had to quickly learn that he must trust the Lord for his life and the lives of those 300 men.  By the end of the night, the Midianites had been defeated, by their own hand against themselves, and God was given all of the glory.
Who are you trusting with your biggest problem of today?  Seriously, do you think your problem compares to the problem Gideon faced?  What if you were only given 1% of the resources available to you to solve that problem, what would your first reaction be?  God is in the business of successful planning and accomplishing things in unbelievable ways, for those that will follow Him and give Him the glory.  When He is Lord of your life, your problems become His, and there is no problem He can’t solve when we chose to follow Him.  Today is open and He is ready for you to trust in His leadership.  Put your ego, pride and self-centered thinking aside, and reach out to the Creator of all things, for He alone is worthy and capable.


Be Blessed,

Rich

 

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Get Out of the Way

 

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light”
                                                                                                – Matthew 11:28-30

 

Well here we are again, five weeks before Christmas.   Boy, this year sure has flown by, but then again, maybe it’s just me and the pace at which I am living each day.  It seems as though the days come and go at a much faster pace than when I was a younger man.  Yet, a second is still a second; a minute still a minute and an hour is still an hour.  We are choosing a faster paced life and it makes me ask the question, “Why?  What will it get me in the end? “

There is but one end for each of us.  The path to that destination though should be enjoyed, relished and memorable.  Rushing from here to there seems to be the norm today, because we have let the busyness and pressure of keeping up with others control our lives.  Be it materialism, greed, jealousy, technology or vanity; there certainly seems to be more stress and pressure on everyone I speak with these days.

Can you imagine your life without the luxuries we have become so accustom too?  No cell phone, no internet, no ATM card, no cable TV, no blue ray, and so on and so on.  Take a step back and think about everything you have become dependent upon, just to make it through one day.  I’d ask you to give it up for a day, but I know that’s unreasonable in today’s world.  But, as dependent as we have become on these “things”, compare it with how dependent you are on God’s provision in your life.

If you woke up tomorrow and had to make a choice – all of these things that make our life comfortable or God.  You have to choose, you can’t have both.  Would it be a hard choice, and would you complain about not being able to have both?  Most of us would have a hard time.   What if you your boss said you either give up your faith or you’re fired?  I think we all would say valiantly, I’d let them fire me first, and that’s honorable.  But, what if that job was the only income source for your family of 5 at home, and you were a month behind on bills already? 

The hard reality of it is, we have allowed ourselves to become dependent upon ourselves more so than God Almighty.  Give up your worries, your burdens and your stress.  Allow God to become your main priority, and let Him work through you to accomplish great things.  You see, in taking control of these things yourself, you may actually be getting in the way of something far greater that God has in store for you.  We must all learn to trust that He is our provider and that He will watch over us.  I hope you find comfort in knowing that despite our intent to control this life, He never turns away from you.  He simply asks for your to trust in Him, and let him lead.

Be Blessed,

Rich

 

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