Battle for The Lost…..

Have you ever lied? Have you ever stolen something? Have you ever used God’s name in vain? Have you ever lusted in your heart?

These are just a few of the questions that we must ask ourselves on a daily basis to help us keep our focus on the grand prize of Heaven. The great commission is very clear when Jesus tells us to go out and make disciples of nations. He wants us to go out and bring His people to Him. So why is it that people run to hell as if it were heaven, and run from heaven as it were hell it’s self? The greatest trick that the devil has ever pulled is making people believe that he does not exist. 2Timothy 2:4 says “No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.” By the simple fact that we believe that Jesus was here, we are automatically an enemy of Satan. And he will do everything in his power to destroy us or our testimony. When we accepted the grace and love from God, we gave ourselves to Him. By doing so, we admit that He is in charge. So why do we not do as we are told? You can tell a football player by the jersey he wears. You can tell a firefighter by the uniform he wears. How can you tell who is a Christian? By the Joy in there hearts and the desire to serve. True joy comes from serving. So how do we do this? There are three principles that are easy to follow.

Principle #1 Know Your Mission

In Matthew 28:18-20 He describes the mission in great detail.

The Great Commission

¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

 

Principle #2 Know Your Weapons

· Do you read your bible every day?

This is the manual, the instruction book, the exact way on how live life and how to do things.

· Do you pray every day?

This is how we communicate with God.

· Do you have faith in God?

This is how we let God use us to do His work

Principle #3 Know Your Enemy

We have a 3 fold enemy: The world, the flesh, and the devil.

The way to deal with the devil and with the world is through the flesh. Our skin is what gets us in trouble because we can’t seem to think outside of it.

· Avoid temptation

Why put ourselves in a position that we know we are going to be tempted to do the wrong thing? That is where Satan wants us. So he can bombard us with all the sins of the flesh that separate us from God.

· Be in this world not of this world

We have to remember that we are on this planet for a temporary time. But the decisions we make directly effect our final destination. If you say your a Christian but hang out at adult entertainment bars, do you really think people are going to  believe you are saved? When you tell someone of Jesus and all He did for us, do not be afraid to also include hell in your talk. This does not mean to go out and start off by telling them to “turn or burn!” or anything like that. But we must tell them the truth. And the truth of the matter is that Jesus paid for our sins and has saved us from the lake of fire. All we have to do is accept that He did this for us and repent from our sins.

Ladies and gentlemen, do not be mistaken, we are in a battle for lost souls. Our mission is to go out and battle for them. Our bibles are our swords, our shields, and our war manuals. Carry them with pride and show others the way and the path to the Father through Jesus Christ.

I pray that you choose to take up your mission and that God puts in your path the challenges of fulfilling the great commission. I ask that the Lord bless, keep, and protect each and everyone of you….Amen.

If You Truly Love Me, Then Feed My Sheep

Do you love me? Three times Jesus, after rising again, asked the loaded question to His loyal protégé and three times Peter answered; "Yes, you know I do." I'm sure Peter's heart shivered each time his devotion was challenged. I can imagine his previous denial rocketed to the front of his thoughts each time the question echoed into the hollows of his soul, and now he had to convince Jesus of his love.

However, like most of us, Peter was missing the point. Jesus was not looking for affirmation from one of the ones he had chosen, nor was He even looking for answers. Jesus was looking for something that could not be expressed by words but rather had to be expressed through action. He said, "Feed my sheep." In other words if you truly love me do so by loving others.

The kingdom of God is not one of words, ritual, and observation but is one of action. God is raising an army to storm the formidable gates of Hell that exist in the streets of our cities, neighborhoods, schools, work, and homes. The rusty gates are effectively imprisoning the human race. The tragedy is that these gates are not a problem for God or His people. Because Jesus is Lord and He holds the keys to death, hell, and the grave, and He has given us the keys to His kingdom. You may be too weak to kick down the gates and carry them away as Samson did, and I admit so am I. However even a weak, sickly, and anemic child can put a key in lock and turn it. The trick is not strength but willingness.

They say God responds to the hungry, and I agree. Yet, hunger alone will not fill our stomachs. Someone has to prepare the food. Then we have to be willing to eat the food. That is why Jesus told Peter, "Then feed my sheep." Many of us are crying out loudly for more of God but fail to partake of what we already have been given.

So what is the next step? Arise and eat! And with this step comes a colossal challenge. Can we eat the bread of suffering as well as the meat of prosperity? Can we drink from the cup of crucifixion as well as the flask of feasting? We will find that no one gets fed until someone has eaten the bread of suffering and drank the cup of crucifixion. Once we have had fellowship in His suffering then we will be more content feeding others rather than being fed by others.

Jesus told his disciples of a meat they knew not of. He told them that His meat was to do the will and finish the work His Father had sent Him to do. The Kingdom is not for playing, but rather working. It is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. It is a kingdom of doing and going, not watching and sitting. The steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord. There are assigned steps but not assigned seats. There are good deeds that are there waiting for us to step into.

We sometimes act as if we have given more than Him. I personally believe there is more to God than any man has experienced and there is always more. However, I also believe that to receive more revelation we have to give more. Therefore we should not concern ourselves with how much God is giving us but rather our concern should be how much we can give to Him and His people.

The need of the hour is to go for the God who has given us life and to give Him to those who have not yet received. Lets empty ourselves of all our worship theology and realize Jesus cannot be loved through song alone. Sermons do not warm His heart. Raised hands cannot exalt Him. He says if you truly love me, then feed my sheep.

What Does It Mean to Repent?

It means to first acknowledge our sin before God, then to make the decision to turn away from that sin. Scripture is clear that those who are saved will have the desire to obey God, and will try to put to death their sin nature.

While we will always have sin, In our Christian lives we will grow and mature, and sin less and less as we learn to crucify our sin nature and to live a life pleasing to God. It is possible to do this, and to reach a level of maturity in faith where we learn to commit  less sin.

How do we do this? There are two keys. The first is 2 Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. This means not only our bad thoughts/temptation, but the thoughts we think of as good, our doctrines, our emotions, the words that others have spoken to us, and even the Word of God. It takes time to put this into practice, but He is the One who knows this new and living way, and only He can teach it to us. And we can only learn it from Him, for it is He who writes His law on our hearts.

The second part is praise and worship, which keeps the line of communication open between us and God. Our focus throughout the day should be on God, asking Him to guide us and praising Him quietly within, making music to Him in our hearts.

Jesus said seek first the Kingdom of God. He did not say that there was something we should seek second or third. We should seek Him in all things, whether in our relationships, in our job, in our recreation, or any other thing. Just keep in mind that this is all a growing process. In the natural world, we are not born knowing everything and able to do everything that an adult knows and does. We must learn it as we grow and mature. The same is true spiritually. Now maturity can come much faster spiritually than naturally if we pay attention and put God's kingdom as the goal of our lives, but it is still a process - one which will continue until the day we finally see Jesus face to face. And what a glorious day that will be!

Just like my brother likes to quote and live by 1 Corinthians 10:31 says So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 

I pray that you find your self a great and God blessed week! And that you find your self in the word of the Lord!

Are You Sheep or Shepherd?

Paul tells us in Acts 20:28-31

²⁸Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God,which he bought with his own blood. ²⁹I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. ³⁰Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. ³¹So be on your guard!

It is easy these days to get side tracked and distracted from the main goal in our lives of worshiping God. We hear explanations for all sorts of sinful things. Whether it be drugs, steeling, homosexuality, the list can go on and on….We say “its only this one time.” Or “I’m not hurting anyone.” If we find ourselves giving justification for something to ourselves, then that should warn us that what we are doing or thinking is probably wrong.

The wolves that Paul is talking about can be seen as simple acts that on there own don’t hurt anything, but as they accumulate they separate us from the grace of God. So how do we know when we are being overtaken by these wolves? As I said earlier, we find ways to justify our actions to ourselves. We make up excuses for ourselves and for others. If someone wants you to do something that is un-Godly, then I have news for you. You might want to check out there teeth because that is a wolf! Unfortunately, there are people out there with the cunning and ability to pull the wool over our eyes. When we find ourselves in that bind of  all we have to do is turn around and God will be right there. There is someone or something in our lives this very day this very hour that has attempted or is attempting to bring us back and become of this world instead of just in it. Our skin makes decisions for our souls and that blinds us from the work that God has in store for us. There is someone or something in this world that maybe you have done something wrong to. Only God and you can answer those questions.

So what are you going to do? Sit back and let the wolves tear you and your fellow flock apart? Or Not worry about conforming to this world and stand for what is right even when it is hard? We live in a wolves den that is hungry for our souls. So ask your self, are you a sheep or a shepherd?

Rebel With a Cause….

So we say that we want to be different, be individuals, we hate having to conform to the establishment, and we want to stick out. We wear the clothes that makes up part of who we are, we cut and color our hair to show that we are different from others, and we strive to be remembered as who we are. Well, I have news for you. We are doing what God wants us to do.

Romans 12:2 says “²Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

We have all heard the term before of rebel with out a cause. It is something inside of us all that makes us want to make a difference and show it. This is part of what God has hard wired into us. He purposely tells us that we shouldn’t worry about what this world thinks of us or has in store for us. He wants us to stick out like a sore thumb. He wants us to stand up and show the world that we are different. So how do we do this? Simple, we put ourselves out there with our beliefs and our God in plain view for all to see. In a world that thrives on shock and awe, we must give it to them. If we can have radio personalities talking about sex and drugs in great detail on the radio so that is “in your face”. Than we can do the same. No one said that being a Christian was one of quiet demeanor. To be humble is not to be silent. Ladies and gentlemen being religious, or spiritual, or holy, or however you want to put it is not weakness. It takes courage to stand up and show who we really are in Christ. So I choose to stand up and be different. I choose to not just tell but show others just how different I am. I choose to do this because God wants me to. He wants all of us to. The day that comes when you leave this world and see Jesus, remember that your “friends” that thought bad things about you, talked about you, pointed and laughed at you because you are a proud Christian won’t be there standing next to you. There are no excuses and there is no reason not to do what we are  made to do. Be that rebel. Be a rebel for Christ!

If There Was a Third Testament……

In the beginning the word was with God and the word was God. Somewhere along the line some people where led by God to write down in great detail about the heroes, profits, and bad guys and all there works whether good or bad. They predicted with out flaws the coming of Jesus strait down to the way He was born to the way He would die and then rise again. Fast forward a few thousand years and we have once again many who wrote by Gods direction about the heroes, villains, and people that Jesus interacted with and the things that were said about Him and to Him. Now fast forward a couple of thousand of years again and here we are in our modern lives, with our modern problems, and our modern way of thinking of things. But what happens when Jesus comes and all that has been foretold comes and goes. Now fast forward an uncertain number of years. And once again by Gods direction and inspiration, and possibly directly writing it, imagine that there was a third testament to the Holy bible. The question I pose is simple. If there was a third testament what would it say about you? I would say that would probably be a tough question to answer. Or would it? We are given very plain, very easy, very strait forward commandments to live by. We are told exactly what is expected of us. Our faith determines who we are in Christ. We already know that He gave everything for us. And we know that the day is coming when we will be with Him again. So if and when that next installment of the greatest book ever written is published, what will it say about you? Will we be heroes that stood up to others with courage in our hearts to openly live and breath as Christians? Will we be the villains that try to make it so that we gain over everyone else? Will we be the ones so wrapped up in our own salvation that we don’t love our fellow man unless we have something to gain? Or, will we learn from our history and our mistakes and step out of that comfort zone, forget what others think of us, and do whatever it is that God wants us to do? Either way, we don’t have to wait 2000 years for someone to read our story and be influenced by it. We don’t even have to wait until tomorrow. We can start right now. This very second there is someone out there that needs you whether we realize it or not. We don’t have to go around and try to make things better for someone by giving money or time. Yes those things are great. But when was the last time you asked someone what you can pray for them about? If we hesitate or wait for the right moment, it may never come. Or the end may come and then it will be to late. That time can be in a few years, months, days, or even minutes. We don’t know when that time is. Bring others to Christ by not only loving your neighbor with what is needed to survive here on earth, but also tend to there spiritual needs. When the body is long gone and wasted away, the spirit remains. They say that human spirit can overcome anything. Well, where did you get your spirit?  What will be said about you if there was a third testament?

Broken Before the Lord….

Have you ever tried to have a conversation with someone and all they did was talk talk talk and you couldn’t get a word in edge wise? Ever try to tell someone something important, but they just wouldn’t listen?  We as humans are opinionated, stubborn, and set in our ways. No one can tell us what to do. And if they do we will put our own interpretation on it. Now, think of how God must feel when we do these things to Him. People say that God doesn’t talk to us. That He has turned His back on us. I tell you that we as humans need to learn to shut our mouths and open our ears. God wants to talk to us. He speaks to us all the time. Moses could hear Him plain as day. Why? Well, there were no phones, TV’s, indoor plumbing, cars, and what ever else you can think of. Moses was out in the world away from distractions. He was completely open and able to hear God.

Another aspect to think of is our sheer desire to put us first. For us to feel the Father of all creation we must submit. Submitting may have to come at a price of raising your hands to heaven and telling God that you surrender. When you are broken you can live again. Brokeness is an attitude of the heart that is completely submitted before the Lord.  No stubbornness, resistance, or self-will is within the heart of a person that is completely broken before the Lord.  Jesus said unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and die, it would not bear fruit.  Do you find that you struggle with stubbornness towards God?

We should want to live broken lives before God.  We should volunteer to be broken and embrace it as an act of love from a holy and righteous God. If He breaks us, it is for our own good. We may take comfort in knowing that He will not damage the vessel beyond its ability to be restored. In other words, He won’t put anything on us that we can’t handle. Like Moses, we must let go of what we think we are in control of. We must open our hearts to him. We must close our mouths and open our ears.

^{Psalm 51:15-17}

¹⁵ O Lord, open my lips,
       and my mouth will declare your praise.

¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
       you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

¹⁷ My sacrifices, O God, is a broken spirit;
       a broken and contrite heart,
       O God, you will not despise.

Embrace us in your arms dear God so that we may be broken. May our old ways and self die and may we live for Him!

Love As I Have Loved You……

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."......Jesus (John 13:34-35)

Jesus tells us in to love one another as He has loved us. How much do you show love to those around you? How much do you care about those that are not very kind to you? What sacrifices are you making to help those around you? While all of the kindness, goodness, and joy are wonderful fruits of the Spirit, they are still not as great as love.

Having love like Jesus means growing a love for everyone. That is not always the simplest thing to do. People say mean things. They hurt us, and sometimes it is hard to keep our focus on love. Sometimes we are so hurt that we find it difficult to love anyone, not just those that hurt us. Other times messages get in the way of us loving ourselves, so it is hard to love others.

Still, having a love like Jesus' can be found in our hearts. Through prayer and effort we can find ourselves loving even the most difficult people. We don't have to like someone's actions to love them. Jesus did not like many of the things people around him were doing, but he still loved them. Remember, sin is an action done by a real live person. There is a saying, "hate the sin, not the sinner." We all sin, and Jesus loves us. Sometimes we need to look beyond the act at the person instead.

Lets challenge ourselves this week and focus our prayers on loving the unlovable. Think of people in your life that you have judged by actions, and ask God to help you look beyond the act. Ask God to open your heart to loving those around you as He loves you, and ask him to heal any hurts that keep you from loving others. For us to feel God’s love we have to be willing to be loved. For us to be loved we must love others. It is easy to love those that already love us. But greater is the reward to love those that hate us.

Prayer Does the Body Good….

How would you feel if your friends and family could hear every thought, every word, and every emotion and action you ever said or did? I would say we would be ashamed, embarrassed, couldn’t look any one in the eyes. We lust , steel, commit murder, and who knows what else we do in our minds on an almost hourly basis. Every day, of every month, of every year. Just think of all the times you have looked at that person you can’t stand, there very voice feels like nails going through your skull, and all we could think of is how much we hate that person and how we hope something was to happen to that person. We are all guilty of it. We all have sinned in our minds and hearts. Now remember this, there is one that does hear our thoughts, hears our words, and sees all of our actions. God knows us better than we know ourselves. I would venture to even say that He already knew what we are going to think, say, or do before we did. So if we are so flawed and so full of sin then why pray? I’ve heard to many times, “God already knows what I am thinking and what I want. So why pray?” This is why we need to pray. Inside of our infinite complex mind is the basic need to be forgiven and taken care of. This is something that God designed and put inside of us all.  I found an interesting fact from a doctor I used to see. His specialty was stress and what it does to the mind and body. Did you know that we as humans hold allot of stress in our posteriors? That's right lady’s and gentleman, our problems can literally be a pain in the --- well you get the idea. Why do we hold on to this in our lives? God has told us that He loves us. He knew what we were going to do before He even invented the stars in the sky. Have you ever just vented to a friend or loved one and felt almost instant relief when you got finished getting it off your chest? I have. So why not tell it to the absolute best friend we have? Tell it to God! It is a proven fact shown in a 2000 study at Duke University that constant prayer literally relieves stress and can give our bodies a health boost. Let us face the facts: we all have stress. It is the way we deal with stress that differs. The good news is that prayer for stress relief works! Prayer is that unique form of communication with God available to us all that, when used often and in accordance with God's will, brings us into alignment with God's viewpoint. Being in good alignment means that our whole being is put into its proper perspective and that means life is less stressful and we are better able to deal with the stress we do have. I have personally found on more than one occasion that if I ask God for internal peace and I talk to Him like I talk to my dad or my best friends, that He not only listens, but He lifts me up and sets me back on my feet. So I propose this, the next time your feeling stressed, stop and say a little prayer asking for internal peace and serenity. And tell Him what is on your mind.  So when we find ourselves stressed, and we actually talk to God and tell Him all the things on our hearts and in our minds. That guilt and those sins are lifted up to Him where He can deal with them for us. Just like any good father would want to do for there kids. Friends I pray that you find your way to pray through out the day when you drive, take a shower, as you lay in bed, or even just sit there and stare at the walls. I pray that God blesses each and everyone of you and that He grants all of us that internal peace that is so beautiful. With all my love….Go with God….Amen!!

Remember…….

 

On this day remember where you were 8 years ago. Remember who picked a fight with us. Remember those who have stood up to fight. Remember those that gave the ultimate sacrifice in that fight that keeps the enemy off of our shores. ......May God bless the friends and families of the fire fighters, police officers, and service men and women that serve and have served during this period in time.

Isaiah 40:29-31 reads: ²⁹ He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  ³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;  ³¹ but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Remember that the price of freedom is not free. Remember that the ultimate sacrifice given for your fellow man is the greatest thing one can do for another. Remember that all will come to Jesus and every knee will bend and every tongue proclaim that Jesus is lord. Remember and pray for thanksgiving and for forgiveness. Remember…….