"The End"

  After several years of writing and my work load changing, the time has come to discontinue my daily blog. You can still access the many articles if you so desire. This was a difficult decision knowing many read this daily but it is a necessary decision.

  I want to encourage each of you, be prayerful and listen carefully to God's word. Let Him speak and direct through His word. Learn how to properly apply Scripture and not use His word in ways that were never intended. If I could ever be of help or if you continue to have questions, please feel free to write and ask. May God bless your walk and build your faith as you give Him access to your mind and heart. Be transformed by renewing your mind (Rom. 12:2). You cannot transform yourself! Remember that! Only God can transform and that happens as you give Him access to change your thought process and your heart to change your actions. Man can only conform on their own. God wants to transform us into the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29). There is the secret to true spiritual growth. May God richly bless your life as you change into His ways!

"Just To Preachers"

  Today I want to speak to the preachers from one who has been around preaching/teaching/counseling and many other things over the years. I travel each year speaking as well as continue to stay up with my responsibilities locally. I know what struggles are and I know what discouragement feels like. I also know encouragement and the excitement of one coming to faith in Jesus. Both are necessary in our growth in Christ Jesus to what He has called us to.

  From my experience, the greatest problem or blessing within the body of Christ is the man in the pulpit. Yes, it's us! When we can be honest with ourselves and the Lord we will begin to see who we are and what we lack. It is at that moment that we will realize that we are a great solution in the local church in each place.

  What I have found, it's not the church doesn't want to grow. Many are so weak in the body, even elderships but they do want to move forward. Brethren week after week 'tolerate' us when we are doing little feeding. The church is very tolerant! As we go through our struggles, taking hits about ourselves, feeling discouraged we need to get the focus off of us and look at it through the eyes of the Lord that He is trying to discipline us perhaps because we aren't giving our all to His name in the service of an evangelist. God is trying to grow us and we need the 'down-times' to show us that we are vital and need to grow ourselves. There is too much fluff in preachers today. Too many stories and jokes. Not enough pursuing "righteousness, godliness, faith, love perseverance and gentleness." (I Tim. 6:11) We need more in the pulpit that are concerned about "speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe." (I Tim. 4:12) We need men that "pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you." (I Tim. 4:16)  

  Don't give up! Don't give in! Grow yourself. I've known preachers who get so down they want words from the people to lift them up. I can understand that as it seems at times like no one is listening, no one gets it. But it's not the praise of man we need. It's the confidence from God that we are fulfilling His purpose in our position. Sometimes preachers are just skimming by and they know it. They need something from the brethren to ensure that they aren't being found out as not giving 100%. That's part of the problem in the pulpit.

  Preach the word. That's what we are called to do. Yes, you will have your few that want to attack you, trying to find things out on you simply because they don't love. The Lord will deal with them. I have seen it over and over in my many years. It's the Lord's church, not theirs. Jesus will deal with those who cause disturbances. Preach the word. Don't allow anyone to stop you. When you find you're struggling, be diligent in prayer and study knowing God is trying to build and grow you. Yes, we can be the greatest problem but we can also be a source of great blessings from God if we would take to heart the task to which we have been called. You will always be a target. God will always be your guide. Jesus will be your guard. Preach the word.

  

"Eternal Life"

  Let's learn about God! Let's come to know God! Let's not just learn some facts or know about Him but come to know Him in the deepest level that we can. And how does one do that? You have to listen and spend time with Him! If you think you can assemble with the saints once or twice a week and come to know God, you're missing Him. I don't mean we can't come to know Him at the assembly. The assembly is where God should be most visible. Many times there is too much football talk, baseball talk or some other hobby or catch up time on the latest news. It robs us! We need to know God!!

  Let me offer you some ways in which you can come to know God in a deeper level. Learn to walk where He wants you to walk! That's rather simple. But what about when someone does you wrong, how do you react? You are faced with two choices. Resent them or embrace them? "And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' forgive him." (Luke 17:4) How many of us would be willing? Once or twice, maybe but seven? Right then and there you find out if you're willing to know God. How many times over your life has God forgiven you? More than seven? And how about in a day? When you forgive anyone, no matter what they have done to you, you step into God's world of love and begin to discover how He lives and walks. You begin to know God!

  He was a man who claimed God yet held grudges. He wouldn't call them grudges but had 'documented' the times he felt he was wronged by another. Ever met someone like that? Listen to the word of the Lord: "We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death." (I John 3:14) To not love (this is the sacrificial love) is to remain spiritual dead! Here is love defined in I Cor. 13: "...does not take into account a wrong suffered." People who keep records of wrongs do not love, live in death and do not know God. "The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (I John 4:8) It was Jesus who said eternal life was knowing "the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." (John 17:3) Paul reminded the Thessalonians about the return of Jesus that there would be those who will pay the penalty of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord. And who are they? "Dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus." (II Thes. 1:6-9) Two groups targeted. We readily agree about those who do not obey the gospel but have we ever thought about those who do not know God?

  We need to know God! Take time in prayer and read His word. Listen carefully to His voice as He speaks in His word and then walk where He walks! Therein you will find yourself coming to know God...and that's eternal life!  

"Get Up!"

  Too many are drowning in guilt. I am speaking of those immersed into the name of Jesus. Guilt is a terrible master. People who have failed and failed thinking that God will not and cannot forgive them any further. Who taught us that? The result is people withdrawing into themselves, not wanting to do anything or be around anyone. Their service to the Lord wains and even stops. What a tragedy! 

  Have we forgotten the Lord Jesus and His love? Have we lost so much faith that we no longer believe that the Lord will forgive? Do many not realize that God delights in forgiveness?? Yes, that's not a misrepresentation of God. God delights to forgive! (Micah 7:18-19)

  Instead of spending time thinking about your failures we should spend time thinking about the God who forgives our failures if we will confess (I John 1:9). Those words spoken are spoken to the one in Christ Jesus. Confess and He will forgive! Confess as He wants to forgive! That's our Father. We need to spend more time thinking about who we are running to and less time thinking about who or what we are running from. One takes you down. One will build you up. The only way to finding freedom and forgiveness is to embrace the Lord who wants to forgive you. When will we learn, even while the Lord was lifted up on the cross between heaven and earth, shamed in the eyes of man, the words came from His lips to His Father: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!" A cruel and hateful people yet we hear the heart of our Savior wanting their forgiveness. What about us? Why can't we believe that? Jesus isn't only willing to receive you the failure but is eager to receive you! 

  What are we waiting for? Get up, see the blood, believe the words of the Lord, embrace His assurance with what faith you have. Stop looking at you! God doesn't delight in our sins and He never will. But He does delight in forgiving and that's why He gave us His Son Jesus. The real question is: Who do you delight in? Your sins or your Savior?

  

"Power of God"

  Off again! I am headed out to Kennbunk Port, Maine to preach for a week. Ill be out of pocket all next week so my writings will be delayed until I return. 

  In the meantime, be dedicated and committed to reading of God's word. Give God entrance to your heart and allow Him to change your life. You can't change yourself. Man tries with their many self-help books and techniques but they are powerless to transform us into what God wants us to be. Man uses man's methods to make changes in their life. If man has the power to make changes into what God wants, then that means the power resides within us and not God. In other words, we don't need God. Too many cannot distinguish between the power of man and the power of God. When man relies on man's steps of psychology and efforts it will lead you one place: away from God. Just listen to what God spoke through Jeremiah the prophet: "Thus says the Lord, 'Cursed  is the man who trusts in mankind and makes his flesh his strength, and whose heart turns away from the Lord.'" (Jer. 17:5) When people want to follow man's ways their heart goes after man's ideas and ways and the result is the heart turns away from the Lord rather than the heart embrace the word of the Lord and His ways. That's a rather sobering thought.

  Jesus said this way: "And why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46) Just calling on Jesus and His Lordship does not make that a reality in our lives. We need His strength, His power and His life working in us which means we must deny us! Dethroning self is the secret to the life of God and coming into His power. That's the only way that change will take place and you be made 'a new creation' in Christ Jesus. Yield to God! Surrender to Jesus! There is where the true power lay!

"It's All There"

  Are we sure we have enough revealed in Scripture about God? Why are many looking for answers that are not revealed? As we face difficulties and decisions, are we short on the truth that our problem is ours alone and there aren't enough answers from God? Some people believe that we are short on the truth. That's why so many things are added along side of God's word as if God short-changed us! There are too many voices trying to convince us that God hasn't given us everything on every area of our lives. But slowing down and reading from Him, we find that we have been given every thing we need, in every area of our lives if we would only listen and accept.

  I am persuaded that we have all we need. Some religions are running around preaching they have "Another Testament of Jesus Christ." Another? Really? God gave us information that there is not "Another Testament!" God speaks that a covenant (testament) is valid upon the death of the one who made it. (Heb. 9:15-17) When did Jesus Christ validate "Another Testament"? It means He would have to die...twice!! And to top it off, in this "Another Testament of Jesus Christ" there have been found some 3913 changes and deletions since the "Another" came into existence. Mistakes are common in this book called Mormon that is claimed to be the complete revealing of God. In fact, to convince people this "Another Testament" is from God, it is stated in this book that those who say the word of God itself is enough, they are cursed!

  God spoke through His Son and Jesus showed and taught man God. "Grace and truth were realized through Christ Jesus." (John 1:17)  We have all we need except one thing. We need to heed!! Paul said we are transformed by presenting ourselves back to God, having our minds renewed from His word each day. (Rom. 12:1-2) That means we say 'no' to the world so we can come to know the will of God. We have enough teaching on life. Many simply have no heart of faith and want to haggle over this. If we would only listen with a heart for God and follow His voice, we will know more than we ever dreamed and as much as we need to know. It sounds like to me that the problem isn't the lack of information but the lack of 'formation'!!!

"Take Care"

  The Hebrew writer warns: "Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God." (Heb. 3:12) The words "fall away" literally mean "to stand off from". In warning about our hearts turning to evil and unbelieving, that individual "stands off" from God. The good and believing heart is explained in this way: "Therefore, putting aside all malice, and all deceit, and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord." (I Pet. 2:1-3)

  An evil and unbelieving heart backs off and the things of God are no longer a priority in life. In fact, an evil and unbelieving heart is tied directly to the preaching/teaching of God's word (Heb. 4:2). There has to be within each of us the coming together of faith in God's word when His word is spoken. That's what drives one forward. God speaks and how your respond reveals much about yourself. When the church is disrupted by disputes, what is taking hold in the hearts? When homes are in disarray, what is taking hold in the hearts? A good and believing heart takes in the things of God, longs for the things of God and we are willing to let go of anything that would promote decay and indifference.

 God wants our faith to grow. God wants us with Him. It is up to us to make certain, to take care of our hearts that we don't become dull and insensitive toward the things of God. We must make certain that we aren't allowing things to crowd out the Lord by making choices of pleasures or our wants over His. What responses are you making daily? Are they God-driven with a heart of trusting faith or do we make choices that take us away into other things resulting in indifference and apathy ? We are partakers of Christ and that will continue unless we forget and stop holding fast from the beginning to the end.