Monday, December 31, 2007

Name Your Year...

Yesterday, we heard some great testimonies from people who sought the Lord, named their year last year, and how God answered their prayers through that. This year I want to encourage you to do the same. And if you would, respond to this blog and let me know some of the names that God has given you for your year.

This year 2008, I believe for me is the Year of Knowing God More, No Matter the Cost! I truly want to experience God in a more powerful way than I have ever experienced Him before no matter the cost. I need to be willing to lay down any and everything to grab ahold of Jesus more.

So what about you? What is God speaking to you? Let me know so that I can pray and believe with you. We heard some great words that people were speaking out yesterday for this coming year and I want us all to be able to share what God is speaking to us.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

One Man Band

Check this guy out playing a great hymn of the church and a personal favorite, Just a Closer Walk with Thee. He truly is a one man band. He is playing an 8 string guitar. Three are bass strings and the other five are regular guitar strings.

Question to be Answered Part 2

I have not received any comments for my last blog and I got impatient at waiting to share some thoughts, so I figured I would just share some thoughts. Check out some more of that chapter.

Acts 16:25-34
25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. 27The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" 29The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." 32Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family.

It's all about God's timing! Amen. Paul could have driven out the demon any time and yet he waited many days. Sometimes what we think needs done right away may need done over time. God leads and directs every thing. In this instance, let's say Paul prays for the girl the first day and the demon is driven out, then what happens? Who knows? But think of this, when they were put in jail, the jailer gets saved. I think God was working on the jailer. Any other day might not have led to the response that the jailer had. Maybe the jailer would have had a day off. There was most likely other circumstances that led to that divine moment in the jailers life that might not have happened if Paul would have driven the demon out any other day.

So there are two miracles here. The girl being delivered and the jailer and his family being saved. God is sovereign. Amen. And the lesson for us to learn is... be led by the Holy Spirit. Keep your ears and eyes tuned into God and what He is doing. You don't want to miss out on the greater things that God has for each of us because of doing things in your own timing.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Question to be Answered?

Acts 16:16-18
16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her.

When I read this passage yesterday, the words "she kept this up for many days" jumped out at me. This girl had a spirit which allowed her to predict the future. She followed Paul and Silas around shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." When I read "she kept this up for many days," I wondered why Paul wouldn't have cast out the demon the first day. He was there for many days before he did anything about it and it was only because he was troubled. Was he afraid? Was he unconcerned about her? Was it just because she didn't ask for prayer? Why wasn't Paul troubled after the first day?

Or maybe it was in God's perfect timing? God always has a plan and sometimes we have to wait to see the miracle.

Comment me on what your thoughts are for this passage. Why do you think Paul waited to cast out the demon? Let's ask God for insight in this one and see what He speaks to each of us.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Ananias and the Response that Changed the World!

10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. 12 And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.” 13 Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” 17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house.

I read this passage today in my devotions and it hit me. Maybe it will hit you as well. First, when God calls Ananias his first response was "Here I am, Lord." How many of us respond like that? It's as if they were already on a first name basis. That God had spoken to him before. Oh to be like Ananias in how we respond when we hear God's voice. Secondly, God calls him to go pray for Saul. Ananias is not to sure about this request. But then how many of us are? And this is my point. I don't think we see as many miracles as we could because we are not heeding God's voice to pray for everyone. What if God asks you to pray for someone you don't know? Maybe He asks you to pray for someone you don't like or who doesn't like you? Maybe He asks you to pray for the meanest person ever? What would be your response? Ananias responded the way most of us would. However, when God said to him again, "Go," he went trusting that the Lord knew better.

Can we get to a point in our lives where we truly believe that God knows better and that if we would step out and pray for whoever it might be that He is asking us to pray for, we would see a miracle? I'm praying that I can get to that point. I do not want my feelings of a person get in the way. If we want to see miracles we need to respond to God like Ananias. No matter how many doubts and/or fears that we have, we do what God asks us to do.

Imagine if Ananias might not have responded to God? Yes, God would probably have went a different route, but you never know. Saul might never have become Paul and half of the New Testament might never have been. What would the world be like if we learned to respond to God when He is speaking to us? How might this community, county, state, etc. be different if we had responded to God when He was speaking to us to pray for someone?

Let's not miss out on what God wants to do through you. Seize the opportunities that He is giving us all. We all can do it. After all, Ananias did.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Opportunity is Knocking... KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

Acts 3:12 NLT says, "Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd." The word opportunity really jumped out at me today. The situation we have here is, Peter and John have just done a miracle in the name of Jesus. Seeing this miracle, people begin to gather around them. Since people are gathering around them, Peter seizes this divine opportunity and begins to preach the gospel.

My question for us is, are we seeing all of the opportunities that God is giving us? And, are we seizing those opportunities to be a witness for Jesus? Those opportunities might be preaching the gospel, visiting someone who is sick or in the hospital, calling someone just to let them know you are thinking about them, and the list could go on. Maybe you could leave comments on other opportunities that God has given you to minister to others through preaching the gospel or sharing His love. Let me know.

Be encouraged to be open to every opportunity that God gives us to glorify the name of Jesus. May none of us get caught up in our own selves and our own problems that we fail to see the opportunities that are presented to us. May there be many testimonies from us as we are faithful to seize the opportunities presented to us.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Check this Quote Out...

Why all this clutter (even of important or noble things) in our lives? Are we helpless pawns, caught in the jaws of an unrelenting fate? Of course not. One can hardly think of another profession in which the leaders have more freedom to set their own schedule than that of the parish pastor. Sooner or later we must admit that we tolerate or initiate this clutter, because it serves an important purpose for us. As stressful as it may be, it keeps us from having to face a reality we dread even more--that of coming home to ourselves. - Norman Shawchuck

Something that I think I need to meditate on today, coming home to myself.

What a Wednesday Night!...

I thought yesterday evening was a wonderful discussion as we looked through 1 Corinthians 2. If you were not there we looked at how Paul did not speak with wise and persuasive words but lived in the power of the Holy Spirit and how we need to get there. Many times we create our faith by doing things that we can control, which isn't really faith at all. Then when times of trouble come, we're shaken to the core and left with worry and anxiety instead of having peace of mind in knowing who Jesus is. We need to get away from using our own words and actions and begin to live in the power of the Spirit. And I believe it all starts with us being honest (sincere) with ourselves and with others that we don't have it all together, we need prayer and each other to get through each day.

Todays devotion in The Word for You Today said this about being sincere:
The word sincere comes from a Latin word meaning "without wax." In the orginal Greek it means "sun-tested." In Bible times merchants sold very fine porcelain that was greatly valued and therefore expensive. Sometimes when it was fired in the kiln tiny cracks would appear. Dishonest merchants would smear pearly-white wax over these cracks, which would pass for unblemished porcelain - unless it was held up to the light of the sun. Honest merchants marked their wares sine cera - "without wax." This is what we need to be. Let us not wipe stuff over our cracks. May our cracks be seen so that they can be overcome. Be sincere today!

Monday, December 3, 2007

Getting Unwrapped!

Yesterday, we began the sermon series "UNWRAPPED." It's all about getting honest with ourselves and with God about our true feelings from the circumstances we face in life. We looked at Unwrapping the Pain of Failure yesterday looking at Judas and Peter as our examples. Two men who failed and then took two different paths. One path lead to death and the other lead to learning and moving forward. I mentioned 4 points in overcoming failure. They were: Knowing that Jesus still loves you, Confessing and repenting of failures that need confessed and repented of, Forgiving yourself and letting it go, and Asking Jesus to restore the joy of your salvation. Be encouraged this week to examine yourself and be honest (get unwrapped) with God about what's in your heart. If you want to check out the Amazing Grace video, check it out here.

Next week we will look at Unwrapping the Pain of Adversity (the unexpected happenings in life). Invite a friend and come ready to get unwrapped!