"I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end..." Revelation 1:8
I know that everyone has heard the phrase...."It ain't over until the fat lady sings". (No offensive intended.) This may be an expression to make a point, but the truth is... it's not over until God says it's over. Everyone goes thru some trying times and some years are worse than others. I learned that it doesn't matter if it looks like it's over... it's not until God says it is. If you look at each of your difficult situations from a natural point of view, you would have said it was over, it was impossible, there was no way, you might as well give up, you couldn't do it... but God had other plans in mind... I may have "thought" it was over, but it wasn't over until He said it was.
You may be in a situation that looks hopeless, it may look like the end is near and it's time to give up, it may look like you've lost... well, it doesn't matter what it may look like, the final outcome will come when God says it's over. Others may count you out, the enemy may tell you you've lost, the chance for victory may look impossible, but it's not over until the Lord says it's over. Don't lean to your own understanding and think that just because it looks like it's over that it is... it may not be... it's not unless the Lord says it is. So, don't throw in the towel too soon, don't "pull the plug", don't surrender, don't give it up unless the Lord has said that it's over. Jarius thought it was over- his daughter was dead- but God hadn't said it was over. The man at the pool thought it was over because he couldn't make it into the water, but God didn't say it was over. Everyone thought it was over for Daniel when he was thrown into the lion's den, but God didn't say it was. Job's wife thought it was over and encouraged her husband to curse God and die, but the Lord didn't say it was over. Jesus hung on the cross until the Father said it was over, and when He did.... Jesus said it was finished- it's over.
Let the Lord determine when it's over.... not your situation, not your feelings, not the enemy or anything else.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Waiting for Perfect Conditions?
He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap. ." Ecclesiastes 11:4 (NASB)
If you are waiting for all the right conditions before you do what you know the Lord has called you to do, you may be waiting a long time. How many times have you said something to the effect... I'll do it when my children are grown so I'll have more time; or I'll do it when I get a promotion because I'll be in a better position to give; or when I get a better education I'll be better equipped to handle the task; etc? Too often we put off the important things ( the things of God in our lives) because everything is not just perfect around us- we want things to be just "so-so" before we'll make a move.
When God told Joshua that it was time to enter into the promised land, He told him to send the priests out first. The priests were supposed to step in the water of the Jordan River to cross over. What if they had waited for the conditions to be just right? What if their attitude had been, "We'll go into the river when God rolls it back, or removes the water, or builds a bridge, that way we won't get our shoes wet." As we look in the Bible we see that many of God's servants did not always have all the perfect conditions to work in, but they did it anyway... they took a step of faith. The right condition for Gideon would have been to have a big army with him, but the Lord cut it back to 300.... not the right conditions to win a battle. Remember the Red Sea sermon we had Sunday? What would have happened to the Israelite nation if Moses would have waited for the right conditions to lead them and take them across the sea? Obviously, they would have either been recaptured or would have lost their lives.
Waiting for the right conditions means we are waiting on the conditions that we have chosen- we want to do it our own way, in our own time. God chooses the conditions and they may not always seem favorable. Look at the conditions that Paul went through in order to get the gospel out-- he was beaten, bitten by a snake, chased out of town, shipwrecked, flogged, etc. We need to stop waiting for all the right conditions- conditions of our own choosing. Because even if the conditions did change and they became exactly like we wanted them chances are we would still wind up finding another "reason" (excuse) as to why we can't. Don't wait for everything to be perfect; don't wait for things to change; because in both cases... it just may not happen. Get busy and be in ministry--heed the call no matter what the conditions are.
If you are waiting for all the right conditions before you do what you know the Lord has called you to do, you may be waiting a long time. How many times have you said something to the effect... I'll do it when my children are grown so I'll have more time; or I'll do it when I get a promotion because I'll be in a better position to give; or when I get a better education I'll be better equipped to handle the task; etc? Too often we put off the important things ( the things of God in our lives) because everything is not just perfect around us- we want things to be just "so-so" before we'll make a move.
When God told Joshua that it was time to enter into the promised land, He told him to send the priests out first. The priests were supposed to step in the water of the Jordan River to cross over. What if they had waited for the conditions to be just right? What if their attitude had been, "We'll go into the river when God rolls it back, or removes the water, or builds a bridge, that way we won't get our shoes wet." As we look in the Bible we see that many of God's servants did not always have all the perfect conditions to work in, but they did it anyway... they took a step of faith. The right condition for Gideon would have been to have a big army with him, but the Lord cut it back to 300.... not the right conditions to win a battle. Remember the Red Sea sermon we had Sunday? What would have happened to the Israelite nation if Moses would have waited for the right conditions to lead them and take them across the sea? Obviously, they would have either been recaptured or would have lost their lives.
Waiting for the right conditions means we are waiting on the conditions that we have chosen- we want to do it our own way, in our own time. God chooses the conditions and they may not always seem favorable. Look at the conditions that Paul went through in order to get the gospel out-- he was beaten, bitten by a snake, chased out of town, shipwrecked, flogged, etc. We need to stop waiting for all the right conditions- conditions of our own choosing. Because even if the conditions did change and they became exactly like we wanted them chances are we would still wind up finding another "reason" (excuse) as to why we can't. Don't wait for everything to be perfect; don't wait for things to change; because in both cases... it just may not happen. Get busy and be in ministry--heed the call no matter what the conditions are.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
The Weapon of Praise!
"I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies.—2 Samuel 22:4 (NASB)
Praise has the power to lighten those things which seem to really bog us down. I think that the majority of Christians don't understand that praise is a weapon- and a powerful one at that. When we are in times of trouble, facing battles or difficulties, that's the time to praise the Lord. When God hears your praises, it will bring Him near to your situation. In this way praise is like an "SOS" cry.
Often during times of battle, the Lord had Israel send out the praisers first. When Paul and Silas were in prison, they praised the Lord and the prison doors were opened. What are we doing when we praise the Lord? We are declaring who He is. We are declaring His goodness. We are being reminded of how powerful and awesome He is. If you will praise the Lord in spite of your circumstances you will begin to notice a difference in them. When you praise the Lord, He begins to look bigger than your situation.... He IS bigger than your situation, praise just reminds us of that and brings everything back into perspective. What once seemed like mountain has been reduced down to size. What once seemed like a mountain is now more like a molehill (as my mom used to say). What once seemed like a hurdle is nothing more than a step over.
Let’s stop looking at the problem, our enemy, the battle, the size of the mountain, the darkness, instead start praising the Lord. Praise will cause Him to show up every time. When He does show up... He can fight the battles for us.
How many praise songs to you know? When facing what might seem unbeatable, start singing in your heart, or better yet, out loud. Turn your radio off and just begin to sing to Him.
Praise Him in this storm………
I’m gonna Praise the Lord anyway that I can….
I sing praises to your name, O Lord…..
These should get you started…..Praise the Lord, for the battle is His!
Praise has the power to lighten those things which seem to really bog us down. I think that the majority of Christians don't understand that praise is a weapon- and a powerful one at that. When we are in times of trouble, facing battles or difficulties, that's the time to praise the Lord. When God hears your praises, it will bring Him near to your situation. In this way praise is like an "SOS" cry.
Often during times of battle, the Lord had Israel send out the praisers first. When Paul and Silas were in prison, they praised the Lord and the prison doors were opened. What are we doing when we praise the Lord? We are declaring who He is. We are declaring His goodness. We are being reminded of how powerful and awesome He is. If you will praise the Lord in spite of your circumstances you will begin to notice a difference in them. When you praise the Lord, He begins to look bigger than your situation.... He IS bigger than your situation, praise just reminds us of that and brings everything back into perspective. What once seemed like mountain has been reduced down to size. What once seemed like a mountain is now more like a molehill (as my mom used to say). What once seemed like a hurdle is nothing more than a step over.
Let’s stop looking at the problem, our enemy, the battle, the size of the mountain, the darkness, instead start praising the Lord. Praise will cause Him to show up every time. When He does show up... He can fight the battles for us.
How many praise songs to you know? When facing what might seem unbeatable, start singing in your heart, or better yet, out loud. Turn your radio off and just begin to sing to Him.
Praise Him in this storm………
I’m gonna Praise the Lord anyway that I can….
I sing praises to your name, O Lord…..
These should get you started…..Praise the Lord, for the battle is His!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Facing the Giants
David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” 1 Samuel 17:32 (NIV)
All of us face "giants" from time to time. These "giants" try to do the same thing to us that Goliath did to the army of Israel- intimidate and bring fear. When the giants come we have to make a choice... are we going to let them make us afraid or stand up to them through the power of the Lord? David made the choice to not look at the size of the giant, but at the size of His God. So instead of running away in fear, he went out to meet his enemy.
You can't run from your giants, you have to face them. If you keep running from them, they will keep chasing you, and you will not have any peace. They will be out there every morning waiting for you, just like Goliath was there every morning... "in their face". If you feel the urge to run, if you are wanting to go and hide somewhere from it, God has a message for you, "Let no one lose heart because of him (Philistine)." Don't let your heart fail because of it. Because the Lord is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. You aren't facing it alone. The Lord will fight your battle for you just like He did for David if you will put your trust and confidence in Him instead of fleeing in fear. The Lord hasn't given you a spirit of fear, but power, love and a sound mind. Do what David did, look at the size of your God instead of the size of your giant. When you do, you'll discover that your God is bigger. God was big enough and powerful enough to bring down David's giant, and He's still big enough and powerful enough to bring down yours today.... He hasn't changed. So, be strong in the Lord and the power of His might, because God in you is greater than any giant.
Don't run from the giants, stand and face them...and remember you aren't facing them alone... the Lord is with you.
All of us face "giants" from time to time. These "giants" try to do the same thing to us that Goliath did to the army of Israel- intimidate and bring fear. When the giants come we have to make a choice... are we going to let them make us afraid or stand up to them through the power of the Lord? David made the choice to not look at the size of the giant, but at the size of His God. So instead of running away in fear, he went out to meet his enemy.
You can't run from your giants, you have to face them. If you keep running from them, they will keep chasing you, and you will not have any peace. They will be out there every morning waiting for you, just like Goliath was there every morning... "in their face". If you feel the urge to run, if you are wanting to go and hide somewhere from it, God has a message for you, "Let no one lose heart because of him (Philistine)." Don't let your heart fail because of it. Because the Lord is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. You aren't facing it alone. The Lord will fight your battle for you just like He did for David if you will put your trust and confidence in Him instead of fleeing in fear. The Lord hasn't given you a spirit of fear, but power, love and a sound mind. Do what David did, look at the size of your God instead of the size of your giant. When you do, you'll discover that your God is bigger. God was big enough and powerful enough to bring down David's giant, and He's still big enough and powerful enough to bring down yours today.... He hasn't changed. So, be strong in the Lord and the power of His might, because God in you is greater than any giant.
Don't run from the giants, stand and face them...and remember you aren't facing them alone... the Lord is with you.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Bad Cup of Coffee
We have so many choices for coffee in today's society. We no longer have just one or two choices to make. With a Starbuck's on every corner, or Java Haute, or even Coffee Grounds, you can enter one of these establishments and the choices for coffee are endless. There are multitudes of flavors to choose from and even sizes to decide upon. People will disagree with what flavor is the best, but most people will agree on what makes a bad cup of coffee. It can be weak, bitter, stale or cold by something we put in it and we would probably all agree that it would taste bad. Face it, no one likes to drink a bad cup of coffee.
Like coffee, there are people that don't like bad tasting Christians that they come across. Like a bad cup of coffee, a bad tasting Christian can leave an awful taste in someone's mouth. I wonder what cup of coffee each of us would consider ourselves to be:
1) Weak
When we are weak Christians we don't have much faith. When we are weak, we sometimes don't know God's word well enough to know what we stand on. The way to remedy our weakness is to add some "grounds". Dig into God's word and get grounded on the principles found in the Bible. Study the character of God and know what Christian living is all about. Know what doctrine you believe and examine what God has done to bring you close to him.
2) Bitter
I've known my share of bitter Christians and I have known some bitterness in my life, but if bitterness isn't dealt with, it starts growing and eating up your life. Bitterness doesn't leave a pleasant aroma. You can't do much with a bitter cup of coffee. No matter how much sugar, cream or flavoring you add, sometimes you have to dump it out and start over with a new cup. Dump out any bitterness you may currently be carrying and start over with a fresh view.
3) Stale
The dictionary defines stale as "tasteless from age". Are you complacent about your Christianity? Have you lost your first love? It's easy to do, especially those who have known the Lord for a long time. We get weary in well doing. I know we don't want to be Christians who just sit and don't do anything, but sometimes we do. There is a chorus that says, "Spirit of the Living God, fall fresh on me...melt me, mold me, use me, fill me" That's what we all need....we don't want to be Christians who just sit on the sidelines and get stale.
4) Cold
You may be ready to put a cup of coffee to your lips and expect it to be nice and hot, but instead, when you take a drink it is cold. We get that way in our desire to serve Christ....cold. There are reasons we become cold....we stop reading the word, our prayer life starts to struggle and then we stop going to church, and then we turn cold. What do we do with that cold cup of coffee. We add a source of heat. We make it hot again. That's what we need to do as Christians....go to the source. We need to get on our knees and renew that Spirit that once lived in us. James says, "Draw close to God and He will draw near to you".
I hope I don't prove to be a bad cup of coffee. In 1 Peter 1:16, we are challenged to "Be holy, as I am holy". The way to do this is to continually be in the presence of God. In order to avoid being weak, bitter, stale or cold, we must be in the presence of the Lord. Spending time with the Lord thru prayer, Bible reading and study, will help us be a strong cup of coffee. It will allow the Holy Spirit to stir us. He'll blend us to perfection if we just spend time with Him.
So, what type of coffee are you?
Like coffee, there are people that don't like bad tasting Christians that they come across. Like a bad cup of coffee, a bad tasting Christian can leave an awful taste in someone's mouth. I wonder what cup of coffee each of us would consider ourselves to be:
1) Weak
When we are weak Christians we don't have much faith. When we are weak, we sometimes don't know God's word well enough to know what we stand on. The way to remedy our weakness is to add some "grounds". Dig into God's word and get grounded on the principles found in the Bible. Study the character of God and know what Christian living is all about. Know what doctrine you believe and examine what God has done to bring you close to him.
2) Bitter
I've known my share of bitter Christians and I have known some bitterness in my life, but if bitterness isn't dealt with, it starts growing and eating up your life. Bitterness doesn't leave a pleasant aroma. You can't do much with a bitter cup of coffee. No matter how much sugar, cream or flavoring you add, sometimes you have to dump it out and start over with a new cup. Dump out any bitterness you may currently be carrying and start over with a fresh view.
3) Stale
The dictionary defines stale as "tasteless from age". Are you complacent about your Christianity? Have you lost your first love? It's easy to do, especially those who have known the Lord for a long time. We get weary in well doing. I know we don't want to be Christians who just sit and don't do anything, but sometimes we do. There is a chorus that says, "Spirit of the Living God, fall fresh on me...melt me, mold me, use me, fill me" That's what we all need....we don't want to be Christians who just sit on the sidelines and get stale.
4) Cold
You may be ready to put a cup of coffee to your lips and expect it to be nice and hot, but instead, when you take a drink it is cold. We get that way in our desire to serve Christ....cold. There are reasons we become cold....we stop reading the word, our prayer life starts to struggle and then we stop going to church, and then we turn cold. What do we do with that cold cup of coffee. We add a source of heat. We make it hot again. That's what we need to do as Christians....go to the source. We need to get on our knees and renew that Spirit that once lived in us. James says, "Draw close to God and He will draw near to you".
I hope I don't prove to be a bad cup of coffee. In 1 Peter 1:16, we are challenged to "Be holy, as I am holy". The way to do this is to continually be in the presence of God. In order to avoid being weak, bitter, stale or cold, we must be in the presence of the Lord. Spending time with the Lord thru prayer, Bible reading and study, will help us be a strong cup of coffee. It will allow the Holy Spirit to stir us. He'll blend us to perfection if we just spend time with Him.
So, what type of coffee are you?
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