GOD WILL EXPOSE BITTERNESS

Life events will either make you bitter or better, your reactions to them is what makes the difference.

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. Hebrews 12:14-16

            I recently had a text from a man whom I once looked up to. When I received the text I was like, “Thank you”, and I went on with my day. But what transpired over the next 12 hours was the most convicting thing that I have had happen in quite some time. My response went from “Thank you” to “Why did he text me?” “Why is he bothering me?” Wow! I didn’t understand what God was doing in my life because in all honesty, I had not given much thought to the whole situation in a long time. What I didn’t know was there was a root of bitterness toward this man.

            I prayed, I stayed awake that night, and I got up way early for me. Something was going on and I didn’t understand it. What is one to do but to call trusted a friend to get them to pray for you? As always, God will use true friends to help you look through all of the foggy mess Satan would love to get you caught up in. They will direct you to scripture. Yes, the Word of God speaks very much on this matter. It will direct you to what you need to do—Matthew 5:23-24. That is what I had to do—I had to call the man and ask for his forgiveness and to tell him I have forgiven him.

            Child of God, everyone is impacted by life events. How we respond is what makes the difference in our life and the lives of others. Will you remain with bitterness in your heart, tearing down friendships you never intended to tear down or will you become better by forgiving, setting yourself free? And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:31

HOW’S YOUR STANDING BEFORE GOD?

A righteous standing before God has always been by faith, through the shed blood of Jesus Christ without the works of the Law.—Dr. Bud Calvert

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:6

            If I asked you this question, “Are you going to Heaven or Hell?” what would your answer be? How would you know? What would you base your answer on? Would it be the way you feel? Would it be based on something your mother told you happened many years ago? Would it be based on a prayer you prayed? Would it be because it was written in a family Bible many years ago? How do you know where you will spend eternity? How is your standing before God?

            Here is a simple answer for you… the Bible has the answer. It can be summed up by this one verse: “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” 1 John 5:13

AN UNTHANKFUL HEART

Earth produces nothing worse than an ungrateful man does.–Ausonius

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Romans 1:21

            One cannot read through Romans 1 without seeing the truth in every Word. Here we have the foundation of why the world is going the direction its going; the knowledge and rejection of God and an unthankful heart. We can see this being manifested right before our eyes daily.

            Do you give God the glory for the things in your life? Do you thank Him for the provisions He has given? Do you thank others for the simple things they do for you? We have so much to be thankful for! Will you praise Him today? Will you have a thankful heart today?

HOPE FOR THE HURTING

A man ought to hope within the bounds of reason and the promises of the good old Book.  Hope leans on an anchor, but an anchor must have something to hold by and to hold to. –Spurgeon

Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God: Psalm 146:5

When we say there is no hope in this world what we mean is, No hope for real happiness, no hope for real joy, no hope for genuine peace. What the world offers is a temporary fix for a lifelong need. That need can and will only be filled when the heart is filled with God’s grace. When that happens hurting is halted!

So how about it, will you continue to live in hopelessness or will you have Jesus as your Anchor?

SITTING OR SERVING?

The living Church, though never neat, keeps God's world from complete disaster. -Macleod

One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. Psalm 27:4

The sold out born again Christian has more to offer this world than the world realizes. From common sense life issues to dignity in business dealings, the true Christian will be the catalyst God uses to bring peace in a troubled world.

Will you be one of the Christians He uses or will you be on the side line watching? What makes the difference? Will you pick up your Bible and begin to read or will you make more time for the game? Will you invest in others or will you be stuck on yourself? Will you be GETTING UP, GETTING READY, and GOING TO CHURCH this morning or will you sleep in? These things are what make the difference! So what will you be doing sitting or serving?

IF YOU WILL…HE WILL!

What we mean by salvation is this-deliverance from the love of sin, rescued from the habit of sin, setting free from the desire to sin. -Spurgeon

And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: Luke 15:21-23

             The progression of slipping away from the Lord is staggering. One glimpse at another woman or one touch from another man is the beginning of the end for some marriages. A night out with the fellas or an evening shopping with the girls starts out really innocent but ends up leading you away from what you once held to high esteem. A click of a mouse leads to some of the wickedest temptations on this planet causing men, women, boys, and girls to lose focus on the lord.

             Don’t sit there and think this cannot affect you! I know some men who use to attend church, ride a bus ministry, sing in the choir, serve on some board at church, and even preach but now they are so far away from God you couldn’t tell them from a lost man. I know some women, who use to attend church, play the piano, serve on some committee, sing in the choir, and even taught Sunday School but now you couldn’t tell them from a lost woman. It doesn’t matter if you are a man or woman we are all tempted. Some of us were drawn away but we didn’t have to and we definitely don’t have to stay away!

             As with the story of the prodigal son, you have never gone too far! There is still hope for you that have slipped off into some heinous sin. The Lord offers second chances and third, fourth, fifth, etc. Will you be delivered from the love of sin, the habit of sin, and be set free from the desire to sin? Will you acknowledge your sin to God? Will you humble yourself before God? Will you repent and turn back to Him? If you will…He will forgive you! If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

WHAT WILL YOU STAND FOR?

Stand for something or fall for anything.

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Ephesians 6:14-18

Will you stand for Truth?—Jesus is the only way to Heaven.

Will you stand for righteousness?—Jesus is our righteousness.

Will you stand for the Gospel?—The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Will you stand for the faith?—By faith- it is the only way to please God.

Will you stand for your salvation?—By this others will know the way.

Will you stand for the Word?—The perfectly preserved, immutable, inspired, Holy Word of God.

Will you stand for prayer?—In prayer is the means in which we get the power to stand.

What will you stand for?

HE CAN’T DO THAT!

A liar is not believed even though he tells the truth. -Cicero

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; Titus 1:2

If God told one lie, He could not be believed in anything else He said. Since He can’t lie we have nothing to worry about! Everything He has said He would do, He will!

When He said He created in everything in 6 literal days—He did! When He said He would never leave thee nor forsake thee—He won’t! When He said He would remain faithful, even when you are not—He meant it! When He said He was coming again, He will!

Don’t forget… God cannot tell a lie!

JUST GIVE ME JESUS!

Jesus Christ is light to the eye, honey to the taste, music to the ear, joy to the heart. –Spurgeon

One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. Psalm 27:4

In this world we are living in it is easy to lose hope. It’s easy to get your eyes off of what’s important forgetting Who your Saviour is. Friend, as this world is going to Hell in a hand basket, cling to Jesus! Cling to the One who holds tomorrow! Cling to the only real Hope any of us have! Let those who love the world have the world! As for me, just give me Jesus!

HELP I’M DROWNING!

Debt can rob you of years of happiness!

The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. Proverbs 22:7

So my wife and I are going through Dave Ramsey’s, Financial Peace University with some friends. Oh to have went through this class twenty years ago! I am currently trying to digest each class and each step through this process. It can be overwhelming but at the same time, with the Lord’s help, I can see light at the end of the tunnel!

Are you drowning in debt? Do you feel like you are so far in over your head that years of happiness have been robbed from you? Can I share a little truth with yah; “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1

No matter how deep in debt you are in, the Lord knew where you were headed before you got there. He has even tried to warn you along the way and He is still right there waiting on you to call out to Him. No, He probably will not wipe all you debt right away. What He will do is be with you as you climb up from the depths of the sea of debt giving you strength to take the next step. Finally, when you get to the top of that mountain and debt is all behind you, the view is out of this world! It reminds me of Psalm 30:5, “For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”

THE DEVIL DOESN’T WANT YOU TO

The devil doesn’t care if you hear the Word of God, he just doesn’t want you to do it.

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. James 1:22

Many come to the Lord making a profession of faith but yet they never do anything for the Lord. They weep, tell all, and in their heart sincerely mean what they say but yet for them to share the Good News of the Gospel, it doesn’t ever happen. They come to church, sing the congregational music, give their tithe, and they may even sing in the choir but they never tell anyone else about what Jesus has done for them, Why does this happen? I’m not sure. Did they truly get born again, I don’t know. Scripture says, “…whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” But what I am sure of is that the devil doesn’t like anyone saying anything about Jesus!

Will you be the voice of God? Will you proclaim the Good News of the Gospel? Or will you continue to be silent while sinners die and go to hell? Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

PRAY FOR YOUR PASTOR!

Do you need some help or hope from the Lord; pray for your Pastor!

Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. Hebrews 13:7

            Before you go to church this morning spend some time in prayer for your Pastor! He has been diligently praying for the services and the needs of the church. Wouldn’t it be great if not only he went to church prayed up and having the power of God on him but the church did as well? Wouldn’t it be great if the Holy Ghost showed up and stirred someone heart? Wouldn’t it be great if someone got saved today? Well, He may if you pray for your Pastor!

PRAY AT YOUR PRAYER MEETING

Prayer is the breath of faith.  Prayer meetings are the lungs of the church. –Spurgeon

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16

Each Wednesday night at our church we share our praises and burdens and then we have a time of prayer around the altar. We don’t do this for fun. We do this because prayer is the backbone of the church. It is where our strength comes from. Nothing done in the church has ever been done without prayer!

You don’t have a Wednesday night service, start one. Invite fellow church members over to the church on Wednesday nights. Share one another’s burdens. Share how God has been working in each of your lives. Include in your prayers praises for His faithfulness to you and the need of fellow church members! Before you know it God will being to work in and through your life bringing forth much fruit!

YES, NO, MAYBE?

Praying with sin in your heart is like eating tomato soup with a fork, useless.

 

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

James 4:3

 

I know you have heard it before, God has three answers to prayer; yes, no, and maybe. Have you ever heard there is one more “answer”? Well, in all actuality it’s not an answer, it’s actually total silence because He didn’t hear your prayer to start off with. Why? Because you didn’t ask according to God’s will. You asked according to the desires of your own heart. You asked for your own benefit. You asked contrary to God will.

Child of God, spending time in prayer is necessary. Spending time in prayer in God’s will is when God will not only hear but He will be moved to answer your prayers!

LORD, HEAR MY PRAYER

God will hear you prayers, if you’re one of His children.

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: Psalm 66:18

I find it interesting that people who do not go to church will say the phrase, “I’m praying for you.” I get it they care and want to make everything feel better. But what I don’t understand is why they would think God hears their prayer when they don’t want to spend time with His people, listen to His Word preached or follow His commandments. I am reminded of another scripture this morning; “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

Before the Lord hears any other prayer of yours He wants to hear you call out to Him for salvation. Unless He forgives your sins, He will not hear any of your prayers. So, before you waste your breath on another empty prayer, call out to the Lord for salvation and then He will hear every prayer you pray!

ARE YOUR FRIENDS PUSHING OR PULLING YOU?

Those you run with will pull you down or push you forward!

Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. Proverbs 27:17

When you hang with your friends, are they helping your walk with Jesus or are they hindering your walk? There is no in between. Either your friends are pushing you toward your Saviour or they are pulling you away from Him. If they are pulling you down, sooner or later you will be just as they are fleshly, sensual, and carnal. If they are pushing you forward, you will become compassionate, graceful, and spiritual.

If your friends aren’t pushing you toward your Saviour, maybe you need to get some new friends!

NOTHING TAKES THE PLACE OF FAMILY!

Time spent with family isn’t spent at all, it’s an investment!

But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. 1 Timothy 5:8

Remember going to Grandma and Grandpa’s every weekend and they would spoil you to death? Remember when Mom would sacrifice her rest so you could have fun on the play ground? Remember when Dad would stop working on the car to put the chain back on your bike? Remember when your brother or sister stood up for you when the class bully picked on you? How is it we don’t have time for family anymore? Why is it we don’t value family anymore?

I understand we can’t get together every weekend with family. I understand we can’t stop everything we are doing just to spend time with family. But when and if it is possible, provide for your family, spend time with your family, invest in your family, because when it’s all said and done, nothing takes place of family!

GIVE ME A BREAK!

Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.  –Ovid

And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. Matthew 14:23

            My former Pastor had a saying that has stuck with me, “Come apart before you come apart!” You see, everyone needs to have a break from the day to day pressures of life. Whether it is our job, household, financial, or church responsibilities, we need to take a break from them. If we don’t, life can begin to cave in around us until we shrink back in a corner being of no use to our Saviour.

            Oh you’re probably thinking about a vacation. Going to the beach to get some, beach therapy or to the mountains for some mountain medicine can provide that much needed rest. There isn’t anything wrong with those things or whatever you do for fun. However, between those vacays, there is something you can do every day. You can follow Jesus’ example and come apart in a season of prayer.

Prayer gives us that much needed break from our day to day pressures. It will improve our health! It helps control pain, depression, stress, and a many more life threatening issues we face. So, do yourself a favor and come apart for a season of prayer today!

WILL YOU PICK UP HIS CROSS AND FOLLOW HIM?

Jesus has many lovers of His crown, but few bearers of His cross. –Spurgeon

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. Luke 9:23

I heard a story once of a man who had the desire of going out West to search for gold. When the opportunity came to sell his farm, He didn’t sell. Many friends and family members sold out and struck it rich. He missed his opportunity to make a difference for his family for generations to come.

            Jesus wants you and me to pick up His Cross and follow Him. Follow Him in witnessing. Follow Him in working. Follow Him in His way! Will you go after Jesus, taking up His Cross- daily, and follow Him? If so, GET UP, GET READY, and GO TO CHURCH today!

ARE YOU RELIGIOUS OR REDEEMED?

It is natural to be religious; it is supernatural to follow Christ. –Unknown

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14

Religion has a person trying to obtain salvation by some service or sacrifice. Christianity says salvation was provided when Jesus died on the Cross, was buried in a borrowed tomb, and when He rose again the third day. Religion will send a person straight to hell! Christianity will set you free from sin, Satan, and self destruction!

What you believe about Jesus is important, what you have done with Jesus is the difference between Heaven and Hell- literally! Are you religious or have you been redeemed?