Being thankful this Thanksgiving

Over the years one of my favorite passages to preach on is Psalm 23.  This famous psalm praises God for His direction and provision through difficult times.  The psalm begins, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.  ² He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.  ³ He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”  These verses reflect that God provides for our needs, as a shepherd provides for the needs his flock.  I remember in 1999 when I lived in Bonifay, Florida.  I was a student and had no job.  In fact the state paid me $12 a month to live in the Government Housing.  Ironically though, I never went without food to eat, gas in my car, electricity in my home.  God provided for me through the generosity of people, even complete strangers would help me without me asking them.  The lesson is that when we allow Him to, God will provide.

Recently, Simon, my oldest son, came running into our room late one night crying.  In a mostly sleepy voice, he was asked why he was crying.  His answer was the “bad guy” hiding in his closet scares him.  Of course, we got up and walked him back to his room and showed him that there was no bad guy in his closet or under his bed, and explained that because Mommy and Daddy were near he was safe.  After sitting with him for a few moments he drifted back to sleep confident that he was safe.

 “⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.  ⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.”  Many times we equate danger to mean physical harm.  Danger can be any situation that threatens us.  The loss of a job, the creditors calling, the car breaking down and ironically costing the same amount that is in the checking account.  Those are dangerous times, because they threaten us.  Just as the rod and staff of a shepherd defends and protects the sheep, because God is near, he will protect and defend us. 

Finally, “My cup runs over.  ⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”  Notice the last four words of verse five, “my cup runs over”.  If you were to look at your life you would see that out of life’s hardships many blessings have taken root and grown.  In my own life I see that I have been blessed beyond measure.  Since 1999 so much has changed.  The point is that if allowed, God will bless you.

This Thanksgiving I encourage you to reflect on these verses and to count your blessings.  You might be going through a rough time right now, but trust me, one day you will look back on this time, and you will see that you were really blessed more than you thought you were. Happy Thanksgiving and may God richly bless you and yours.

Time to Harvest Your Horizons

Time is flying by. There are less than 3 months left in 2010. If you are waiting for the perfect time in 2010, then you are about to be passed. There will never be a time of perfection or a problem free environment in this life.

MAKE YOUR FUTURE BIGGER THAN YOUR PAST

Many people face the future with apprehension. “I’m just glad it will be Clark Gable who’s falling on his face and not Gary Cooper.” Gary Cooper’s comment after he declined the role of Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind.

Others face the future with anticipation. “My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there.” The past is useful because it is rich with experiences that are worth thinking about in new ways that can become raw material for creating an even bigger future. Use your past to create a bigger future and you will separate yourself from situations, relationships, and activities that can trap you there.

You have five lives:

Yesterday Experiences from the past influence how you live, work, think, cope with stress, and get along with others in the present.
Today Each day is a new day. Utilize each day to the fullest.
Within The biggest battles are fought within us.
Ahead Tough times don’t last, tough people do.”
Beyond I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I know who holds tomorrow.

How to move F-O-R-W-A-R-D into the future:

Face the need for change. Phil. 3:12

Order one (1) change today. Phil. 3:13 Abe Lincoln said, “The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.”

Release your yesterdays. Phil. 3:13 A sign at Rancho Park Golf Course “On Friday, January 6, 1961, 1st day of the L.A. Open, Arnold Palmer, voted Golfer of the Year and Pro-Athlete of the Year, took a 12 on this hole.”

Win new victories tomorrow by stretching yourself today. Phil. 3:13 “The future is when you’ll wish you had done what you aren’t doing.” John Maxwell

Aim high and don’t underestimate what God can do in your life.
Phil. 3:14 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

Recover your failures through faith and fortitude. Phil. 3:15

Determine to keep chasing the daylight. Phil. 3:16

“Though you cannot go back and make a brand new start, my friend, anyone can start from now, and make a brand new end.”

It is Well with My Soul

Horatio Spafford wrote the hymn “It is Well with My Soul” after a series of disasters struck the family. Spafford, was a successful businessman and a close friend of the evangelist D.L. Moody, had lost his only son at about the same time the Chicago fire in 1871 that ravaged his business.

Two years later, Spafford’s wife and four children were sailing to Europe for a vacation when another vessel struck the ship and sank it. Thirty minutes later, less than fifty of the hundreds on board survived the wreckage. Three of Spafford’s children were swept away by the waves while their mother fiercely held on to the youngest. A little while later the youngest child, also, was swept from her arms. Mrs. Spafford became unconscious and was rescued by sailors.

Back in the United States, Horatio Spafford waited anxiously ten days for the news of his family well-being. His grief-stricken wife sent him a telegram, with only two words: "Saved alone." As he mourned his family’s loss, he wrote this defiant hymn:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well; it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,Even so, it is well with my soul.

Learning to Swerve, when life throws you a Curve

Rascal Flatts sings a country music song dealing with conflicting emotional experiences of a curve, and learning to swerve. What is the current economy’s effect on mental health? This survey was done with the economy was better, it is just multiplied now: 18% Focus on living today, 16% reprioritized time spent at work, 11% No real effect and 55% Increased overall stress and insecurity about the future. When you are faced with curves, you have to learn to adjust on the inside.

EXPLORE THE WONDER OF YOUR DESIGN

“My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my saying. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:20-23

You are designed with a Body= flesh, physical, Soul=mind, emotion, will, and a Spirit=heart, place where you can know God. You are made to live from the inside out.

EXAMINE THE IMPORTANCE OF “SOUL” CARE

Feelings are controlled by your thoughts.

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7

Feelings are not a good judge of whether life is good or not.

“Emotional experience in the western world has become the primary motivation of values, actions and spiritual beliefs.” Dr. James Dobson

Feelings have a great impact on your body.

“The mind, body and soul are close neighbors—one usually catches the ills of another.”

If you change your thoughts, your feelings follow.

“Exalt her (wisdom), and she will promote you; she will bring you honor, when you embrace her.” Proverbs 4:8

HOW TO EXPAND YOUR “SWERVABILITY”

Devotion: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Discipline: Read, Recreate, and have healthy Relationships

Develop your life to meet today’s challenges
Dance to the beat of a different drummer (God is in control)

Transformation - Romans 12:1-2

Romans 12:1-2. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Throughout the first 11 chapters of Romans, the Apostle Paul has written about the mercies of God. In chapters 1-3:20 Paul wrote about Condemnation: The need for God’s Righteousness. In 3:21 – the end of chapter 5 he wrote about Justification: the provision of God’s righteousness. From chapter 6 through the end of 8 he wrote about Sanctification: the demonstration of God’s Righteousness. From 9- 11 he talked about the restoration of the nation of Israel. And now in chapter 12 he talks about application.

The word beseech is a call to action. Paul is saying to us, look I’ve told about the mercies of God and now you have to act on it. With that in mind, let us look at the actions to which we are being called.

The first Action God want us to take is To PRESENT OUR BODIES AS A LIVING SACRIFICE.

In the Old Testament priests for the sins of the people made sacrifices to God. Since Christ became the ultimate sacrifice of atonement, animal sacrifices are no longer necessary. What Paul means here is that we are to give our bodies over to God for his service.

The second call to action that we have been given is to NOT CONFORM TO THIS WORLD.

Verse 2. And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed….

Conformity is assuming an outward expression that does not reflect an inward reflection. How often do we side with everyone else even when we know that they are wrong? Conformity is paying 150 dollars for the latest athletic wear and wearing them because they are in style even if they make your feet hurt.

The third call to action that we are to be TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF OUR MIND.

Picking up again in verse 2. …But be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

A transformation can only occur if we open our hearts and minds to God. How do I do this?

First is to deal with the inward. If the inward is changed, the outward will follow. In order to change from the inside out you must first recognize that you are a sinner.

Romans 3:10- There is none righteous no not one.
Romans 3:23- All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

Second, understand that Jesus is the Only way.

John 14:6 I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Romans 5:8- But God demonstrated his love toward us, in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us

Third, confess your sin and accept Christ as savior for your sins.

Romans 10:9-10 If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.

That’s it. No more no less. Your cannot change your life to how God wants you to live on your terms it must be on his terms and his terms mean going through Christ.

Radical an exerpt

I am currently reading the new book called "Radical" by David Platt. To say the least, this book has floored me. It has called me out on some of my long held positions and has convicted and challenged me to step out of my comfort zone and sell out completely to Christ. The following is an excerpt from the book:

"I find it interesting that one of the most common questions asked today among Christians is "What is God's will for my life?" or "How do I find God's will for my life?" Many Christians have almost assumed the attitude that they would obey God if he would just show them what he wanted them to do.

In the middle of a Christian culture asking, "How do I find God's will for my life?" I bring good news. His will is not lost. With 1.4 million Bedouins in Algeria who have never even heard the gospel, it makes little sense for us to sit over here asking, "What do you want me to do, God?" The answer is clear. The will of God is for you and me to give our lives urgently and recklessly to making the gospel and the glory of God known among all peoples, particularily those who have never even heard of Jesus.

The question, therefore, is not "Can we find God's will?" The question is "Will we obey God's will?"

Talking Trash

“He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.” Proverbs 13:3

“The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.” Proverbs 15:2

What can you do to break the bad habit of trash talking and begin the positive habit of using your tongue for good?

Gather your thoughts so you don’t scatter your words

“The heart of the wise teaches his mouth and adds learning to his lips.” Proverbs 16:23

“The heart of the righteous studies how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.” Proverbs 16:28

T-H-I-N-K

True?

Are you telling the truth? “The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, and they go down into the innermost body.” Proverbs 18:8

Honest?

Dishonesty destroys relationships. Honestly creates intimacy.

Important?

“A fool’s mouth is his destruction and his lips are the snare of his soul.” Proverbs 18:7

Necessary?

“A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth and a word spoken in due season, how good it is.” Proverbs 15:23

Kind?

“A man has joy by the answer of his mouth and a word spoken in due season, how good it is.” Proverbs 15:23

Guard Your Tone So Your Don’t Add to Your Enemies

“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up strife.” Proverbs 15:1

Give A Lot of Encouragement So You Can Help Your Friends

“The lips of the righteous feed many…” Proverbs 10:21

“Speak the truth in love.” Ephesians 5:18

For the remainder of 2010 BECOME AN ENCOURAGER. It will change your life.