What Do You Do When It Stinks?

What Do I Do When It Stinks? Emotions of despair, those feelings that the situation that is being faced is hopeless and impossible. Realization dawns upon the consciousness bringing with it the certainty that all hope is gone and that I have arrived at the “Irr Home.” At the “Irr Home” everything living here is: Irreparable, Irremediable, Irretrievable, Irreclaimable and Irrevocable! With that realization comes a perception of impotence, which brings with it the awareness of powerlessness and weakness. Struggling with the conception of thoughts that leave one paralyzed with fear. Feeling totally ineffective to face another day of more of the same. These are the feelings of the real world. Products of a world that is determined to take the best we have to offer and to stomp on it until it is totally crushed beyond repair. We have tried our best and our best isn’t enough! We have offered all that is sacred and dear, and it has been rejected. We have gutted it our until we feel that our guts are exposed to be literally ripped from our bodies. The world looks at us with a look of contempt and scorn and says, “You made your bed, now sleep in it!” However, I have good news for you! The wonderful news of the Gospel of Christ! When the world says you made your bed now sleep in it, Jesus says, Take up your bed and walk!” It is just another day like any other day for the past thirty-eight years. Somehow he drags himself one more time down by the sheep market to the Pool of Bethesda. He isn’t even sure why he goes to all of the trouble. He knows that there is no possible way for him to get into the pool if the angel were to come today. With this acknowledgment comes a feeling of despair. His situation is hopeless. He is not only physically impotent. He is powerless to ever change his life. Life will always be this way! In the midst of this chaotic jumble of embroiled emotions came Jesus! Jesus came to this place which conveyed ideas of magical cures. A place where sometime during the year an angel would come and trouble the water and the infirm would hope to be the first into the water. The first person in the water, after the angel troubled it, was healed of their disease. This was a place that was close to the sheep market, and like is the case with large livestock sale barns, I am sure the emanation of the sheep gathered into that one small place would begin to attack the olfactory senses of those that came to the pool. In other words, it smelled! The bodies of men and women who were sick with all manner of diseases, impotent folk. The blind, the halt, the crippled. Many of them unkept and unwashed. It was a painful picture of the chief kind of human suffering and bodily disease. It was a place of hopelessness. A feeling which must have permeated the air. A cauldron of fear percolating out feelings that each situation was irremediable, irrevocable. Screaming there is no hope! Helpless and powerless! Individuals grasping at the illusive, fragile dream that they might be the first into the pool the next time the water was troubled. Struggling to hold on to that dream through year of failure. Hearing a constant bombardment of doubt and fear from those around them that had been at the pool for so many years. Spirits, once high with hope and promise, have now shrunken in distress as realization dawns on them, their situation is hopeless. That was the atmosphere of the Pool of Bethesda! Jesus looks on the man, knowing how hopeless his plight is, and without demanding from the man even faith, asks him, “Wilt thou be made whole?” This individual, who might have come to the place where he was doubtful of the blessing of healing because of the resulting responsibilities, is hearing a question he might have heard from others. He whines out, with a professional drawl, his oft told story, reflecting very much on his lovelessness, quarrelsomeness, and ugly temper. The melancholy recital of his frequent disappointment is given with an air of insolvent resignation. Maybe even a gloomy satisfaction with his lot in life can be heard in his voice. However, Jesus doesn’t even rebuke him for his lack of faith, as he has others. He doesn’t require anything special of him. All he simply says is, “Take up your bed and walk.” The Psalmist said, “Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again — my Savior and my God! (Psalms 43:5 NLT) The Apostle Paul added to this, “And if we have hope in Christ only for this life, we are the most miserable people in the world.” (1 Cor 15:19 NLT) We are living in a time when life is filled with uncertainty. Men and women are living lives filled with fear and hopelessness. No matter what is tried to improve life it seems powerless to make the needed change. There is a high rate of burnout and certainly a deep level of cynicism. Dependency upon the world system has left many in despair, wondering where to turn and when it will all change. Our hopes in this life and what this life has to offer are bound to bring nothing but disappointment. This world, or the age in which we live, is ruled by the god of this world. As a result, it is doomed for failure. If we rely upon this world to meet our needs and to save us from our despair, we too are doomed for failure and disappointment. Jesus stood at the tomb of Lazarus. His heart was broken, not because his friend had died. He knew and had already said that Lazarus was just asleep. His heart hurt for those who were crushed with sorrow and wept as a result of all hope laying dead for four days. He told them to roll away the stone from in front of the tomb and their response was, “He has been dead for four days and it is going to stink!” So what do you do when it stinks? You roll the stone away! You take up your bed and walk! You refuse to let circumstances dictate to you your response to the blessings of God. Step out by faith. Do the opposite of what is natural and step into the world of the Supernatural! Let Jesus Christ have a chance to bring to live what the world says is dead! It is in the midst of turmoil and chaos that Jesus Christ is at his best. Whether it be in the midst of a crowd at the pool where hope has faded or at the tomb of one who has been buried too long, Jesus Christ is still the answer we need today. When life is nothing but a stinking mess, Jesus Christ is still our only hope. The choice is ours. We can continue to lay in a world of cynical unbelief or we can take up our bed and walk. We can continue to lay in that which has entombed us, or we can arise and come out of the tomb. Well, its just a thought! I refuse to be discouraged or sad, I will put my hope in Jesus Christ!

A Personal God in an Impersonal World

A while back my wife went to the bank to make a deposit. The teller told her, after she had waited in line for several minutes; you know you should use the ATM instead of taking our time. We had four different accounts at the bank that we signed on. I went to another bank and asked them, “I want to open several accounts, but I have one question to ask first. Will it bother you if I come into your bank and stand in line and take up your time so that I can give you my money? I just want to know!”

Our world is very impersonal. We live in a very inhospitable world. Humanity has become cold and detached from each other. We have lost our sensitivity to our neighbor. We have become indifferent and unemotional toward mankind.

Call your utility company or any business and you will spend more time listening to a computer tell you that their menu has changed so listen closely than you will talking to a real human. Our world is impersonal.

On a daily basis you will get a call from a computer. It will tell you to stay on the line and wait for a very important call. The internet is set up for online shopping. It is designed so you will never have to leave you home for anything. We have lost the personal touch.

It is an impersonal world when women can scream for help while being raped or beaten. Nearby neighbors and passerby’s turn their heads. They shut their windows. They turn their music up louder. They don’t want to be involved. They want to remain detached and unemotional abut the world around them.

As time passes, the spirit of the age in which we live becomes more and more impersonal. It becomes more and more detached and distant. However, in the midst of an impersonal world we have a very personal God! He is a God that knows and loves each of us as individuals.

In John chapter one when Jesus first began to select His disciples, He called Philip. When Philip met Jesus, he was so excited that he went to tell a friend named Nathaniel all about Him. Nathaniel decided to come and meet Jesus for himself. Now, as he approaches, Jesus speaks to him before Nathaniel ever has a chance to say anything. What he says is so personal, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!”

Only someone who knew him intimately could make that statement. It catches Nathaniel off guard, by surprise. He asks, “Whence knowest thou me?” Have we ever met? How do you know me?

So Jesus makes it even more personal. “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” he said to Nathaniel. He was telling him I know you inside and out. I know all about you.

He is a personal God!

Jesus came down from teaching on the mountain and great multitudes followed Him. Suddenly the crowd which had been pressing against Him pulled back. At the feet of Jesus falls the ragged, tattered figure of a man.

His face is disfigured from the hideous disease that has ravaged his body. Rags are wrapped around his arms and hands to hide the effects of the leprosy that was destroying him.

Looking at Jesus, he begins to worship Him saying, “Lord, if you wanted to you could heal me.”

Most people would have been repulsed at the sight of the man. They would have averted their gaze. Their stomachs would have heaved. The stench would have caused them to retreat as discretely as possible. The thought of physical contact would have been abhorrent and would never have taken place. There would have been no concern about the feelings of this man. They would not have worried the least if he would have been offended or hurt by their reaction and rejection.

Jesus however is a personal God in an impersonal world. The man has recognized that Jesus had the power to heal him. He has prostrated himself before Jesus, desperately hoping and believing for a second chance at life. Jesus isn’t repulsed or revolted by the man and his condition. He is moved with compassion for the man. He feels for this man deeply enough that he reaches out and touches him.

We have to ask ourselves the question, “How long had it been since someone had touched this man? How long had this man lived without a personal touch of another human being?”

Lepers could not live with their families. They were not allowed to live in the cities of Israel. Rather, they were cast out of the communities when they were diagnosed with leprosy. They left their homes, their jobs, their communities behind. They walked away from their families, friends and loved ones. They were destined to live the life of an outcast in the caves and hills that surrounded the towns.

When they approached people, they had to cry in a loud voice, “Unclean, unclean!” This allowed people to stay back or change their course of travel and not be exposed to this highly contagious disease.

One must wonder how long it had been since this man had received a pat on the back from a friend. You have to ask how long since he had received a hug from his parents. How many days and weeks, maybe months or years, since his child had ran to meet him and jumped in his arms. How long had it been since his sweetheart had put her arms around him and kissed him telling him how handsome he was and that she loved him.

These are things that we experience on a daily basis. These are happenings in our everyday lives, so we often just expect them to always be there. This man had not enjoyed the feel of another persons touch in a while.

We all need to be touched. A touch releases endorphins which are healing agents in our blood stream. Medical doctors say that ten meaningful touches, showing value, a day can add two years to a person’s life.

He needed healing. He was a desperate man in a hopeless situation. A healing would have changed his life forever. Yet Jesus recognized this man needed more than just healing. This man needed a touch and being the personal God that He is, He touched Him! Then He healed Him!

When he came to Jesus, this man would have been elated to receive his healing, but Jesus said there is more that you need than just healing. You need to know that some one finds you to be important. You need the reassurance that someone loves you, despite your condition. So Jesus touched him.

The people were all around. People were pressing, calling, pulling, and shoving. Suddenly, Jesus stops and looks around and asks, “Who touched me?”

The disciples are bewildered at the question. People are touching him from every side. Everybody wants to get his attention. They are all there because they want to get close to Him. How can He ask, “Who touched me?”

The reply they get from Jesus is unexpected. He knows that someone with a special need has touched Him. He says they have been healed because He felt virtue leave His body. However, there is more that is needed and He needs to know who touched Him.

For twelve years this woman had a disease that caused her to be considered unclean. For twelve years she had suffered not only the effects of this disease, the weakness. But also, for twelve years she had also known shame, and the rejection, of being a castaway.

When she touched Jesus, she was immediately healed. Yet Jesus didn’t let her just walk away. He stopped her, had her tell her story, letting everyone in the crowd know that she was unclean. Then he announced to the world that she was not just healed but also restored.

Yes, he is a personal God even when the world is cold and detached. He was even personal to a jailer in a Philippian jail. He sent two preachers to preach a gospel message to him. He dispatched an earthquake to get his attention so he would realize that he was important to God. He is a personal God.

He was sitting on the curb of a well on a hot, dry afternoon when she walked up; thinking no one else would be there. She came thinking she was going to take care of a natural need. Yet Jesus saw that deep thirst that was in her heart and gave her what she needed to have that need met. A need she didn’t even realize that she had. He is an individual God. He is your own God, he belongs to you.

Our God is a personal God. He knows you as an individual. He is the God of the universe. In spite of that he is your personal, individual God. He cares for your needs while he is caring for my needs. He is a personal individual God.

You don’t know me, but he knows me. If you had known me before I knew him, you would understand why I love him the way that I love him. Who am I that the great God of heaven would bleed and die for? Yet he did just that. He died just for me.

We know that he made the worlds. He made earth. He made you and me. We know that there is great demand for his attention. We know that we can bring all of our cares to him and he will care. But the beautiful thing about God is that he is so personal he cares for the small things.

In September of 1999, after several months of terminal illness, my father passed away. We had spent weeks at his bedside. There were very few nights during that time when the phone didn’t ring calling us to his bedside. Not only were we physically exhausted, we were emotionally and spiritually exhausted also.

My father had pastored the church for 25 years and then had been Pastor Emeritus for the past 10 years. So the church was also exhausted.

A few weeks after his passing, my wife and I took a night off and went to the “big city” to spend the night and have a day of goofing off. That morning at the restaurant when I went to pay for my breakfast, someone had already paid for our meal. I was in a strange town. I didn’t see anyone I recognized.

While in town I took a gift back that I was unable to use. I received much more money than I thought I would. Initially I was told I could not have my money back.

The day continued in the same manner. There were just a lot of little things that day that went right. Driving down the road that evening I realized that God had just used several small things, unimportant to anyone else, to let me know he cared. He is a personal God.

Several months later, on Fathers Day, I was in Mississippi. My wife and I were preaching a revival in a small church. I was sitting in my motel room that morning waiting on my wife to finish getting ready for church. Suddenly it dawned on me that I could not call my father and wish him a Happy Fathers Day.

For the first time in forty-three years I would not be able to tell the most important man in my life how much I loved and appreciated him. It seemed like all of the emotions that I had dealt with flooded back to the surface and I began to weep. I felt lost and alone. Dad had been my friend and confidant. I could always call Dad and he would listen. I could always count on him to be there, but suddenly it had changed and reality had set in.

It was in this desolate lonely moment that God spoke to me. It was in this time of feeling so small and insignificant that God reached down and gave me that touch that I couldn’t get from my Dad. It was in that moment that God told me, “I am a personal God in an impersonal world and I love you!”

I have been dealing with a situation for a long period of time, several years. Important things in my life have not worked out the way I had hoped and prayed they would. There have been many times that I have called on God and asked, “Where are you in all of this?”

There have been times when I felt like Job, I see the evidence of God everywhere, but I can’t feel it for my self. You are blessing people all around me, but I can’t feel anything. I have given it my all, but my all hasn’t been good enough!

I was recently in a service where God spoke to me and told me, “I am working on you because I love you.”

It wasn’t just a thought or a feeling that went through my mind. I wasn’’t just an impression that I had. It was a Word from the Lord sent by a special messenger, just for me. A man who didn’t know me from Adam, but he had a personal message just for me. You may be skeptical, but I know I serve a very personal God.

No matter what it is you might be dealing with. Whatever you might be feeling let me reassure you that God cares. If you are feeling rejection, He cares! If live has overwhelmed you, He cares! If you lie on your bed at night, afraid to close you eyes because of the pressures that are there, He cares!

He is a personal God in an impersonal world. He cares when no one else cares. In fact Peter gives us this reassurance in I Peter 5:7, “Casting all your cares upon Him, for He careth for you.”

Take them to Jesus, He cares!

Remember...it's just a thought!

Shoes of the Gospel of Peace

Our first inclination when we sense danger is to run and hide. We want to flee the threat of danger! Our pulse begins to race! Our adrenalin begins to pump! Fear grips our heart! The first thought we have is to make a retreat and save ourselves.

Fear is a controlling, amazing thing. The cause of fear doesn’t even have to be real, it can be something we have imagined or someone has told us. Experiences can cause fear in our lives that are either real or imagined. Fear will control you. Let me give you an example.

I was driving home from Church one Sunday with my mother. We exited the Interstate and came to a stop sign at an intersection. Across from where we sat, about a hundred feet away and to our right, we could see the shore of a lake. My mother looked at the lake and said, “That makes my stomach hurt!”

Not sure what she was referring to, I asked, “What are you talking about?” To this she replied, “That water! Looking at it makes my stomach hurt!”

Now I was very curious how the lake’s water could make her stomach hurt, so I asked her. To this she replied, “Well, when I was two years old I almost drowned. So when I look at water, it makes my stomach hurt.”

I was surprised and said, “Mom, you can’t even remember when you were two years old. How can that experience make you afraid of water to the point it makes your stomach hurt to look at it? You are just going on what someone told you.”

Mom replied, “I don’t care! It makes my stomach hurt to look at water.” I then began to recall how afraid she had been all of my life whenever water was involved. She had never, in my lifetime, gone swimming. In fact, I don’t ever remember her going wading or standing in the waves at the ocean. When we were kids, we would beg to go swimming at the river. When mom would finally give in and would take us we could only get in the water up to our knees. I was eighteen years old when I learned to swim. A fear that someone had told her about, had controlled her life for seventy-five years.

The same thing happens to us spiritually. We often deal with fears that things that we have experienced in our past have caused. Sometimes the enemy of our soul will whisper lies in our ears that will breed fears into our lives. Our imaginations begin to expand on the lies, making them larger and more real in our minds to the point fear controls us.

Paul tells us, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim 1:7 KJV)


John also writes and tells us, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18 KJV)

Fear is the root of so much of our spiritual troubles. It is the cause of much of the conflict we have with our brothers and sisters in the Lord. We can find ourselves going through life responding to the fears of what others think about us. We are afraid of what someone else will do or say if we dress a certain way or fail to respond in a certain way. Too often we find ourselves bound by things we are sure others are saying about us. Fear and condemnation can blind us until we become helpless.

When fear sets in it brings torment! Torment will result in the victim becoming self centered. Not because they are egotistical! This happens because they become consumed by the fear that has overtaken their lives. Everything becomes centered on this fear and how it affects them.

The “Good News” is that God hasn’t given us the spirit of fear. He has given us the “Spirit of Power.” Power is the opposite of fear. Fear leaves you feeling weak. Fear causes you to feel vulnerable and helpless. However, power is strength, ability and authority. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you,” (Acts 1:8a KJV).

The “Good News” is that God hasn’t given us the spirit of fear. He has given us the “Spirit of Love.” Love is the opposite of fear. Fear causes you to feel alone. It will make you feel that no one cares and no one is listening to your cries for help. Fear will make you feel that no one will be there to take care of you. Love, on the other hand, is the assurance that someone is there and they do care. It is the knowledge that there is someone you can call to and they will respond and wrap their arms around you in a loving embrace. Peter admonishes us, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1Peter 5:7 KJV)

The “Good News” is that God hasn’t given us the spirit of fear. He has given us the “Spirit of a Sound Mind.” Several translations use the word discipline here. A mind that is undisciplined will cause fear. They allow the imagination to be in control. However, when we control or discipline our mind, fear is no longer able to rule over us. Paul admonishes us, “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”; (2 Cor. 10:5 KJV).

When I recognize that I have protection from fear I am free to walk in peace. I will enjoy peace that is beyond understanding in my life. I will know peace with my fellow man. It is then that I will be free to spread the “Gospel of Peace” in a world that is searching for peace. As Jesus said in His last words to His disciples, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me” (Acts 1:8 KJV).

Paul encourages us in to, “Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7 NLT)

(An excerpt from the second chapter of the book I am presently writing.)

Is Your Nose Pressed Against The Window?

It was so funny, one night at Church, you know that some of the funniest things happen at Church! I had to start laughing and shame on me. We were having an awesome move of God in service. I was standing up front playing the guitar and looked over to the side. My brother, Tim, was in the fellowship hall doing children’s ministry. He had come to the door and was peaking in to see what was happening. All I could see was one eye and his nose. I couldn’t help but laugh because it looked so funny.

I remembered an incident back many years ago. You can only remember many years ago when you get old. I was preaching a revival in a little town in Oregon. The revival was only for the weekend, so I had invited one of the young men from the church to accompany me so I wouldn’t have to travel alone. On Monday morning the pastor left early for work and we left, when he did, to head home. We stopped at a little restaurant in town to have breakfast. We were seated right at the window, which looked out over the street. The restaurant was right on a corner which also served as a school bus stop and there were several children standing waiting for the school bus. As we were setting at the table eating, I looked over toward the street and much to my surprise there were three little boys standing at the window with their noses pressed against the glass watching us eat.

You can imagine how funny that looked! We started laughing and they start laughing as well. I couldn’t help but think of those three little boys when I saw the big boy looking through the door. It was as if his nose was pressed against the glass and he was wishing he could have some too. If you know Tim, you know that is exactly what he was wishing!

The Psalmist tells us, “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.” (Ps. 34:8)

How many times have we stood back and watched others get blessed while we wonder how good it tastes?! How often have we looked in, with our noses pressed against the window, wishing we could have some of that?! All along each of us has the opportunity to “taste and see” for ourselves. We don’t have to be a spectator; we can be a participator in everything God offers to the believer.

I have observed as different ones plunge their dipper into the “well of living water” and take a taste. I have watched as the “well of living water” began to bubble up within them and the blessings began to purge away the pressure of the week. I have watched as some were healed, just as a result of worship. I have watched others as the weariness of life was washed from their faces. Some weep with relief. Others have responded with jubilation. They “tasted” and found for themselves the Lord is good. There is a special blessing when we realize we can place our trust in the Lord!

Each and every life is created with a hunger in it that can only be filled by God. Jesus stopped one day at a well and talked with a woman who had come to draw water to meet her natural, physical needs. Jesus offered her water that would meet the longing that was in her soul. In fact, Jesus told her, “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14 KJV)

How many times have I wanted to buy a type of food that I was hungry for only to realize it was too expensive? At the price of beef today you need to mortgage your home to buy a steak! There have been times in my life, when we have lived on very simple, basic staples because of a lack of finances. I remember one time when I was young and times were hard, as Dad and Mom were pastoring a home mission Church, we lived on pancakes for several weeks. In the morning we had pancakes with homemade syrup. In the evening we had pancakes with jelly. That was all we could afford and were thankful for it.

However we have this invitation, “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” (Isa 55:1 KJV)

I don’t have to stand outside the window and press my nose against the glass. I have a standing invitation to come inside and eat and drink until I am full. What a blessing to be invited to come in and sit down to eat at the king’s table. What a great opportunity is available, to have the assurance that satisfaction is available to each and every one of us.

Let me encourage you to step back from the window and come on in! Pull up a seat and place your trust in God, you will find out He is GOOD!

It’s just a thought! God Bless

Words of Delight

As the bus pulled away from the stop, this morning, a passage of scripture came to my mind. I was very upset! Actually, to be honest, I was very angry! I was angry enough, now I am just telling you how I felt, that I wanted to take someone out behind the woodshed and give them a beating. Whoa! Now I have some folk’s attention.

No, I wasn’t angry at any of the passengers on my bus, they have all been well behaved and quiet this week. No, I wasn’t angry at any of the children’s parents. We all get along very well. No, I wasn’t angry with any of the co-workers on my bus, there was only one on there at the time and he was upset also. No, I wasn’t angry at a thoughtless driver. The road was empty. However, I was very angry and it was because of the thoughtlessness of a parent.

As we were loading a child on the bus I had asked their parent if they were ready for Thanksgiving in a couple of days. The parent looked at me and said, “If it were just my child and I having it together I would be ready. But we will be going to my Dad’s and I would just as soon not go there.”

I was a bit taken back by their honesty and wasn’t sure how I wanted to respond. My co-worker said something to the effect they should be happy to be with their parent and enjoy the time together. To this statement the parent replied, “I would and understand what you are saying, however, I am not looking forward to being called stupid and many other names. That is how my dad is and I will deal with it but I would rather not.”

I looked into the eyes of this forty-year-old parent and could see the raw pain in their eyes and recognized they were speaking from their heart. In just that moment I was given a glimpse of years of pain caused by thoughtless words that hurt beyond belief, leaving wounds that are open and bleeding. I saw years of compounded damage and pain.

After a few more comments about Thanksgiving day, the parent turned and left. I shut the bus door and looked in the mirrors before pulling out into the empty street and said, “That makes me so angry! How can a parent be so cruel to their children as to call them stupid?”

As I seethed at the thoughtless deeds of the unknown parent a passage of scripture came to my mind, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer” Psalms 19:14. As it ran through my mind I focused on this part, “Let the words of my mouth . . . be acceptable in your sight, O Lord!”

It is amazing how powerful words are! They can be destructive, tearing down and destroying a person. Words can also be constructive, building and strengthening someone. It is our choice in how we use them. Words can hurt and words can heal. Again, it is our choice how we use them.

The words that comes from my mouth need to be words that would be acceptable as far as God is concerned. The word “acceptable” comes from the Hebrew word “ratson” and means delight. So if my prayer is, “Lord let my words be acceptable to you,” I am actually praying, “Lord, let what I say bring you delight!”

I realize that there is nothing I can do about the thoughtless father who spoke words that have hurt and scarred his child. That is beyond my control. My anger was only for a few moments and quickly turned to tears as I felt the pain of that child. Still, there is little I can do to erase the damage that has been done. However, one thing that can happen, and I am praying it will, and that is I can be much more careful how I speak to others in the future.

God, let the words of my mouth be acceptable in your sight. Let what I say bring delight to you. May the words that comes from my tongue be words that lift up and encourage. Help me to speak words of blessing and promise, words of life. Let my words be words of delight!

Well, it’s just a thought! God Bless . . .

You are Talking Like a Kid!

Aren’t children amazing? They are so much smarter than we give them credit for. I have witnessed them doing amazing things. Today I listened to a two-year-old sing the “ABC’s” song. Well he sang most of it anyway. He is just now starting to talk but he can belt out “ABC . . . !”

A while back I told a four year old boy, who asked me if I was taking him home, that I was going to take him to the dump. He laughed at me and said, “No, this is a bus. It is not a dump truck! Take me home.”

Recently I heard a child tell another child something that was a complete fabrication of the truth. The second child reacted to the lie and began to whine. One of the adults that was there reassured the second child that what was said was not true and everything was going to be all right. The child continued to whimper for a while but then calmed down. The first child then said the same thing over again to the second child, calling them by name. The reaction of the second child was the same, and they began to whine. Again the adult reassured the child that this was not true and everything would be all right.

Just before we arrived at the home of the second child, the child began to sing out that they were going to see their daddy. The first child then called the second child by name and said, “No! That’s my daddy! No! That’s my daddy!” The second child responded by collapsing in hysteria! They began to cry out that it was their daddy and could not be consoled at all. Even when we arrived at the home and the father of the child came to take them off the bus they continued to cry. All the time the first child laughed and thought it was funny.

As we left the home and began to drive down the road I thought to myself, “How foolish to become so upset by such a complete and obvious fabrication of the truth.” The child knew whose daddy it was. They were reassured by those in authority that the other child was not telling the truth. Yet they chose to believe the lie to the glee of the one that is making it up.

I was then struck by the realization of how often we allow this to happen in our lives. The enemy of our soul loves to taunt and terrorize us with lies. In fact Jesus described him this way, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” John 8:44

He loves to tell us something that is obviously a lie and then sit back and watch us react to it in fear and frustration. He will call your name and taunt you! He will challenge your spirituality and authority. He doesn’t care that he is lying, he only wants to cause you trouble. He only wants to plant seeds of fear in your heart and mind. The whole time he sits back and laughs!

He will bring up every mistake you ever made and heap condemnation upon you. Then laugh while you beg God to have mercy on you and chuckle as you live in fear of the judgement of God. He will call your name and tell you that you don’t have faith and that is why you are going through the situations that you face. Then laugh when you hang your head and cry because you feel like a failure. He will tell you that you are losing your mind because of past mistakes. Then rolls on the floor in glee as you tremble with fear!

All the time this is happening, the authority in your life is telling you that these are just lies. What is being said is obviously not true! We do have power, faith and sound mind and it comes directly from God! (2 Timothy 1:7) We are children of the King and have spiritual authority as our heritage. We are God’s kids! (Romans 8:15-17)

We don’t have to worry about our past mistakes. We have the assurance that if we have confessed them to God, then God has forgiven us of them and cleansed us from all wrong doing. (1 John 1:9) We are also reassured that the only one who can condemn us is Jesus Christ and He isn’t condemning us because He is on our side! (Romans 8:31-34)

So the next time you hear that taunting voice. You know that voice that preaches to us about our failures. The next time you hear that voice, just stop for a moment and listen to the voice of authority, the Word of God! The holler back to the taunter, “You are just talking like a kid!”

Well, it’s just a thought!

It is a BIG Deal!

Have you ever heard the expression, “familiarity breeds contempt?” It was often used as a warning when I was growing up and I have found it to be true. The more familiar I become with things the less I hold them in awe. The more casual I feel and act around these things. I have seen this in many areas of life. In fact, this was forcibly brought to my attention this past weekend, here, let me share.

My alarm goes off at 4:20AM every weekday morning. After hitting the snooze button a couple of times, while trying to talk myself into getting out of bed, I get up and take a shower, get dressed and head for the kitchen. While Melinda is getting ready, I fix her breakfast. Now don’t get excited because I just put some cream cheese on a bagel and get a bit of yogurt out. I then fix my breakfast, eat, and quickly rinse off my dishes and place them in the dishwasher. We then head off to work.

Friday morning the routine was moving right along just fine. I wasn’t having to think and it was a good thing because my mind isn’t awake at that time of the morning. However, the routine came to an abrupt halt when I started to rinse off the dishes to put them in the dishwasher. Much to my chagrin there was water standing in both sides of the sink and it wasn’t there when I had gone to bed. Thus began two days of dealing with a plumbing situation that was the result of a full septic tank.

Saturday morning a tank truck pulled up to pump the septic tank. Out of the truck came two men who, without hesitation, began a process that I could tell they were very familiar with. The older man, who obviously was the boss, walked over to where the tank was located and sat down on a five-gallon bucket. The other man began to pull hoses off the truck and hooked them together. The boss then took one end and stuck it into the hole in the tank and the pumping began. After a little bit of time had passed the boss said something to the helper who then went over to where I had a shovel laying. He picked up the shovel, my shovel, and walked back to the tank and stuck the handle down into the septic tank moving it around. He then pulled it out and turned it over and stuck the blade down into the septic tank and moved it around.

I just want you to know that about the time the handle of that shovel disappeared into the septic tank there came over me a “spirit of generosity” because I decided right at that moment those two fellas had just gotten themselves a new shovel. I was never touching that shovel again! I didn’t and they did!

The difference between them and me was simply they were so accustom to working in that environment that they didn’t think twice about what they were doing I was standing thirty-feet away and I was worried I might get some on me. Familiarity breeds contempt! To them it was not big deal.

I have watched the waste disposal men reach into some strangers garbage can and pull out bags of garbage with their bare hands and think nothing of it. Then I have seen them climb in the truck and drive to the next place while eating or drinking. I have a hard time reaching into my own can and lifting out the bags. The difference between them and me is they do it every day and do it all day long. They have become familiar with it. Familiarity breeds contempt! To them it is no big deal.

Several days back I was reading a novel for some recreational reading. Melinda and I had been reading several books by a Christian author and had really enjoyed her light, humorous style of writing. I have not read a secular novel in over a year because I get tired of trying to find books that are not filled with curse words, sex and violence. As I was reading this particular book I came upon a “mild” curse word (I put mild in quotes because that is how it would be classified by most people) and I flinched. I read a bit further and came across another “mild” curse word. This time I looked to see if this was the author we had been reading and it was. I then looked at the copyright date and found it and realized that this book had been written before she had started writing as a Christian and although most would not consider it offensive, because I had not read those words in such a long time they were to me. Familiarity breeds contempt! It is a big deal!

Recently someone was telling me they had stopped watching television and movies. Their reason was they were trying to get closer to God and felt this was a hindrance in seeking that close relationship they desired. They said that after several months they were visiting another family and the television was turned on. The show that was being watched was a home and garden show. This person said that when the advertisements came on they were so offensive! They went on to explain they had never noticed this before but because they had been away from television for several weeks they noticed and were offended. Familiarity breeds contempt! It is a big deal!

I remember in times past doing something that I knew was wrong. Oh how it bothered me! I knew that God was going to come and I was going to be lost. I would get up in the middle of the night and repent because I was afraid God would come while I was asleep. Nevertheless I wouldn’t change and pretty soon I didn’t feel so bad about what I was doing. Now it wasn’t a big deal!

The American Indians had an explanation for the conscience. They said it was a circle inside of each man that had a triangle inside of it. When we do something wrong the triangle turns and its points hurt as the rub the wall of the circle. However, if we ignore the pain, long enough, the sharp points of the triangle will wear away and we will no longer hurt. What they were saying is, “Familiarity breeds contempt!” Or it is a big deal!

The wise man wrote, “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” (Ecc. 8:11) What he is saying is because we do something wrong and God doesn’t “ZAP” us we continue and think it is all right. Why? Familiarity breeds contempt! We think it is no big deal!

I remember as a young teen hearing a Brother Charles Garner preach about Freddy the Frog. It seems some boys caught Freddy and wanted to cook him. They got them a pot of water and put it on to boil. When it came to a boil, they dropped ole Freddy right in the pot. Immediately ole Freddy jumped right back out of the boiling water. They put him back in and ole Freddy jumped out again. After several unsuccessful attempts to cook Freddy one of the boys got an idea. They poured the boiling water out of the pot and filled it with some nice cool tap water. They put Freddy in the cool water and he began to swim around. They put the pot back on the stove and Freddy continued to swim around. They watched as the pot of water began to warm up, anxiously watching to see if ole Freddy would try to jump out. Ole Freddy the Frog was doing the back stroke! He was swimming like a frogman! For a while that is until the water became nice and warm then he became sleepy and pretty soon ole Freddy the Frog was a cooked frog.

Brother Garner explained to us that is the way it is with sin. We watch for the “BIG” ones. We won’t rob a bank or murder someone with a gun. But the enemy of our soul knows that if he can slip in with something small pretty soon we won’t notice until it is too late. We become familiar and familiarity breeds contempt! It’s no big deal. We can handle it!

When was the last time we sincerely prayed asking God to “shine the spotlight” of His Word on our lives and show us what needs to be changed or removed? When was the last time we decided that no matter what everyone else was doing we were going to make some changes just because we wanted to draw closer to God?
I know that what I am writing isn’t usually found in a blog and will not be popular. I am sorry, I am not trying to be offensive but I truly believe that we have allowed ourselves to become familiar with the things in our lives that should not be there. It is time that we fall on our faces and seek heaven and turn from our sins. Familiarity does breed contempt! It is a big deal!

God Bless . . . it’s just a thought!

Gotta Have a Good Connection!

You gotta have a good connection! There is no other way if you are working with anything electrical and want it to work properly. If the connection isn’t good, you experience a lot of frustration until it is corrected. If the connection is good, you will find that you never think about it at all.

I have talked, in the past, about the adventure of fixing Jared’s car. We replaced the alternator and the car wouldn’t start. We replaced the battery, which had died when the alternator went out, and the car started but the battery light wouldn’t go off. We found there were fuses out and replaced those. Still the battery light stayed on and the battery would run down. We found there was a bad connection on the battery and fixed that. Still, we had the same problem. We had a diagnostic test done and found the new alternator was bad. We replaced that and drove it for a couple hours only to have the battery light come on again and the battery ran down.

Car problems are no fun! They are not even fun when your car is still under warranty and you have lots of time and money. When it is no longer under warranty and your time and money is limited car problems can be even more frustrating!

Sunday night we found the source of the problem was a small ground wire that connected to the alternator. It had become worn and frayed causing a short-circuit in the system. They just clipped the wire and crimped on a new connector. Three days later it is still working fine. All of these problems were because of a bad connection.

For some reason, at five A.M. this morning, I thought about that bad connection and couldn’t help but think about my connection to God. How much frustration have I experienced in my life because I haven’t made sure I have a "good connection" to God? How often have I struggled and became "spiritually rundown" because my "ground" wire has become frayed causing a spiritual short?

The Psalmist David wrote, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." (Ps 51:10 KJV) He spent some time talking about sin that had been in his life and asking God to cleanse him from those sins. He is exact in his request to God. He wanted a good connection, a clean heart! He wants to make sure there isn’t anything in his life that will cause a short in the circuit between himself and God.

How often have I let the things of life and sin bring a bad connection in my relationship with God? It isn’t always bad things that have caused me to have a short. It is sometimes something as simple as a distraction. So I began to ask myself what could cause a bad connection between me and my God?

One of the things that came to mind was distraction. Distractions are those things which divert your attention. Distraction comes so easy and appears in so many disguises. When Jared was young, I would tell him that he was easily distracted by shiny objects. It didn’t take much to make him forget what he was doing and he would be doing something else. I have found this to be so true in my spiritual life.

I go to pray and think of something I need to do first. The next thing I know I haven’t prayed and time is gone. I want to read my Bible but get caught up in answering an email that is important or even something else and time is gone. Pretty soon I realize it has been a while since I talked to God or allowed Him to talk to me and there is a bad connection.

I sometimes find myself struggling in my spiritual walk. I am not experiencing the joy that I know I should be feeling. My attitude isn’t really what I want it to be. Some of the "wonder" is missing in my relationship with God. When I begin to check the connections, I often find that I haven’t been as focused in giving praise to God. My worship hasn’t been as intense as it sometimes is. There is a bad connection between me and my God. It is time for me to stop coasting on what others are doing and make a good connection between me and God.

There are times I find myself stymied, at a stand still. In checking my connections I have found that I haven’t been applying the Word of God to my life. When I read His Word I need to ask Him to show me what I need to do with what I am reading. The Bible is more than a good book. It is the road map to life. If I don’t apply it and live by it the Bible just becomes another book. However, when I allow God to reveal His truth to me and begin to live truth the connection is made.

Now I don’t mind admitting that I am a "Jesus Fanatic." Just to make sure that I am, I looked up the word "fanatic" and this is the definition: Enthusiast; Marked by excessive enthusiasm for and intense devotion to a cause or idea: "rabid isolationist."

I was so excited because that is how I feel about Jesus! I am His biggest fan. I am not afraid that someone will say I go overboard in my lifestyle for Jesus. I do not go through life asking why I can’t do certain things in order to live for Him. I try to make my question, "What more can I do to have a better connection with Jesus?"

Let me encourage you to spend some time checking your connections! Go to God in prayer and ask Him to help you see the areas in your life and walk with Him that are becoming frayed and corroded. Get a good connection and watch the power flow in your life!

Remember. It is just a thought!

It's Just A Little Thing!

I love it when God takes something simple from everyday life and teaches me a spiritual truth with it. Usually it isn’t profound or deep. It is usually just something simple. That is what happened today, just a while ago. Here, let me share it with you.

Jared has been having trouble with his car for the past several weeks. The alternator went out so he saved a couple hundred dollars up and bought a new one, actually a remanufactored one. A coworker came over and they put the new one on. At this point we found out the battery had been killed when the alternator went out, so save some more money and buy a new battery. However the new alternator was bad and it took several different theories and a couple of diagnostic test (more money) to find this out. I am sure there are some spiritual truths to be learned in all of this but not the one I want to share.

Today Jared got the new part and I went out to lend a helping hand in installing it. Actually I mostly held the front-left side of the car down by leaning on it and watching him. After taking the older one out, with some difficulty, Jared was unable to get the new one back down into its place. There were several hoses and wiring in the way. He had loosened them and moved them out of the way and it still wasn’t working out. Finally he said, "I just can’t get it to go past this ‘do-ma-fligee’!" (Now a do-ma-fligee is Doranese for anything you don’t know the proper name of that is attached to the motor of a car)

I came around and looked at the obstacle only to notice there was another hose that could be moved. I pointed it out to him and when he moved it the part went right into place. It was at this moment a spiritual truth came to my attention. I told Jared, "That is the way it is in our lives so often!" I went on to explain:

There are times, in our lives, when something will try to intrude into our spiritual life. It will poke, prod and push but won’t be able to get in because there are things blocking it. We don’t pay much attention to the blocks, they are just there and have been there for a long time. We are paying attention to that which is trying to get in and we focus on keeping it out with obvious effort.

Then, one day when we are not paying a whole lot of attention, we remove the block. We have forgotten why it is there. It just seems to be a nuisance and who needs it anyway, move it out of the way. When we do that which has been trying to get in has an open door and it slides right in.

Paul tells us in Romans to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof. He is warning us to be careful not to allow the flesh any opportunity or it will take advantage. In other words he is telling us not to remove the "blocks" that have been set up to keep sin out of our lives.

Today it might not seem like a big deal but somewhere down the line it will be a big deal. My father was a carpenter and he believed in the old adage, "measure twice, cut once." I loved it when he would tell me, "Don, I cut this board two times and it is still too short!" There was some advice he would often repeat and give a spiritual application to. It you are measuring and you are a sixteenth of an inch off here it might not seem like a big deal, why it is only one little line on most tape measures. However, when you get sixteen inches further along you are now an inch off, which to some folks again might not seem like much. LOOK OUT! When you are sixteen feet further long you are now a foot off and the further you go the further off you are.

How often do we look at things in our lives as not being big deals? We say they don’t really matter or make that much of a difference and yet when they are ignored they end up compounding their effects in our lives to the point they are a big deal. They open areas and give opportunities for other problems and sin to enter our lives and take a hold.

Today it was simply taking a bolt out and moving a power steering hose that allowed an alternator to slide through. What might be keeping sin out of our lives? If we remove that one simple obstacle what sin might we be opening ourselves up to?

Today it is just a sixteenth of an inch and we consider it no big deal! But, a little further on, it is the reason that the door or window doesn’t close or the wall is out of square. Today it is just a little simple matter of saying yes instead of saying no. It is no big deal but somewhere in the future it has opened the door for other things.

I have to wonder where did it start for Judas? What got him off track? He didn’t join Jesus and the disciples to betray Jesus, no that happened because something else wasn’t taken care of earlier. Have you asked where did it start for Demas? Paul said that Demas had forsaken him because he had a love for this world. He didn’t say he had backslidden and walked away from God. However, something had been removed in his life that allowed the love of this present world to grow until it became more important than his ministry. I wonder what the end of that story was? We know it was just staying home from the battle when kings go to war that put David in the wrong place at the wrong time. The result was more than just adultery, which was bad enough, it was a loss of purity in his family. He wasn’t allowed to build the temple. Murder, incest, betrayal and adultery took a stronghold in his family. All of it was the result of protection being removed.

Well, remember it is just a thought! God bless . . .

How's Your Thinking Been?

Have you ever read a passage of scripture, or maybe just a verse, many times and one day read it only to realize you haven’t read it that way before? This happens to me on a frequent basis. In fact it just happened the other night. Let me share what happened.

Jared and I had been having a discussion. We had been talking about some different things, some of which were happening in our lives and some that were not happening. After several minutes of talking I told Jared, "I really feel like I need to spend some time in prayer, will you join me?" Of course he joined me and we enjoyed a good time of discussion with God about our concerns.

Many months ago, while in a prayer meeting, a passage of scripture had come very forcefully to my mind. I had looked it up and the verses had become directive and favorites in my personal arsenal of scriptures. In fact I wrote an article about the incident titled, "My Friend Said Don’t Be Careful!" As I was praying this passage came to mind and I felt to share it with Jared.

As I began to read the verses I was inspired that God would again use these verses for a reminder of the peace He offers and assures us of. Only this time I did not stop where I usually stop but continued reading the next several verses. That is when I realized I had missed something on the earlier occasions of reading the verses. In fact I had been missing something here all my life.

In Philippians chapter four and verses six and seven the writer Paul tells us, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Another word for careful is worry which is the main thing I needed to hear on the previous occasion. God, or my friend, told me to stop worrying!

Worry is simply the wringing of your hands wondering what you are going to do or what is going to happen. I have been around some worriers in my life. A really good worrier can create monsters out of nothing. Their minds will make mountains out of ant hills! It is the result of an undisciplined mind and Paul said we are not to worry but to take our needs to God in prayer. We are to ask of God, with thankfulness, those things which we are concerned about. When we do this, God will allow a peace to come upon us that will protect our emotions and our thoughts. To me this is exciting!

Here is where my last reading became even more interesting. I have found it to be true that when we pray we often undo our prayers because of a lack of faith which is evident through our verbal conversation. We ask God to meet a financial need, then talk about how poor we are, what a struggle we are in and how much we lack. We ask God for healing and then talk about all of the pain and suffering we are experiencing. Our conversation destroys our faith and also negates the peace of God which God has given us. Lookout, here come the ulcers!

Paul continues with his instruction in Philippians chapter four and verse eight by saying, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." HOLD THE BUS! I had never read this passage with the passages mentioned earlier. What a new thought this produced!

Jared mentioned how powerful scriptural principles will be to us if we read them as they are written, in the proper context. I have often read and quoted verse eight and given instruction that we should use it as a guide for living or thinking. However, I have never thought of it as a guide for believing!

So basically Paul is telling us to stop worrying. He is telling us to pray in a certain way. He is telling us that God will send an unexplainable peace to protect our hearts and minds. Then he is telling us to think on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praise worthy. Wow! So instead of destroying my faith and tearing down what I am actually trying to accomplish, I will be strengthening them through this change of attitude. I will be continuing to reside in peace because I will be erecting a wall of protection around my heart and mind by my conduct.

Paul underlines this principle in verse nine when he said, "Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you." Do what we know is right. Follow Paul in as he follows Christ. Listen to the Word and apply it to your life. Doing these things will result in "the God of peace" being with us.

In a nutshell we need to stop worrying! Bring our needs to God in prayer, asking of Him with thanksgiving. We can enjoy the peace in the midst of turmoil knowing God will protect our emotions and thinking. We are thinking on the good things and pushing aside the bad worrisome things. We keep doing what we have heard to do from the Word of God. As a result God will be with us. God will, I know I already said it but I have to say it again, be with us!

Just remember, It’s just a thought!

Have You Considered Your Miracle?

Have you ever been going along enjoying life? I am talking about everything just going great. The kids are all doing well, no problems there. The boss seems to think you are the greatest, no problems there. The car is running perfect, in fact getting the best gas mileage it has ever gotten, no problems there. Your mother in law even acts like she likes you, no problems there.
Then suddenly, out of no where, troubles come pouring in! The kids are in trouble with the teacher, problems there! The teacher is in trouble with the principal, problems there! The boss isn’t happy with anything you try to do, problems there! Even if you stood on your head they wouldn’t be happy, problems there! The car no longer is your friend, problems there! Your mother in law has decided you are just as bad as she said you were before you married your spouse, problems there!
The sun has gone behind more than a cloud. It has totally disappeared and the bright sun shine is gone. In its place is a dark dismal gloomy day! Have you ever had this happen to you? Do you know what I am talking about?
Most folks started nodding their heads in agreement at the start of the second paragraph. That doesn’t mean that they are pessimist. It doesn’t mean that they are always looking at the doom and gloom. It does mean they are living life. This is the way that life is. One minute you are going along thinking life couldn’t get any better. The next you are going along and thinking life couldn’t get any worse. That is life!
A while back, I was involved in an “on-line” discussion. Now this was a Christian discussion so the blood was only flowing as high as the “horse’s stirrups,” it hadn’t gotten as high as the bridles yet. One participant said, with great emphasis, “I am screaming READ MARK 6, READ MARK 6!!”
Well instantly I am interested in what Mark chapter 6 has to say about our discussion. I reach over to my trusty mouse and take it in my delicate little hand. I click, and then I click again. I wiggle it and click again. Then I type a few strokes on the keyboard and wallah! I am reading from Mark 6 on my Bible. (I love computers!)
Now try as I might I never did figure out what Mark chapter 6 had to do with what we were talking about in the discussion. After reading it a couple of times I realized that the discusser must have made a typo. I also realized, at the same time, that God had probably allowed it to happen because He had something to say to me from Mark chapter 6.
The disciples have been ministering. Jesus had taken them with Him as He went from town to town. They had observed Him as He had ministered. Then Jesus had sent them into the surrounding area in groups of two.
Their efforts and works were blessed. Devils were cast out. They anointed the sick with oil and they recovered. They preached a message of repentance that resounded all of the way to the king’s house. Their missionary tour has been blessed.
Yet when they returned the disciples are very weary. Life hasn’t been treating them all that well. The pressure has been great. In fact, the emphasis of their report to Jesus is the death of John the Baptist.
Seemingly, just in the nick of time, Jesus steps on the scene and tells them it is time to take a vacation. In fact, let’s make it a little cruise. He tells them to get in the ship and they go to a desert place. It was just Jesus and His disciples.
Well, that was the way the travel agent told them it would be. You know, take this trip and get away from all of the pressure. Just enjoy life at a faraway place. So off they go and when they got there, they were met by the crowds. In fact, they were met by large crowds that wanted their attention.
Instead of resting and being able to refresh themselves, they must again work. Rather than a time of relaxation it became many hours of serving. Instead of having a time alone with the Master they had to share that time with a multitude of people.
Jesus begins to teach those who have come to learn from Him. The day passes and the crowd grows. The disciples realize the people need to eat. It is also at this time they realized the local McD’s isn’t going to work. In fact, there is not a place close enough for the people to find food.
It is interesting as you read this passage the disciples realize the lateness of the day and the fact they do not have any food with them is a big problem. They actually tell Jesus to send the people away so they can find food.
We need to realize that Jesus has set the scene for a miracle. He says to His disciples, “Why don’t you feed them?”
Not totally “with it” the disciples ask Jesus, “Do you want us to go get food for everyone?” They aren’t following His thought pattern at this time.
Jesus then asks “How much food do you have? Go ask the people.”
Too often we see our problem as a road block. We view it as the end of the line. We are ready to bail out, to jump off. We are seeing a train wreck about to happen. Yet at the same time God is seeing it as an opportunity for a miracle!
We see the multitude that needs to be fed. We recognize the need and are very concerned that it be met. Then we are ready to give up on the situation right then. In our opinion it can’t get any worse. Jesus sees the need and recognizes the multitude needs to be fed and in his opinion things are just perfect, it is a miracle setting.
They inquire of the people and come up with five loaves and two fish which they present to Jesus. He takes them, breaks them in pieces and feeds a multitude of people. What an incredible miracle. It is a miracle that many times we brush over because of the familiarity of the story. From nothing he feeds a multitude of people. Five thousand men and maybe two or three times that amount of women and children. Jesus feeds them, friend this is truly a miracle of colossal proportions.
It doesn’t matter the magnitude of our situation, He can meet the need. It doesn’t matter if there seems no way to take care of it. He can take care of it and bless others while He is doing so.
The next part of this story I want us to pay close attention to. I don’t know about you, but I have a tendency to gloss over things in the Bible that I have read or heard told a lot. Let’s consider a few things here.
The Bible tells us that Jesus constrained His disciples to get in the ship and told them to go to the other side of the lake to Bethsaida. He was going to get rid of the crowd. After getting rid of the crowd, Jesus went to the mountain to pray.
The word constrained in the Bible means to compel. In our vernacular it means to require. In fact, every translation that I read this passage in says that Jesus “made” them get in the boat to go to Bethsaida. He put them in a place where they would encounter a situation that would be an opportunity for another miracle. He left them to deal with that opportunity on their own, enabling them to recognize their need for Him.
Jesus then goes to the mountain to pray. When the dark time came He saw them on the sea. This is the part that really caught my attention. The Bible says that Jesus saw them in the midst of the sea toiling in rowing, for the wind was contrary to them.
They were in a situation. It is about three o’clock in the morning. They are very tired. They have been through some great difficulties in the past weeks. They had a very strenuous day of ministering to a multitude of people. Now they have been on the water for some time working in a very adverse situation. Things were not going their way at all.
I find myself in these types of situations. I feel I have carried a heavy load for a long time. I have spent time giving of myself. Even still, I am struggling with all my might and seemingly I am going nowhere.
It is in this scene that Jesus shows up. He comes walking to them out of their storm. Walking on what they are struggling with. It was a miracle right before their eyes. He is in total control of the whole situation. A miracle in the midst of a storm, and they almost missed it!
Jesus would have walked on by if they hadn’t called Him. Someone told me one time, “God is a gentleman, and He doesn’t force Himself on anyone with out an invitation.”
How many times have I allowed Jesus to walk past in the midst of the storm? I get so busy! I get so involved! I fail to look around for Him to help me. I am toiling! I am giving it everything that I have got! I am putting my all into it! What I really need to do is look for my miracle. It is passing me by walking on my storm.
When Jesus enters the boat the disciples are amazed. They could not believe what had just happened. As we would say, “Their minds were completely blown!”
The Bible tells us the reason for their astonishment. I really think this is something that we need to pay close attention to. The reason for their astonishment was they did not consider the miracle of the loaves and fish. They had been blind to what had really happened. They failed to understand what Jesus was showing them. He was saying, “No matter where you are and no matter what the situation, I will meet the need.”
Have we considered our miracle? Do we understand that God can and will meet every need that we have in our lives? Do we forget the miracles of the past? Do we remember what God did yesterday or last month? He we considered our miracle?
We need to recognize that God allows us to be in a situation where He can show His power. Not too much further down the road he is going to allow us, or even put us, to be in a situation where we will need to remember our miracle in order to get out of the situation.
I pray that when I am in my next storm, which I know will come, to remember my miracle. I pray that I will remember that God has allowed me to be there because he has confidence in me, confidence that I will go to the other side. The last verses of the story tell us the disciples saw some of the greatest miracles of their lives when they reached the other shore.

It's All In How We View The Storm

We might all see the same thing but when we tell what we have seen there will be very few times that two stories are the same. We each view an incident from a different perspective. So is it with the storms of life! We each have a different perspective on each storm. It is all in how we view them.
I came across a story I read somewhere and thought I would share it. It is the story of a first grade girl who had been begging her mother to let her walk to school. Since the very first day she had pleaded with her mother to let her walk to school and home. Her mother was afraid she wasn’t old enough but finally she relented.
The little Lady was up early the next morning and was quick to get ready. The mother was having second thoughts about allowing her daughter to experience this new step of independence. Along with these doubts came the weather report that there was a good chance of rain that day. However, our little Lady begged and pleaded and Mother finally relented, on the condition the little Lady take the umbrella and use it in case of rain.
Just at the time that the little Lady was heading home, rain came and along with the rain came thunder and lightning. Rain was one thing, but the Mother had to go and pick up the little Lady because she was not only worried about the danger from the lightning, but was worried the noise of the thunder would frighten her daughter.
When she found our little Lady, walking down the street, she noticed that each time there was a flash of lightning the little Lady would move the umbrella aside and look up in the sky. Her mother asked her, as she got into the car, "Why were you moving the umbrella aside?" The little Lady looked at her mother with a big smile and said, "Mother, God is taking my picture! Every time there is a flash I move the umbrella aside and look up and smile at Him."
How do we view the storms of life? Do we cower in fear? Do we scream in frustration? Do we recognize God is watching us and has the best planned for us? Paul said in Romans 8:35-39 there would be a lot of "junk" come our way but none of it can separate us from the love of God. It is all in how we few the storm.
It’s just a thought! God bless . . .

The Struggle of the Cocoon

I read a story a while back that really struck a chord in my spirit. I came across it again today and felt to share it with you. Hopefully it might put some things into proper perspective in your life.
A man came across a butterfly cocoon. Knowing what is inside his interest is captured and he sits watching it for a while. As luck would have it while he is watching the cocoon gets an opening and right in front of his eyes the butterfly begins the struggle of leaving the cocoon.
Watching for several hours, the man observes as the butterfly struggles to get out. Then it seems to have stopped making any progress at all. It seemed that the butterfly would be unable to go any further. The man takes scissors and snips off the remaining bit of cocoon. The butterfly is then able to emerge with ease. However, the butterfly is unable to fly. Its body is swollen and it has small shriveled wings.
The man continued to watch, expecting at any time the butterfly to stretch his wings and fly. Surely at any moment the wings would enlarge themselves and support the body which would contract with time. Neither happened, in fact the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.
What the man did not know was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required of the butterfly to get through the opening were God’s way of forcing the fluid from the body into the wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as we need to be. We would never fly.
Paul said three times he asked the Lord to take away his problem. Each time the reply from God was, "My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness." Paul went on to say, "Now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me . . . for when I am weak, then am I strong." (2Corinthians 12:8-10)
Maybe this poem will help bring it into a better focus . . .
I asked for Strength, and God gave me
Difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for Wisdom, and God gave me
Problems to solve.
I asked for Prosperity, and God gave me
Brain and Brawn to work.
I asked for Courage, and God gave me
Danger to overcome.
I asked for Love, and God gave me
Troubled people to help.
I asked for Favors, and God gave me
Opportunities.
I received nothing I wanted, but I
Received everything I needed!
Author Unknown
It is the problems, the difficulties that will better prepare us for the victories of life. When the problem and test come our way, accept it is a divine test which has been sent by God. Then rely on Him to provide the power for the struggle and watch as He takes you to new heights!
It’s just a thought! God Bless . . .

Umbrella of Protection and Power Part 1

Every one of us should have a desire have more power with God and to come under His protection. Several years ago, God impressed upon my mind the importance of having this type of a relationship with Him. I want to have a relationship of protection and power with God. I called it “The Umbrella of Protection and Power.”

There is a relationship between pride and self-respect. Pride that leads to self-respect is controlled pride. We must have self-respect, which is a sense of self-value or self-esteem. This is seeing ourselves as God sees us. However, the pride that God hates is uncontrolled pride and it motivates the works of our flesh. This is the pride where the “I” is in control. “P-r-I-d-e” where the big “I” is in the center and dominates.

James 4:6, “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” (KJV) James tells us that God resists or opposes the proud. This is because pride represents a direction that is opposing to God. It is like swimming against a strong current. God’s divine nature is not compatible with sin or pride. There is not enough room in the universe for God and the pride of man. God will eventually bring everything into submission to Him. (Romans 14:11 and Philippians 2:10)

You might ask, “Why does God resist and hate pride and why does He humble the proud?” This is a good question. The reason is that pride restrains the wicked from acknowledging God. Pride erects a temple; it constructs a throne and then places a person’s selfish ego upon the throne. Pride deifies the ego, making it God, and the ego demands that worship is given. God has commanded that we have no other God’s before Him.

God loves the person who is humble in their spirit. Pride creates a barrier that holds God distant from the proud. As gravity draws everything to it like a magnet, humility attracts God’s gracious attention. Humility brings the human spirit to the place where God can take our flaws and make something beautiful out of us. Where pride says “I am already perfect and do not need God to improve or help me!”

God elevates the humble. Luke 14:11 tells us that those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted. God always defeats the proud and He always promotes the humble.

Our attitude toward God should be to shun pride. 1 John 2:15-17 tells us, “15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” (NIV) Pride is labeled as an objectionable attitude toward God and our fellowman. Shunning pride is to say no to its daily overtures.

I want a right relationship with God and with my fellow man. I want God’s blessings to be upon my life. I want His protection and power to be in my life. I can realize this if I am willing to humble myself before God.

First of the Series “The Umbrella of Protection and Power.”

It’s Just a Thought! God Bless…
　

Take Up Your Bed and Walk!

We experience emotions of despair! Those feelings that the situation we face is hopeless and impossible. The realization dawns upon our consciousness bringing with it the certainty that all hope is gone and we have arrived at the “Irr Home.” Everything that lives here is “Irreparable,” “Irremediable,” “Irretrievable, ““Irreclaimable,” “Irrevocable.” With this realization comes a perception of impotence, bringing with it the awareness of powerlessness and weakness. Struggling with the conception of thoughts that leave one paralyzed with fear, feeling very ineffective to face yet another day of the same.

These are the feelings of the real world. Products of a world that is determined to take the best we have to offer and to stomp on it crushing it beyond repair. We have tried our best, and our best is not enough! We have offered all that is sacred and dear to us, only to have it rejected. We have gutted it out until we feel that our guts are literally ripped from our bodies. The world looks at us with a look of contempt and scorn and says, "You made your bed now sleep in it!"

However, I have good news for you! The wonderful, glorious, marvelous and miraculous news of the Gospel and that is, "When the world says you made your bed now sleep in it!” Jesus says, “Take up your bed and walk!"

It is just another day like any other day for the past thirty-eight years. Somehow, he drags himself one more time down by the sheep market to the Pool of Bethesda. He is not even sure why he goes to all of the trouble, knowing that there is no possible way for him to get his self into the pool if the angel were to come today. With this acknowledgment also comes a feeling of despair. There is the realization that his situation is hopeless. Not only is he physically impotent; he is powerless to change his life! Into the midst of this chaotic jumble of embroiled emotions came Jesus!

Jesus came to this place, the Pool of Bethesda, which conveyed ideas of magical cures. Bethesda was a place where sometime during the year an angel would come and trouble the water. Hoping to be healed the infirm tried to be the first into the water. It was a place that was close to the sheep market, and like is the case with the local dairies, I am sure the emanation of the sheep gathered into that one small place would begin to attack the olfactory sense of those who came to the pool. There were also bodies of men and women who were sick with all manner of diseases, impotent people. They were people who were blind, the halt, the crippled, and the withered. It was a painful picture of the chief kind of human suffering and bodily disease. It was a place of hopelessness! It was feeling that must have permeated the air. It must have been like a cauldron of fear percolating out feelings that each situation is irremediable and irrevocable! Coming to the realization there is no hope!

Helpless, powerless, that was the atmosphere of the pool of Bethesda. Individuals grasping at the illusive, fragile dream that they might be the first into the pool the next time the water are troubled. Each person is struggling to hold on to that dream of healing through years of failure. Listening to a constant bombardment of doubt and fear come from those around them that had been at the pool for so many years. Their spirits, once high with hope and promise, have now shrunken in distress as realization dawns on them, their situation is hopeless.

Jesus looks on this impotent man, knowing how hopeless his plight is. He does not even require faith from him. Jesus just asks him, "Wilt thou be made whole?"

This individual might have come to the place in his life where he was doubtful of the blessing of healing because of the resulting responsibilities. Now he is hearing a question he might have heard from others. We hear him as he whines out, with a professional drawl, his oft-told story. He shows his loveless ness, quarrelsome ness, and ugly temper. He gives the melancholy recital of his frequent disappointment with an air of insolvent resignation. You might even sense a gloomy satisfaction with his lot in life. However, Jesus does not rebuke him for his lack of faith. He does not require anything special of him. All he simply says is "Take up your bed and walk."

We are the ones who determine how we are going to relate to God. The Psalmist asked himself the question, “Why am I so discouraged and sad? I have decided to put my hope in God. I have decided to praise Him again! He is my Saviour and my God!” (Ps. 43:5) We do not have to go to a “church” service and wait for God to “zap” us with a lightening bolt from heaven. We should not wait for God to change and solve our problems before we worship Him. We need to put our hope in God and worship because He is God! Hope in His Word! (Ps 119:81) When you feel that you have come to the end, gone as far as you can, you have tried everything there is to try. Your only hope is in His Word.

Many times we say, “I can't see it being any different, I can't perceive it changing, it will always be this way!”

Paul said in Romans 8:24-25 “It is not hope if I can see it!” Hope is waiting with endurance for that which we cannot see!

Jesus stood before the tomb and shouted, "Lazarus, come out!" "I'll resurrect you but you have to come out of the grave." "I'll give you hope, but you have to come out the tomb!" "I'll make a change in your life, but you have to make a change in your residence!"

Blind Bart was in a hopeless place in life, blind, begging, and sitting alone on a dusty road, when Jesus came down that road. Bart calls out to Jesus but others tell him to shut up! His situation seems to be even more hopeless. He cries out even louder, in his despair. Again, they tell him to shut up! Nevertheless, hearing the despairing cry, Jesus stood still! He stopped His world! He called for Bart to come to Him.

That blind man jumped up! However, before running to Jesus, he stopped and took off his coat, which told the world he was a blind man. He left his old life behind. He then ran to Jesus and told Jesus that he wanted his sight

We allow ourselves fall into traps and snares of the enemy as he desires to create a feeling of hopelessness in our lives, it works like this: We plant God’s Word in our hearts the same as we plant seed in the field. However many times we allow the cares of this life to choke, strangle, clog, retard, stifle, throttle, smother, suffocate, asphyxiate and gag the Word of God. It dies like a plant choked by weeds.

The bombardment of our lives by financial problems, many of our own creation and others that are just the circumstances of life, cause us to feel it is hopeless. We need to leave behind the clothes of a beggar and go to the king. Stand on his Word. Stop telling God how big your problems are; start telling your problems how big your God is.

Life brings us problems and heartaches. It delivers broken hearts and bruised lives. It binds us in chains of despair and blinds our eyes to the promises of God. We say I will worship God when He blesses me. I will shout when I feel like it. I need to get up out of my seat, shout and praise God because I want to... I want to because He is God! I need to take up my bed and walk!

I do not have to resolve to live this way; I can take up my bed and walk. It is time I realize the situation is not hopeless, God has walked into the stinking situation that I am dealing with and told me to take up my bed and walk. It is time to change locations.

Therefore, when the world tells me I have made my bed now I have to sleep in it! There is no hope! There is the assurance that Jesus is telling me to take up my bed and walk!

It’s just a thought! God Bless…

Can You Believe Him for the Glory?

I looked out the window of my office just in time to see the long Cadillac make a sweeping u-turn and pull to the curb in front of the Church. Ole’ Big John got out of the car and headed toward the door of the Church. It looked like he was in a hurry. Maybe just a bit excited.
Big John was a new convert to the Church. He and his wife had just been coming a few months and God had begun a great work in their lives. We were excited to witness the change that was taking place in their lives. With this in mind, I was expectant as I waited to find out what had caused Big John to stop by that day.
I greeted him at the door and Big John quickly came to the reason for his visit. He said, “Pastor, I was driving along and was listening to the radio. They announced the bumper sticker for the day and I just had to share it with you!”
Of course, I was interested and told him so. He said, “Well the bumper sticker of the day says, ‘don’t tell God how big your problem is, tell your problem how big your God is!’”
More than ten years later, I still remember that occasion as if it were yesterday. Can we really trust God to be bigger than our problems? We can believe God for the past. We can believe God for the present. We can believe God for the future. However, can we believe God for the Glory?
Mary, Martha and Lazarus were dear friends of Jesus. Jesus has left Jerusalem and has journeyed to a place called Bethabara; this is where John the Baptist had headquartered during his ministry. Not long after He arrives, word comes to Jesus that His dear friend, Lazarus, is very sick. Upon receiving the news of Lazarus’ sickness Jesus tells His disciples the reason for this sickness was not unto death and He continues doing what He was doing for two more days.
Now, after Lazarus has died, Jesus shows up on the scene. When they arrived in Bethany, the news is Lazarus has been in his tomb for four days. Somebody got the message to Martha that Jesus was coming to her house and she ran to meet him. Upon greeting him, Martha asks Jesus why He did not come sooner. Mary falls at His feet and states that if He had come sooner; her brother would not have died.
Martha and Mary were able to believe for the past, present and future: They made comments to Jesus that said, “If you had been here… I believe even now… I believe in the resurrection of the dead…” However, as much as they loved Jesus they were having a hard time believing that the death of their loved one was for the glory of God. Their thoughts, feelings and words told Him, “You could have healed him! You can still heal him! You can raise him in the resurrection! But how could you let this happen?”
So many times as we face the tests of this life, we find it hard to believe Him for the Glory. We believe for the past, the present and the future but have a hard time believing for the glory.
I grew up listening to stories of past miracles and wonders. These were not just Bible stories these were stories from my parents and others who had personally seen the wonders of God. My father often told us a story that took place when he was a child.
His Grandfather, Joseph Doran, had started a church in the Tulare, California area. They had taken two railroad boxcars, put them together, and made a church building. They had sawdust on the floors and an old oil drum made into a heater in the middle of it for heat. He told me of how they would shout and dance all around that stove with their eyes closed and never touch it.
One day his grandmother fell and in doing so crushed both of her kneecaps. The Doctors told her she would never walk without crutches. She came to church and the elders laid hands on her anointing her with oil and praying the prayer of faith. Dad said he watched as one crutch went one way, the other crutch went flying in a different and Grandma danced all over that little railroad car Church! Twenty or thirty years later, when she died she was still walking without the aid of a crutch!
With stories like this, it is not hard to believe God for the past! God could heal! I grew up with stories of God providing for His Children. Theses were not just Bible stories these were stories of God doing it for people I know personally. Yes, we can believe Him for the past.
It is not hard to believe God for the present when you are seeing God work all around you. I personally have prayed for the sick and seen them recover instantly. I personally have prayed for a need and watched God meet the need instantly. No, it is not hard to believe God for the present, for right now!
It is not hard to believe God for the future. I really do not have a hard time believing that God will take care of my family and me from now on. I do not have a hard time believing that if I love His Word and live His Word I will receive my reward. I do not have a hard time believing if I apply the Word of God to my life God will bless and keep me as He has promised. I do not have a hard time believing Him for the future.
I must confess, however, there are times I do have a hard time believing that the test I am in is for the Glory of God. I do have times when it is hard to stand before the grave of all that I have dreamed of and worked for and believe it has died to bring Glory to God.
I stood at the foot of the ICU bed of a dear saint. Only few days earlier I had talked with them on the phone. I was checking on them before we left on vacation. They had what seemed to be a minor backache but said they would go to the chiropractor and all would be fine. I was not prepared to receive the phone call that told me they had slipped into a coma and there was little hope of survival.
We rushed home and to the hospital. I laid hands on her and prayed the prayer of faith, but nothing happened. I joined family and church family members in the hospital waiting room and we all prayed together. Nothing happened. I returned several times to the ICU and prayed. Nothing happened.
Just moments before this dear saint passed away, I felt desperation and asked God, “Don’t I have enough faith to see this saint healed? I preach faith and healing! I preach trusting God with your wants and desires! I preach God will supply your every need! This person has loved ones standing here with broken hearts watching them die! Don’t I have the faith to see this faithful saint healed?”
It was as if God spoke to me in a clear, audible voice. “Yes you have the faith to see them healed. You have the faith to see them raised from the dead. The question is, “Do you have the faith to believe I am doing the right thing and that this will bring Glory to me?”
Several days later, as a direct result of the death of this precious saint, a loved one came to God. This saint had told me months before they were willing to pay any price to see this loved one come back to God. They paid the price that made the loved one God conscious and God received the Glory.
Jesus stood before the tomb of His dear friend. Around Him, he hears the weeping of those dear to Him. His heartbreaks and He too begins to weep. Those standing around watching cannot understand why He did not come and heal His own friend.
Then He regains His composure. He wipes tears from His damp cheeks and dries His eyes. With an authorities voice He tells those standing around to roll back the stone. Then with a loud voice, He calls Lazarus from his “sleep!” Can you believe Him for the Glory?
I have experienced times of testing. I have not been able to make sense of what is happening. I have struggled and fretted. I have asked God, “Why?” Then somewhere in the testing, I have recognized the answer is simply to step back and let God do it for His Glory!
Yes, I can believe Him for the past, I have seen and heard the stories. I can believe Him for the present, I know what He can do. I can believe Him for the future, I will stand on His Word. My prayer, however, is that I might believe Him for the Glory!
It’s Just a Thought! God Bless…

A Place Where Hope Has Never Dared To Go!

It has been a while since I sat down to write. There are a lot of things bouncing around in my head so this might just be a bit of rambling but hopefully I can share some of the things that are on my heart.

I was reading in my Bible in the third chapter of Acts. It is one of my favorite stories. Peter and John are on their way to the Temple to pray. This is something they must have done on a regular basis from the way it reads. As they approach the door of the Temple, a man calls to them in an effort to get their attention.

This man had been lame all of his life. For years, people had carried him to the Temple and laid him beside the busiest entrance so he could beg money of those coming and going by him. This was all he had known and this was all he expected from life. When he saw the two men approach, he once again asked for money. To what must have been his surprise, instead of ignoring him or tossing a coin his way, one of them said. “Look at us!”

His heart must have began to beat a bit faster as he thought he was about to receive a memorable amount of money from them. Then as equally fast, it must have plunged to his crippled feet as the next words spoken were, “We don’t have any money!”

Here was a man whose only hope everyday was that people would have pity on him. His hope was that he would receive enough from others that he could slip through life. His greatest hope was that someone would be kind enough to give him just a little more and make his life a bit easier. That was his hope. However, his hopes are crushed! Then God moves on a couple of preachers to take him to “a place where hope had never dared to go!” Peter said, “I don’t have money but I will give you what I have!” Taking him by the right hand, he commanded the man who had been lame to arise and walk! As he lifted him, the lame man’s feet and ankles received strength. He not only arose, he not only walked, but he went leaping, running, and praising God through the temple. For the first time in his life, he entered the temple because those who were lame were not permitted to enter the temple. He was no longer lame! The ban had been lifted!
God’s greatest desire for us is to take us to “a place where hope has never dared to go!” If we are children of the King of Kings then we have the right to the benefits of the kingdom. We are too often afraid to dream or even to hope that life can be different. Too often, we are content to ask for the leftovers, the spare change. God’s desire is to give us more that we can dare to hope. The world tells us think positive thoughts, but in our despair, we cannot even hope!

Paul speaks to us from Ephesians chapter three about God’s feeling for us. I do not have the time or space to go into a deep study on this but let me briefly share what God spoke to me. God fills us with His Spirit to help us to understand the magnitude of His love for us. To allow us to share the power and fullness of life that comes from Him. His Spirit living in us is to allow Him to do so much more than we can ever hope for or dream. It is His desire to take us to a “place where hope has never dared to go!”

We are not destined to live with broken hearts. Yes they will come. Life will happen and our hearts will be broken. Bad choices that we make will lead us to broken hearts. Life happening will often results in broken hearts. Sins of loved ones and those dear to us will often lead to broken hearts. However, we must realize that we are not fated to live with them. They are just opportunities for God to take us to “a place where hope has never dared to go!” He came to heal the broken heart! He came to make it new again! The broken heart is an opportunity for God to show His power and His love in a life!

Failures and defeat are part of life. We make mistakes. We fail in judgment! Oh if we could only live the moment again we would do it so differently. We cannot call back or relive those moments. Chains hold us captive by the mistakes and failures of yesterdays gone by. Fear holds us captive! Bonds of fear chain us. We are listening to the haunting taunts of failure! We will be happy with a couple of additional links in the chains to let us to move. We would never dare to hope those chains would be removed and we would be free to live and hope again! Hey! I have great news for you! Jesus Christ came to set the captive free! He came to take you to a place where hope has never dared to go! You can be free from you yesterdays. You can know a brand new tomorrow walking with Jesus Christ and allowing Him to set you free!

I have known people who lived in fear. Fear blinds you. You cannot see because of fear. Hurts and wrongs in your life will cause you to live in fear. This fear will blind you to what God wants to do in your life. A person who is blinded will always remember the last thing they saw before the injury. Too many people have allowed life to blind them and they live with a picture of the hurts and injuries that have happened to them. It is all they see. God has touched their lives, but all they see is the hurt. God has filled them with His Spirit, but all they see is the hurt. God has promised them joy, peace and righteousness, but all they see is the hurt! Again, I want you to know He came to heal the blinded eyes. Not just those physical eyes that are unable to see, He came to heal the spiritual, emotional eyes that are unable to see past yesterday! He came to take you to a “place where hope has never dared to go!”

Life impacts us! Sometimes it impacts in a good way. Many times life impacts in ways of sorrow and pain. Impact, a crash, blow or shock to our body will leave a bruise. We all have had bruises. We know them to be both ugly and painful reminders of the impact. They tell me that the bruise is the result of stopping the blood from flowing through that area. Until the blow resumes to flow there will be a bruise and healing will not take place for healing is in the blood. When the blood is set free to flow again then healing begins to take place and soon the bruise is gone and the impact is behind us. He came to liberate the bruised! Life shocks us. Life hurts us. Life affects us leaving bruises in its place. Once again, God is the difference maker! The blood of Jesus Christ will heal. God will take us to “a place where hope never dared to go.”

I remember several years ago that God spoke to me, as if in an audible voice, about being a God of Comfort. (Read my blog on the Great God of Comfort). The passage was from Second Corinthians chapter one and Paul speaks to tell us that God allows us to go through suffering, pain and misfortune so that we can experience His Comfort. However, it does not stop there. We experience His Comfort so that we might share that Comfort with others when they also go through suffering, pain and misfortune.

I had this driven home fourteen months ago. I was standing in an ICU waiting room with my son Jared. In the ICU, room was his fiancé. They were to be married in about five weeks. All of his hopes and dreams lay at deaths door. I am his father. All of his life I have tried to protect him from pain, suffering and misfortune. I have tried to fix those things that were wrong and make them right. That day I stood helpless.

I was talking on the phone to Abby, my daughter and I began to weep. Just a few years earlier, I had stood with her and Kelsey when they had lost their baby. Again, I had been unable to protect them or to fix things so they would not hurt. As I began to weep, I told her how helpless I felt. I had not been able to protect her and I could not do anything for Jared. It hurt so badly and my heart broke. I will never forget what Abby told me that day. She said, “Dad it is alright. You and mom have taught us there are times we just have to rely on God. Because we have gone through these times, we can now put our arms around others and tell them from experience that God will be there and God will heal and deliver! This is the only way we can really know that.” Once again, God took me to “a place where hope never dared to go!”

The lame man only hoped for a couple of dimes. God took him to “place where hope never dared to go.” How about you, what is it that you are dealing with that has broken you heart. What is it that has you bound, blinded or bruised? Is it the past? Is it the failure of a marriage? Is it the repeated mistakes? Is it the death of a loved one? There are so many things? However, I promise you God wants to take you to “a place where hope has never dared to go!” Let Him…

It’s just a thought…God Bless!