on the other side?

What would you do, how would you worship if the answer you have been seeking, the prayer you have been waiting longing for an answer for was on the other side of your worship?  How much, how fervently would you worship?

6“What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins^b? Yet God does not forget a single one of them.7And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. (luke 12:6,7)

fer·vent·ly

ˈfərvəntlē/

adverb

1. very enthusiastically or passionately.

elevation worship - here as in heaven

elevation worship - blessed assurance

Bring Back the King

This morning as i sit here watching my daughter at swim practice, i am reminded that without Jesus death on the cross that none of us could even begin to swim on our own.  Without him as our king we are purely lost and hopeless.  We would drown in our pride and sins.  So this morning I say BRING BACK THE KING.  who or what is king of your life this morning?  Listen to the following song and while it's playing I want you to think about whom or what is your king?

One life will soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last.

Do It Again - Elevation Worship

who's are you?

When will we as Christians take the blessings god has given us and share them with those who need to hear?  Will we hoard them for ourselves and come to the end of our lives and say look how god has blessed me, only to find out that we received our blessing here on earth and in the eternity to come might mean something totally different? Will we really do what the word of god says and “go into all the earth making disciples of all nations”?  Will we Give ourselves wholeheartedly, absolutely and completely to his will and purpose?  

As a future minister of his gospel, as i sit here and write this, I Hold my hands High and say to Jesus “take my heart, take my life, as a living sacrifice.  I give myself away to you oh god.”  There is a burden in my soul that there are billions of people who are going to spend an eternity somewhere.  If i don’t tell them i will be responsible for their deaths.  I must with my every breath tell them that there is a better way than the life that they have been living.  That there is a better way than the sin they have been living in.  That Jesus Christ didn’t come to this earth to condemn, but to save.  He has seen the depths of their sin and still loves them.  All he wants is for them to turn and run back to him.

My life is not my own,

To you i belong,

I give myself, I give myself to you!  

Spurgeon

Neither can man’s life be sustained without renewal from God. As it is necessary to repair the body by the frequent meal, so we must repair the soul by feeding upon the Book of God, or by listening to the preached Word, or by the soul-fattening table of the ordinances. How depressed are our graces when means are neglected! What poor starving souls they are who live without the diligent use of the Word of God and secret prayer!

Charles Spurgeon 

presence

Your Presence is all I need
It's all I want, all I seek
Without it, without it there's no meaning
Your Presence is the air I breathe
The song I sing, the love I need
Without it, without it I'm not living

I will exalt You, Lord, I will exalt You, Lord
There is no one like You God
I will exalt You, Lord, I will exalt You, Lord
No other name be lifted high

There will be no one like You
And no one beside You
You alone are worthy of all praise

Quite often these lyrics pop into my head.  For my life they ring true, i covet the presence of my savior.  Not a day goes by that I don't need him.  I can't imagine taking this journey aside from his presence.  So today this day I invite you to take some time to be still in his presence.  This world is a dark and noisy place but the presence of god is brighter and louder than the noise and darkness.  

"Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord , “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (psalm 91: 1-2)

1God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.

2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3though its waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging.

4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

the holy place where the Most High dwells.

5God is within her, she will not fall;

God will help her at break of day.

6Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;

he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7The LordAlmighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

8Come and see what the Lordhas done,

the desolations he has brought on the earth.

9He makes wars cease

to the ends of the earth.

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

he burns the shields with fire.

10He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.”

11The LordAlmighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

So I ask you who will read this post, who is  your fortress in the darkness?

The time is short

Time is running short.  There are only a few minutes left on the clock till the game is over.  Only this is the game of eternity and who will spent forever somewhere.  It has been on my heart for a while that we each daily make a choice to spend eternity somewhere.  Some days it's like a soccer match, others it resembles a football game, still others resemble a golf game.  Our daily choices and how we not only treat others, but how we act help determine that destination ultimately.  But...There is another way.  Instead of relying on what we know, don't be afraid and take that step out of the boat and toward Jesus.  He is faithful to hear you when you call.  Don't wait, Don't hesitate, run to him.  He is running for you!

27But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take 

courage. I am here!”

28Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”

29“Yes, come,” Jesus said.

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.   (Matthew 14:27-29)

1It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. 2Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3They were calling out to each other,

“Holy, holy, holy is the lord of Heaven’s Armies!

The whole earth is filled with his glory!”

4Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.

5Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the lord of Heaven’s Armies.”

6Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”

8Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?”

I said, “Here I am. Send me.”  (Isaiah 6: 1-8)

1Once again a message came to me from the lord: 2“Son of man, give your people this message: ‘When I bring an army against a country, the people of that land choose one of their own to be a watchman. 3When the watchman sees the enemy coming, he sounds the alarm to warn the people. 4Then if those who hear the alarm refuse to take action, it is their own fault if they die. 5They heard the alarm but ignored it, so the responsibility is theirs. If they had listened to the warning, they could have saved their lives. 6But if the watchman sees the enemy coming and doesn’t sound the alarm to warn the people, he is responsible for their captivity. They will die in their sins, but I will hold the watchman responsible for their deaths.’

7“Now, son of man, I am making you a watchman for the people of Israel. Therefore, listen to what I say and warn them for me. 8If I announce that some wicked people are sure to die and you fail to tell them to change their ways, then they will die in their sins, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths. 9But if you warn them to repent and they don’t repent, they will die in their sins, but you will have saved yourself.

The Watchman’s Message

10“Son of man, give the people of Israel this message: You are saying, ‘Our sins are heavy upon us; we are wasting away! How can we survive?’ 11As surely as I live, says the Sovereign lord, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?

12“Son of man, give your people this message: The righteous behavior of righteous people will not save them if they turn to sin, nor will the wicked behavior of wicked people destroy them if they repent and turn from their sins.13When I tell righteous people that they will live, but then they sin, expecting their past righteousness to save them, then none of their righteous acts will be remembered. I will destroy them for their sins. 14And suppose I tell some wicked people that they will surely die, but then they turn from their sins and do what is just and right. 15For instance, they might give back a debtor’s security, return what they have stolen, and obey my life-giving laws, no longer doing what is evil. If they do this, then they will surely live and not die. 16None of their past sins will be brought up again, for they have done what is just and right, and they will surely live.

(Ezekiel 33: 1-16)

Distractions

But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. --Matthew 6:6 

 Among the enemies to devotion none is so harmful as distractions. Whatever excites the curiosity, scatters the thoughts, disquiets the heart, absorbs the interests or shifts our life focus from the kingdom of God within us to the world around us--that is a distraction; and the world is full of them. Our science-based civilization has given us many benefits but it has multiplied our distractions and so taken away far more than it has given.... 

 The remedy for distractions is the same now as it was in earlier and simpler times, viz., prayer, meditation and the cultivation of the inner life. The psalmist said "Be still, and know," and Christ told us to enter into our closet, shut the door and pray unto the Father. It still works.... 

 Distractions must be conquered or they will conquer us. So let us cultivate simplicity; let us want fewer things; let us walk in the Spirit; let us fill our minds with the Word of God and our hearts with praise. In that way we can live in peace even in such a distraught world as this. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you." The Set of the Sail, 129-132. 

 "Lord, it's certainly harder and harder to shut out the distractions of an increasingly science-based civilization. Help me to cultivate simplicity, to be satisfied with fewer things, and to find the inner peace that You can give in a life of prayer and meditation. Amen." 

A. W. Tozer Sermon: Overcome Distractions

new path

One morning some years ago I was awake early, before my wife or children were awake.  It started like any weekend morning.  I can never really seem to sleep in, I try but my latest is say 7.  I was preparing breakfast  (started with frying bacon).  I was standing there at the stove and I heard a voice, it wasn't audible...it was louder than that.  The voice said "...feed my sheep."   The voice of almighty god had just called me to feed his sheep, like he called peter in john 21.  Some time has passed since this calling...but one thing is for certain...he called me to feed his sheep.

Stating tomorrow night I will embark on a journey.  A journey that will possibly lead to a career change...but a change for the better.  It might seem foolish in the eyes of the world, but I don't pursue this path for earthly gain, but heavenly gain.  This world is lost and dying...and I aim to take as many with me to Heaven as i can!

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18


In the eyes of the world, i might appear as a fool.  I will be a fool for Jesus any day!

left behind part 2

This morning I have one thought on my mind.  "no man left behind"  Left behind is defined as: leave someone/something behind to increase the distance by which you are ahead of someone or something.  At what cost?  At what cost would we leave another Brother in christ behind just to save ourselves?  Would we forsake all we know just to get ahead?  What good is there in that?  Is there a brother in christ with in your 2 meter circle  who needs a hand, perhaps needs an ear to listen, or might just need the fellowship of other believers?  I pray this new year, not only for myself, but for all in my circle of influence that we would be attentive and have eyes open that no brother would be left behind.  That we would go back for them at all cost.  #NoManLeftBehind


3 Remember, the fire must be kept burning on the altar at all times. It must never go out.(Leviticus 6:13)

1the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. 24We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. 25But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

26And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. 28And we know that God causes everything to work togetherfor the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.

Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love

31What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

35Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36(As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”)37No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

38And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Romans 8:21-39)

Left behind?

when I say "left behind" what mental picture comes to your mind?  One of the first things that come to my mind, well three words, are legacy, heritage, and inheritance.  With all that is going on in this world, in our families, in our relationships, i have to wonder what kind of legacy we are leaving for those who will follow us.  Take some time and reflect on the legacy, heritage, inheritance you have been left by those who have gone before you.  It could be a spiritual legacy, it could be a less than desireable legacy, but we all leave one in our wake.  One of my desires for the new year is to make sure without a doubt that the legacy i leave behind leads only one place.

a path is the result of repeted actions, a journey often taken.

If you were to look back on your journey so far, where has your path gone, and where is it going?  There is always hope.   Phillips, craig, and dean - table of grace

psalm 147: 3-5

3He heals the brokenhearted

and binds up their wounds.

4He determines the number of the stars

and calls them each by name.

5Great is our Lord and mighty in power;

his understanding has no limit.

1. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. (Deuteronomy 6:5-7 NLT)

2. A good man leaves an inheritance [of moral stability and goodness] to his children’s children. (Proverbs 13:22 AMP)

3. We will not keep them from our children; we will tell the next generation about the Lord ‘s power and his great deeds and the wonderful things he has done. (Psalms 78:4 GNB)

4. Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6 AMP)

5. It is the living who praise you, As I praise you now. Parents tell their children how faithful you are. (Isaiah 38:19 GNB)

6. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15 ESV)

7. But no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall show to be in the wrong. This [peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord [those in whom the ideal Servant of the Lord is reproduced]; this is the righteousness or the vindication which they obtain from Me [this is that which I impart to them as their justification], says the Lord. (Isaiah 54:17 AMP)

8. Children are fortunate if they have a father who is honest and does what is right. (Proverbs 20:7 GNB)

9. I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth. (3 John 1:4 NLT)

10. The Lord knows the days of the upright and blameless, and their heritage will abide forever. (Psalm 37:18 AMP)

be still

Really often certain songs capture my heart.  I find myself listening to them repeatedly, or humming them when there is no music to hum to.  The words capture my heart and I draw strength from them.  This is one of those songs.  Quiet your heart and listen.  Be still and let the presence of god envelop your heart.  Let him "Do it again," let him quiet the strom that rages within.

do it again - elevation worship

"Do It Again"

Walking around these walls
I thought by now they'd fall
But You have never failed me yet
Waiting for change to come
Knowing the battle's won
For You have never failed me yet

Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I'm still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You've never failed me yet

I know the night won't last
Your Word will come to pass
My heart will sing Your praise again
Jesus You're still enough
Keep me within Your love
My heart will sing Your praise again

Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I'm still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You never failed

Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I'm still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You never failed me yet

I've seen You move, You move the mountains
And I believe, I'll see You do it again
You made a way, where there was no way
And I believe, I'll see You do it again

[x3]
I'll see You do it again

Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I'm still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You never failed

Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I'm still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You never failed me yet

And You never failed me yet
I never will forget
You never failed me yet
I never will forget

what does your heart cry?

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are Godʼs children. 17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (Romans 8:15-17 niv)

Mark 14:36New International Version (NIV)

36 “Abba,[a] Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Galatians 4:6New International Version (NIV)

6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba,[a] Father.”

Having said Yes to the call of god, mortars of the enemy have been fired over the walls of my heart.  My mind is almost constantly turning, thinking about any matter of things.  With deadlines looming and stress mounting, some have said "just stop thinking about the things that stress you."   I know that they mean well in that advice, but the way my mind works, i can't shut it off.  I have woken up at 4 am thinking about stuff that should be far from my mind, but its how i am wired.  Some would say that this is a curse...but I way it is a gift from almighty god.  

i could let the mortars and the fiery arrows consume me and my thoughts, but I refuse to let them win.  The spirit of the living god lives and reigns in my heart and soul.  I cry out Abba and he hears me.  That one word has so much power in my soul.  Abba.  (meaning father in Aramaic) 

So what does your heart cry?  This Christmas season i pray that you will find time to be still.  I pray that you will take time, maybe with a good cup of coffee and just be still.  You'll be surprised how much of a blessing it will be.  He is fighting for us, sometimes all we need to do is "be still" and we will see.

Jonathan David Helser - Abba

Psalm 46The Message (MSG)

A Song of the Sons of Korah

46 1-3 God is a safe place to hide,
    ready to help when we need him.
We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,
    courageous in seastorm and earthquake,
Before the rush and roar of oceans,
    the tremors that shift mountains.

Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

4-6 River fountains splash joy, cooling God’s city,
    this sacred haunt of the Most High.
God lives here, the streets are safe,
    God at your service from crack of dawn.
Godless nations rant and rave, kings and kingdoms threaten,
    but Earth does anything he says.

7 Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

8-10 Attention, all! See the marvels of God!
    He plants flowers and trees all over the earth,
Bans war from pole to pole,
    breaks all the weapons across his knee.
“Step out of the traffic! Take a long,
    loving look at me, your High God,
    above politics, above everything.”

11 Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.