Anchor of Hope

 Recently I have had a few conversations with people who are facing some tough things in their lives. There is much devastation all around us. There is much turmoil over the recent elections, the state of our economy, etc. And there is the stress of the holidays. This caused me to wonder what kind of hope people are holding on to. How can we persevere with hope during our trials? What can we be thankful for this Thanksgiving? Then I thought about Hebrews 6:19, which says, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil.”  As believer’s we have hope! Let’s look at an acronym for the word HOPE.

 Hear God’s Word- “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” Romans 10:14

We need to hear the word of God on a regular basis, not just on Sunday morning. I would encourage you to listen to teaching tapes or CD’s during the week.  We need to be feeding our spirit a daily dose of biblical teaching. And doing so will help build up our “hope tank.”  Remember in Romans 10:17 it says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

 Obedience – “…Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice…” 1 Samuel 15:22

Sometimes we think that by doing good deeds or giving money to the church will pacify God. But if we genuinely want to walk in hope we will need to walk in obedience. You see, when you walk in complete obedience to the Lord you can live with the hope of Heaven in your heart. In recent weeks, the Lord has really stirred within me this thing of obedience and drawing near to Him, nearer than I have ever been.

 Prayer – “rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer.” Romans 12:12

Prayer. There is so much that could be shared about this subject. Since our time and space are limited in this column let me simply say that spending quality time in God’s presence is one of the best things to do when you need hope restored in your life. Notice I said quality time, not quantity. While it would be great to spend several hours a day in prayer that just is not realistic for most of us. Let me encourage you to have a set aside time of prayer every day for at least ten minutes. When you begin to consistently do this you will be amazed at how long you actually end up praying.

 Expect a move of God – “Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; he will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth.” Hosea 6:3

One of the ways we show that we expect a move of God is study the bible, pursue having more knowledge of God and his ways. Notice I did not say know about God, but to know him. Have a relationship with Him. When we are anticipating something good like an upcoming vacation, or a visit from a special friend, it fills us with hope of something to look forward to.

 As we close let’s look at another scripture passage. Look at Romans 5:3-5… “3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

 When we go through rough times these verses promise us that if we stay connected to the Lord, the trial will produce his character in us, and we will once again experience hope as God pours his love into our life.

 There is no doubt in my mind that someone out there reading this needs to be encouraged to hope again! God has a purpose and a plan for your life, and it is good. Yes, there may be some hurdles to jump and some dark times to endure but as the scripture says, joy comes in the morning! Hallelujah!

 If you are struggling and need a word or prayer of encouragement, please feel free to drop us a line or give us a call.

Guard Your Heart

It seems like the month of November just started just a few days ago. With November comes what is known known as the “Holiday season.” It’s a time when everyone begins to prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas. This season often stirs up a lot of emotions and memories. As we prepare for this season, I want to encourage you to guard your heart.

Recently the Lord took me back to Proverbs 4:23NKJ which says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”  As I pondered this scripture my thoughts turned toward one of the promises Jesus made. The promise is that He is coming again for those who have believed His word and accepted Him as Savior and Lord of their lives - "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:3 NKJ)

However, while we know that He will return, the time of His return is uncertain - "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. (Matt 24:42 NKJ) No one knows the exact time of the return of Jesus Christ, but we can recognize the times we’re living in.  With all that is happening prophetically all around the world it’s obvious that time is short. I often challenge myself with this question; “What do I want to be found doing with my life when the Lord returns?’ This helps me to keep my life and priorities in perspective.

Looking back to the verse I started out with, Proverbs 4:23. How do we guard our hearts? Let’s look at a few thoughts on keeping a guard in our lives.

Guard our Attitudes – “²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.  (Galatians 5:22-23) We need to make sure we’re building these characteristics into our daily lives. This will help us to walk in the Spirit rather than in our flesh, meaning our own thinking.  See Galatians 5:16

Guard Against a Deceitful Heart - ⁹"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?  ¹⁰ I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings”. Jeremiah 17:9-10 

Daily ask the Lord to show you what needs to be purged from your heart.  Remember, as believers we are in the world but not of it.

 Guard Your Tongue – “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles.”  (Proverbs 21:23) and "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. (Matthew 15:18) Check out Matthew 15:18 in the New Living Translation – “But what comes out of the mouth gets its start in the heart.”

Guard Your Family – “Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” (Psalm 127:1) As the verse clearly shows, without the Lord leading us in our homes we will not do the best we could do.  There is so much in the world today that wants to tear apart families and best protection against these evils is the presence of the Lord in our lives.

Guard Your Testimony – “… “So that no one can speak a word of blame against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of crooked and perverse people. Let your lives shine brightly before them.” (Philippians 2:15 NLT)

The bible talks a lot about living a holy life separated from the ways of those who are not disciples of Jesus Christ.  As Christians we are to be different than the world, not like them.  A friend often says “No matter where you are you’re being a testimony for either God or for the devil. You make the choice.”

     Guard Your Love – “So he answered and said," 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'" (Luke 10:27)   We must love God with every area of our lives. Remember, he loved us enough to send his son to die on a cross for our sin, so that when we come to him in repentance we can be forgiven and spend eternity with him in heaven.  Let’s not be like the Church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:4 who bore the indictment of leaving their first love. Let’s love God and those around us.

     In closing, as you see we have much to guard in our lives. So, until next time think of your life in the light of eternity.

 

THOUGHTS TO PONDER

“Problems are the gifts that make us dig out and figure out who we are, what we’re made for, and what we’re responsible to give back to life.” Tony Robbins

“Problems are not stop signs; they are guidelines.” Robert Schuller

“No matter what our problem, God is the solution.” Pauline Creeden

Where is the Real Church?

For the past year I have been thinking a lot about the church in general. I have been concerned that as the church we just need to stand up for truth and be who God called us to be to influence those around us. While we should pray for our government, I don't think our focus is to not get so involved fighting the government that we forget what we're here for.

One thought that keeps surfacing and was especially strong recently as I was reading the book of 1 Thessalonians is this: As the apostles went forth ministering the gospel in various communities, people received the good news of the Gospel, which is what the word gospel means. It means “good news.”

 But it didn't stop with preaching the gospel, discipleship followed. Look at the following command from Jesus that we in the church are to obey.

  Matthew 28:18-20

¹⁸ And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Emphasis mine)

Hmmm, so the command wasn't to see how flashy the service could be designed or how flamboyant a minister can be, it was simply to preach the gospel and make disciples.

Throughout the New Testament (NT) one of the main teachings that was emphasized was the return of Jesus Christ. Jesus wasn't just some celebrity preacher. He was the son of God who died for us and gave a promise that He would one day return for us. The NT disciples believed that. Yes, Jesus did miracles along his journey. But the one thing that impacted people was the love and acceptance Jesus extended to them. Yes, there was both truth and grace as He ministered. He was sensitive to what each individual needed for them to be free. The subject of ministering in truth and grace is a whole separate teaching which we won't go into at this time. Back to my earlier statement, the focus was on preparing ourselves and others for the return of Jesus. Look at this verse -

1 Thess. 4:16-18

 ¹⁶ For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore comfort one another with these words. (Emphasis mine)

While Jesus was on earth and after he was taken up, the focus of the believers was always on Him. Their hope was in the promise of His return. Look what happens after the Apostle Peter preaches a fired-up message about Jesus where 3,000 people make Jesus their Lord. The apostles and other believers didn’t simply rave about what had just happened or ramble about Peter being a superstar Christian, they followed up with discipleship. They didn’t try creating sensationalism, a doctrine or movement out of that event. They recognized it was a supernatural move of God which turned out to be the birth of the Church.

OK, put on your steel-toed shoes for a moment. Peter after that great revival didn't change his image to quote “look the part” he just continued to minister on a day-to-day basis as did all the other apostles and believers. Where did we get the idea that we have to market the Holy Spirit? OK, enough on that let me move on.

Let’s take a brief look at the New Testament Church.

ACTS 2:40-43, 46,47

⁴⁰ And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” ⁴¹ Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. ⁴² And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. ⁴³ Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles… ⁴⁶ So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

 Those of you who have known me for a long time know that my word is the word “balance.” We read in the passage above about many being saved and baptized and continuing to be taught and discipled on a regular basis. In verse 43 it talks about signs and wonders being done among them. I believe in signs and wonders. I believe that miracles are for today. And they have their place. The supernatural will be a huge part of the next great awakening.

However, that is not to be the emphasis of our gatherings, it is a byproduct of being a part of the Kingdom of God. In the book of First Corinthians chapter 12 it talks about how the Holy Spirit offers those gifts as He wills. It's not something that we decide. But what we can choose is… Here I come with my balance statement; We can choose to make disciples of people as they come to Jesus. We can choose to love people, to give them hope beyond where they are, to give them Good News.

The focus needs to be worship of Jesus our king and discipleship. “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” (John 12:32 NKJ) As we worship the Lord in sincerity, the power of His presence will draw people. Out of the depth of our worship the supernatural will flow.

Where will the people come from who become believers and need discipleship? They will come to our services when corporately or individually we have been a part of the community showing them the love of Jesus. When we show that we accept them as they are, and that there is hope beyond where they are, tell them transformation is possible. It appears to me that the church at large has lost our sense of awe of Jesus… no longer have a burden for the lost. We got comfortable. We got distracted and deceived with popularity, celebrity preachers, sensationalism, the list goes on.

 Putting this all together…

 Recently I have been thinking about how we all have concerns as to what our gifting is and how we can serve in the body of Christ.  While I may not be the best out there, I do know that my calling is to teach, disciple, and counsel people through the ministry of teaching, discipleship, and writing. Lately I find myself being so burdened with the need to reach people in the community, to see them become born-again, then walk them through the process of discipleship. I'm not sure how the Lord will put this all together, but I am preparing for that moment now.

 In closing, I am aware of a few churches that are clearly following the NT church model. But the question remains; From the Pulpit to the Pew, what are we really living for? What are we really emphasizing in our churches? How many disciples have we made who in turn have discipled others?  How many people are excited about attending their church? They're there early, they're excited about what the church has to offer versus just going to get full of more information. At a revival service I heard the preacher say, “Is your church full on Sunday morning? If not, why not?” Ouch!

Brothers and sisters let's move forward empowered by the Holy Spirit to be the servant leaders we are called to be. My sharing here is not to condemn anyone but to challenge all of us to be who Jesus has called us to be. The world needs us now more than ever!  May each of you be blessed in all your endeavors to sincerely further the Kingdom of God!

 

 

Are You Really Hungry for God?

 

Some time ago I read the following in an e-mail – “When I look at myself, I see how desperately I need to change. When I look at the Church, I see how desperately we all need to change. And I'm so hungry for that change, I can hardly stand it. I do thank God for what He's done. I am grateful for it. But I can't be satisfied because we're still so far short of all He has for us.”

There are times the Lord allows us to experience what I call times of “Divine Discontent.”  Author Tommy Tenney says it this way - It’s like having a “compulsive addiction for God that makes you tired of church games, man’s manipulations, and passionless worship services consisting of religious gymnastics & emotional hype designed to excite & stroke the flesh.”   And recently while reading a book by John Bevere I cam e across this statement: “We’ll hunger for what we feed on.”  That reminded me of a teaching I did some time ago & I want to share with you. I titled it Hungry for More of God. Once again, I’ve used an acronym, this time for the word HUNGER.  Let’s see how we can feed our hunger for God.

Hear His voice 

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God."' Rev 2:7

We must be willing to hear his voice. Then when we hear his voice, we must obey what the Lord is saying to us. It’s not always easy. But being obedient will make your life easier. Believe me, I’ve been there.

Undistracted Worship – 2 Sam. 6:20-23

We must come to a point when nothing will distract us from our worship of God. Undistracted worship will lead you to have a passion for wanting to get close to God. When you are in his presence you will have thoughts like: “if I can just touch the hem of His garment” or

“If I could just see Him” or “If I could just get His attention…” You get to this point where it’s all you can do to maintain your composure & you think you’re going to burst. You don’t know whether to laugh or cry… That’s a good place to be in the Lord.  For some other examples of people who pressed through see Luke 19:1-6 and Mark 10:48-52.

Nevertheless

But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." Luke 5:5

We need to be determined that we are moving forward with the Lord regardless of what comes our way or what things look like. Sometimes we can be in a difficult season when the Lord is giving us challenging directions and things just don’t make sense in the natural. That’s when we have to say, “OK, Lord, nevertheless, I will follow you. Remember one of my favorite quotes – “Obedience doesn’t require understanding.”

Grasping for More

My soul follows close behind You; your right hand upholds me. Psalm 63:8

Quoting author Tommy Tenney again - “A God chaser is a person whose hunger exceeds his reach... a person whose passion for God’s presence causes him to desire more.”  Too many of us put limits on God. It’s time to break out of our religious box… God is bigger than our box!

Exalt the Lord

“You are my God, and I will praise You; you are my God, I will exalt You.”  Psalm 118:28

Take time to praise the Lord. Sing to him. Read from the Psalms – out loud. Let your whole life praise the Lord! Singer Chris Christian puts it this way: “Worship is more than just singing a song, it all that you say and everything that you do.” He is worthy of all our praise!

 Rearrange Priorities

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Matthew 6:33

This means that your relationship with God should hold more importance than anything else in your life.  Now, that doesn’t give you an excuse to be irresponsible. We all still have jobs to go to, families to take care of, etc.  This just means that if we will give God first place in our life he will take care of everything else.

OK, let’s try to pull all this together. Here’s one more quote from Tommy Tenney – “God is not going to pour out His Spirit where He doesn't find hunger.”  My friend, are you hungry for more? Cry out to God! He is waiting to hear your voice.  It’s time for us to crawl out of our safe boxes and trust God to be all HE IS!

 

Know Your Season

 Wow! It’s almost officially the Fall season.  Many look forward to the cooler weather and the change of scenery as leaves show us the beauty of new colors.  I think 2024 has been one of the fastest years yet. When you add to that being in a season of transition in your life, sometimes you begin to wonder what in the world is going on.

 I once read two quotes that really got me thinking about how much more in these days, we need to trust God and have discernment with all that's going on around us. Most define discernment as knowing the difference between right and wrong. Spurgeon says, “Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right.”

 "The present is all I ever have. There is never a time when my life is not “this moment.” When I feel the uneasiness, anxiety, tension, stress, and worry—they are all forms of fear and are caused by too much future and not enough present. When I feel guilt, regret, resentment, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of non-forgiveness, they are caused by me focusing too much on the past and not enough on the present. The basic problem is the attachment of my mind to the past and the future and the denial of the now. My present is the key to my freedom. I do not let my mind create an obsession with the future as an escape from the present. My life is now!" --Lou Tice

Jesus is present in your now moments. You are not alone! --Ceitci Demirkova

Here’s a few scriptures to ponder…

“But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to distinguish between good and evil.”  (Heb. 5:14 NASB)

“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,” (Phil. 1:9 NKJV)

“Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; Whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right, And the righteous will walk in them, But wrongdoers will stumble in them.” (Hosea 4:9 NASB)

Are you ready to step into the season God has for you? If so, get ready for a “shift.” I will be posting more about a transition to the shift in the next day or so.

Where Are You Strong?

 

In recent conversations I hear people sharing about a variety of battles, but they are facing. Observing people out in public I see so much distress, uneasiness, and unhappiness. Some have even shared that while life is “ok” - there's this nagging sense of whatever. In the back of their mind

I think the nagging sense in part is all the chaos in our country and government as well as the economic situation, which creates an underlying stress. That combined with and intensifying spiritual warfare makes things challenging, especially for those who don't recognize the spiritual side of life.

This is not only being encountered by people in the world but it's in the church as well. That is concerning because as born-again believers we have the answer.  People are turning to crystals, charms, new age thinking, horoscopes, fortune telling, etc., all in search of some sort of hope and power.  As born again believers with the Holy Spirit inside of us, we have the power to reach out to hurting people and provide an answer. of hope.

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12 NLT)

This leads to the question how can we be strong in the days of head regardless of what is happening all around? As you know I like acronyms. Below I have decided to share some thoughts using an acronym of the word “strong.”

Standing Strong in Life

Stand - Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Ephesians 6:13 NKJV)

Just like the Israelites when they said, “…We know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.“  (2 Chronicles 20:12,)  After we've done all we know to do the best thing to do is “stand” and watch what God does. The whole story in chapter 20 is worth reading to see how with just the weapon of praise and worship the Israelites won their battle.

Trust - Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5,6)

Though I could say a lot here, I won't here because it's plain and simple. Trust God's ways not our own.

Repent – Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out… (Acts 3:19a)

Two thoughts about repentance the first step of repentance is mentioned in the scripture above Acts 3:19. That's when we initially repent of our sin, turn to God and surrender our lives to Him.   

However, that is just the beginning. As you read the next two scripture references keep in mind that these scriptures were written specifically for the church. Repentance should be an everyday part of our lives, not just a one time event.  We should always be asking the Holy Spirit to show us when we were allowing our selfish desires to rule instead of Him.

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5 NKJV)

 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9 NKJV)

Obey – For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. (1 John 3:5)

Again, obedience is to be a daily discipline in our lives. Sometimes the things in our lives that God will require of us don't make sense or are difficult decisions. But as I often say, obedience doesn't require understanding. We simply obey, take a step of faith and trust that understanding will come with each step.

This is especially true with these days when it's not just a matter of living sin free lives but in doing the things that God has called us to do and not our own thing. I could go off on another tangent here about how far removed the church has become from being the church scripturally. I do have another article that I've written in the past about it being time to turn the stage back into the altar.

As I mentioned above, as the church we have a responsibility to present and provide an answer of hope to a world of broken people.

Nevertheless - But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” (Luke 5:5 NKJV)

This is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. Think about it these guys were professional fishermen. They knew what they were doing. They knew that they had fished all night and there was no fish there. So, it didn't make any sense to them when Jesus told him to “cast the net on the other side.”

But Peter, the disciple known for having a big mouth at times set a keyword, “nevertheless.”  The times when life will be difficult and decision and that makes sense at times. It's in those times that we have to become a “nevertheless person.” Like, “OK Lord, I don't get it. Nevertheless, I will trust you.”

Go and Give – Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matthew 28:19,20 NKJV)

In this point I really want to speak especially to the church. In this familiar scripture passage the command is to make disciples, not performers and celebrities. I read a quote recently that said, “A church who values discipleship over performance will produce disciples not performers.”  (Author unknown)

Yes, discipleship is one of my soapboxes. The reason for that is I remember when I first started my journey as a believer in Jesus and there was no one to disciple me. Thankfully I learned a lot by reading the Bible on my own and the Lord finally did send someone to help me.

Another part of “Go” is about going to church consistently, supporting your local church, be a part of the family. And reach out into the community, being a light of hope to those all around us by sharing the Hope of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

Lastly, I included the word give. I did this because oftentimes when we are in a struggle feeling badly about how things are, one way to get out of a sad disposition is to reach out to others. When we take the focus off ourselves and put it on others, we often climb out of the pit we're in.

Therefore, it is important that we give our time, talent, and treasures in the church and in the community. It doesn't have to be a lot, just sincere, consistent and with a pure motive. In other words, just do something.  Even if it's as simple as sending a card to someone who has been on your mind. Or making that phone call, or meeting for coffee. In other words, be “Jesus with skin on.”

Final Thoughts

Again, those who know me well know that my life words is” balance.” Am I saying that I expect us all to be strong all the time? Of course not. We have to keep things real. Life is downright tough at times. That's why it's important to be connected to a church family and have one or two accountability people in your life that are there to cheer you on and challenge you when you need it. We all need it.

One last thing… when you're encountering a tough season, take a moment to listen to the song “Strong” by Anne Wilson. It’s on YouTube.

Until next time remember, there is Hope beyond where you are.