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.

 

Holidays Troubling? Guard Your Heart

      It seems like the month of November just started three 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 lives daily. 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

 

 

 

 

Being Balanced in the Kingdom

 

 Normally my writing is geared towards encouraging people that there is hope beyond where they are. That God has plan for them and wants them to take steps to move forward in freedom and deliverance. However, lately I've been thinking a lot about the need for balance of grace and truth as we minister to others. In some cases, people need the gentle touch of grace, in other cases they need to hear the truth. Both can help people transition to growth and freedom in their lives. As I thought about these two principles, I also was reminded of a sermon I once heard.

In this sermon the preacher spoke about two different kinds of people in a church congregation. One group was called the “Thinker Group”, and the other was the “Feeler Group.”  The “Thinker” group are the ones who would say something like” I really don't care about the worship I would just rather sit and listen to sermons or talk theology/revelation all day.”    The” feelers” would say I would rather experience a longer worship time and less preaching. Again, balance is needed between these two groups.

The balance is this, whether you’re a truth or grace person, a thinker or feeler the concern is that the enemy comes in and tries to cause these people to be at odds with each other. Remember scripture says we are all different parts of the body. No one is more important than the other.  “But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.” (1 Cor. 12:20 NKJV)

The bottom line to all giftings, whether they be the Motivational gifts, Ministry gifts or Manifestation gifts. … The common denominator for each of them is this verse - “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.” (1 Cor. 12:11 NASB) In other words, we don’t decide when to activate them, He does.

Here is a very brief overview of each gift group:

Motivational gifts - (Rom. 12:6-8 NKJ) These gifts are the intrinsic driving forces of a believer’s life, directing them towards specific acts of service and expression of God’s love.

Ministry gifts - (Eph. 4:11,12 NKJ) These gifts are the talents and abilities given by God to enable believers to serve effectively in specific roles within the Church.

Manifestation gifts - (1 Cor. 12:4-11 NKJ) These are supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit that are given to believers to edify and build up the church.

It is important that we know our gift. Even more important is that we ask the Holy Spirit to help us remain humble when He flows through us with various gifts.

Why is this important? If we really want to be ready and involved with the next big move of the Holy Spirit, we are going to need be balance in these areas. As wonderful as revival is, it can also be messy. The enemy often comes in to work excesses and distortions among the people of God. We need to be prepared.

Lastly, speaking of things getting messy, unless the Lord directs otherwise, I think the next blog will discuss “messy” as mentioned in Proverbs 14:4. It has some interesting renderings in various bible translations.

If you would like to learn more about spiritual gifts, I would like to recommend the two links below for you to check out. Of course, I would be glad to sit down with you to help you discover what God is calling you to.

Sam Storms Blog - https://www.samstorms.org/enjoying-god-blog

Three Categories of Spiritual Gifts - https://spiritualask.com/what-are-the-3-categories-of-spiritual-gifts/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are We Ready for a Move?

Last night I attended a Night of Worship hosted by the young adult group at my church. They did an excellent job! To be honest, they sang songs that I really love but I wouldn’t have expected them to sing. I want to share with you the lyrics from the choruses of a couple of songs they sang, and the message, including scripture God stirred in me about each one.

Our society is full of chaos, uncertainty, fear, not sure who to trust, the list goes on. People are simply broken. They need something different than what's being offered. Last night one of the songs we sang was “This is a Move” by Tasha Cobbs Leonard. Here’s the chorus:

“We are here for You, come and do what You do/We are here for You, come and do what You do/We set our hearts on You, come and do what You do/ 'Cause we need a move/We need a move.”

 Some questions…How much do we really want a move of God? How ready are we to lay aside our agenda? Or lay aside what worked “back in the day?” When the people of Israel were in the desert God gave them fresh manna every day.

 We need a fresh move of God! I believe it began earlier this year at some of the college campuses where revival broke out. As happy as I am for those colleges, I don't want to settle for it happening just for them. I want it to happen here in my town, in my church. I desire to be right in the middle of it watching God move. Ok, the next chorus…

 “There's no shadow You won't light up/Mountain You won't climb up/Coming after me/Lie You won't tear down/Coming after me.” (Reckless Love by Corey Asbury)

 “The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zeph. 3:17 NKJ)

 When God is ready to move. We might be resistant, whether it be out of rebellion, fear or past woundedness. But He will come after us. He loves us too much to allow us to remain as we are. As mush as he wanted to Jonah could not run from the call of God. Neither can we.

 Maybe some of us aren't ready because we are simply broken and wounded, not sure how to heal. Here’s a few lyrics from “Defender” by Rita Springer.

 “When I thought I lost me/You knew where I left me/You reintroduced me to Your love/You picked up all my pieces/Put me back together/You are the defender of my heart.”

 “Hallelujah, You have saved me/So much better this way/Hallelujah, great Defender/So much better Your way/Hallelujah, You have saved me/So much better this way”

“All I did was praise/All I did was worship/All I did was bow down/All I did was stay still”

 Allow God to heal you as you worship before Him allowing Him to do as He pleases with your life.

But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense And refuge in the day of my trouble. (Psalm 59:16 NKJ)

 “But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” (1 Peter 5:10 NKJ) This is one of my favorite scriptures to teach from. I have a full teaching on it breaking down significant key words in the original language.

 Lastly, as I mentioned at the beginning of this article, people are desperate for change. They're wondering how they can truly be free from the bondage(s) in their lives. They’re turning to ungodly sources looking for help such as new age philosophy, hanging charms in their cars, reading tarot cards, and many other things hoping to find hope and freedom.

 Church, we have the answer! As born-again believers we have the Holy Spirit of God living in us. He wants to do some amazing things in and through us to bring hope to our community. I close with the chorus lyrics from one more song that the group did not sing last night but it's one of my favorites.

 “Go tell the world about me/I was dead but now I live/I've gotta go now for a little while/But goodbye is not the end.” (The Commission” by Cain)

 As I sit here, I think there will be a Part two to this article to share more about how it's time to embrace more than God's omnipresence - which means He is present everywhere. Let's prepare to experience more of His “manifest presence.” Recently I wrote about the “shift” that is coming. I'm not talking about goofy and weird but a genuine move of God where people's lives are being transformed. Yes, the miraculous is part of ministry, but the primary focus is the hope, the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is what sets people free.

 Until then, let's go tell the world. Better yet let's start right here in our community.

 ¹⁹ Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. ²⁰ Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:19,20)