Self Control

I enjoyed Joyce's message so much this morning I decided to put it on my blog. Listening to her always helps  to charge up my day. I know if I am feeling down, fearful, or upset with something she always points me back to Godly principles, and even if I am already charged- the word still gives me an extra boost of spiritual energy. So whether you need new batteries, or just a recharge, take a little time to plug into some super power so you can keep on going, and going, and going...

http://www.joycemeyer.org/BroadcastHome.aspx?video=Self-Control_-_Pt_2_-_VIEWERS_CHOICE_1

The Unknown God

My daughter is studying abroad for the summer with her fellow students from her university in California, Pepperdine.
She is taking beautiful pictures in Germany and Italy, pictures of cities with ancient cathedrals, old cobblestone streets and statues. I am enjoying European history through the lenses of  her cameras.

One picture in particular in her album collection caught my attention, not for the beauty of the sight, but because of the significance it represents. A picture taken in Worms, Germany where Martin Luther the Protestant Reformer made a famous speech in St. Peter's Cathedral, a marker commemorates in German, the famous words spoken by  Martin Luther, "Here I stand,I can do no other."

Wow, I thought, how amazing to be able to stand at the same spot that Martin Luther, the German monk stood hundreds of years ago refusing to retract his belief that man is saved by grace and not by works.

This morning reading in the Bible, in the 17th  chapter of  Acts, I am reminded of the Apostle Paul's presence in Italy, Greece and all the European cities that he proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I visualized mentally what it would have been like to stand in the market place of Athens and to hear a speech by the Apostle Paul, and then later to follow him when he is taken to the Jewish elders and council, and hear his famous speech at the Areopagus.

I am so grateful for those early brave saints that took the Gospel forward, and stood their ground for the truth, even at the risk of death or excommunication. The same gratitude I hold today, for the men and women who stand up for truth, and not cower to the culture. Here is Paul's famous speech at the Areopagus.

Acts 17: 17-28

The Unknown God

17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship —and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.
24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’[a] As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’[b]

Something To Think About

 In verse 28 Paul says it all...  "In him we live and move and have our being"... Ponder that, and then ask yourself, do I believe that God is with me in everything I do, and is the reason I live?

Or do you have an unknown, man made God like Paul talked about? Is this man made obsession requiring your effort to sustain you. Do you feel empty, and drained from the constant requirement to do well, be perfect and compete for everything? 

God is our father, reaching out to us, offering a life full of breath, and newness in this world, and in eternity.

Believing otherwise will lead us to a place of decay, eventually. Only God the creator can give new life- to supersede the law of deterioration. Without God, we are among the walking dead, our hope is in our faith- 2Corinthians 4:16-Therefore we do not lose heart, though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

God has a plan for everything good to be  renewed and restored. Read for yourself, it is all recorded starting in Genesis, Chapter1.

 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth..."

I am reading a book by John and Loren Sandford "The Renewal of the Mind", and this morning's chapter entitled "Bad Company" significantly spoke to me- so much I grabbed a pen and started taking notes, and now share with you. The message is current and I feel needs to be told over and over.

Bad company as discussed by this Christian couple and co-founders of the "Elijah House" ministry is defined by Christians spending time in the company of someone who is weak in grace, and the wisdom of God, and then allowing them to influence us wrongly.

As time goes on in this relationship, we are at risk of allowing them to lead us in the direction of their unrighteous lifestyle- marked by constant sin and struggles, and we are eventually faced with compromising our own moral and spiritual convictions.

This reminded me of a message I heard from my pastor Jentezen Franklin years ago when discussing this same principle- how good does not bring bad up, as often as bad brings good down.

This has been the plans of Satan from the first incident in the Garden when Eve was confronted with a decision to stay and play or leave and believe God. The motive of Satan then, and still remains the same today is to have us disengage from God, and to attach ourselves to Satan's lies and sinful ways.

What may seem like a small compromise at the beginning will always lead to another, and  another and then we find ourselves eventually in a landslide of our crumbling moral foundations, ending up in a pit of lies and deceptions.

Young and old can fall victim to this trap, it hides in the world in many different forms-  To some an invitation to try New Age spirituality; a belief that God can be many different forms, and acceptable in many ways to man. Some even teach that the creation is God and to be worshiped.

Another form of bad company is embracing a church where prosperity preaching is loosely interpreting scripture- to fit the current social and political view of the culture, and to pad the pockets of the Preacher and that church. God clearly left word in the Bible that not a word was to be changed or altered.

The Apostle Paul spoke to the early church in 2 Corinthians, Chapter 10- about the coming of false prophets, teachers and deceitful doctrines. He said you will know them by their boasting about their own good deeds, instead of exalting the knowledge of God and the message of hope and grace that Christ taught.

Satan the counterfeit, stalks man and traps him in the wheat- gleaning and gathering man's prideful nature as chaff, and then burns him up in the lie that he can be somebody important without God.

The Sandford’s message to the Christian is to be aware of these traps, and ready to turn from anything or anyone that preaches something contrary to the truth of God’s word. Paul warns us that this battle is one perpetrated by Satan, a spiritual battle for your soul (verse 4).

This is as dangerous as a child playing with fire, and there is an eternal consequence you can suffer. You could lose everything in the end. Make no mistake; this is the enemy's covert plan. Our response is to know that we cannot do battle in our own flesh. We must run to God and confess our part and seek His protection.

As I conclude this message, a scripture comes to mind as I look out at the lake. A storm last night brought forth a windy day today and, looking out my window at the water on the lake rippling and moving from the wind, I am reminded of the verse in Ephesians 4:14-15:    

“ So we are no longer to be children, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who craftily carry out their deceitful schemes.”


To follow God requires a mature steadfast mind that is grounded in the truth of His doctrine. Dear ones, please be strong and courageous, do not follow after vain imaginings and the trappings of momentary pleasures enticed by bad choices or bad company. Take the time to know God and to trust His word,

Read the Bible and  remember Adam and Eve and the bad company they kept on that fateful day in the garden. Had they just believed and trusted God, I am sure the fruit of the Tree of Life would pale in comparison to what the I AM  would have blessed them with in time- if only...

Still Waters

Lead me beside the still waters

of your embrace

Lord Jesus.

Hold me close so I can hear your

breath of eternal life-

of joy and peace.

Do not let me go off alone

into these woods of

my own design.

Stay within my reach and hold on tight,

for the lake of life will call to me-

and weary will I be-

 if I wander too far from thee.

A Christ Centered Life

When Christ is the center of our lives, blessings flow. A Christ centered life, allows Jesus access into our everything- our relationships, our marriages, careers, parenting, friendships, ministries and business affairs.

How do we do this? How do we give everything to Jesus. Paul reveals how we can know the fullness of life in Christ in his prayer to the new church in Ephesus in the book of Ephesians, Chapter 3:17-19. Go with me there. Read it several times-

17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, so that, because you have been rooted and grounded in love,
18 you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
19 and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fullness of God.

The fullness of God is knowing how much God loves us! This is the central, ultimate purpose of the New Testament; demonstrated in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Our faith is rooted in God's love for us, not in how much we love God. If we base our faith on our own actions of committed, passionate love, we will come up short everyday.

When I first heard this message by John Prince spoken at a Hillsong Church Conference broadcast, I felt such a relief. I know my love- at it's best- is flawed and steeped in conditions, and time after time fails to show the love I have for God and mankind. I feel a bit defeated in trying to demonstrate this in my Christ centered life.

So wow, what a relief! Knowing that it's not really up to me to do the ultimate God thing... that's God's job.  Instead, God says," look at my love,  live in my fullness,  my unconditional love for you!"

So today my prayer is that we know how much God loves us. Focus on that one principle only. Imagine God wearing rose colored glasses looking at you, and that through the lenses He stamped the word LOVE on your forehead, and then put this melody in your heart -

"Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so!"

 I am going to be siniging this children's song with a renewed and fresh insight. It's the greastest love song ever written dear ones. Teach your children too, it's all about Jesus.
 Believe.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3 :16

We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

Seasons Of Favor

God honors our discipline with seasons of favor.  These are times when there is a major shift in our life for the better. We are able to live in peace with ourselves and others. Forgiveness becomes easier, love is deeper, life is sweeter.

Walking in obedience ushers in this season of favor. Radical obedience brings radical favor. Likewise radical disobedience brings radical disharmony and frustration.

God will give you nudges toward favor, and you will experience the blessing of peace and prosperity. However, if you take this time for granted, and ignore responding in humility. God will withdraw this blessing.

You have to be willing to do what you can do to change your selfish ways- addictions, unforgiveness, jealousy, anger, laziness, complacency . God will replace these crutches with wonderful new seasons of restoration- peace, love, joy, prosperity, health, and healing.

Pray daily-
Make me, mold me, show me where I need to change. Then start letting go of those destructive things you are holding on to. God will supernaturally give you the strength.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Psalms 5:12 For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield
.
Proverbs 8:35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the LORD.Luke 1:30


 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God
.
Luke 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.


Proverbs 8:35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the LORD

Desperate Faith

The faith for desperate days.", is the first sentence from the March 25 devotion in the beloved classic "Streams In The Desert". My parents gave me my first copy of this book after becoming a Christian many years ago.The readings have encouraged and refreshed me through many days and seasons of desperate faith, and during times of battle with the world and her enemy.


The message in this reading simply says that desperate days been recorded in the annals of time as pathways to light. If we study the Bible and the lives of all great patriarch's we see victory over these trying times; often the deliverance came "at wits end".


When we submit in desperate faith, and quit trying to figure it out, God moves in his mysterious ways and delivers. How true.The devotion continues to remind the reader that faith does not make our desperate days; it's work is to sustain and solve. My response is to continue to moment by moment increase my faith.

As we approach our Easter season- remember Gethsemane and the desperate faith of Christ as he cried out to God the Father. Ponder this deeply. We must remember our pilgrimage journey will always require divine eternal faith that is sustained only by God, because of the desperate submission of Christ to the cross. His blood, his faith covers all who believe - have faith.


Jesus said in this world we will have trials and tribulations, but he came to overcome these for us. He is the pathway to life and lights the way in the darkness.


Lyrics from an old hymn describes the necessity of desperate faith to teach us to trust God.


"When obstacles and trials seem
 Like prison walls to be,
 I do the little I can do
And leave the rest to Thee.


And when there seems no chance,
   no change, from grief
   can set me free,
Hope finds it's strength in helplessness,
   And calmly waits for Thee.