Archive for category: Random Thoughts

The call of Christ to repent (turn away from sin)
is radical.

Many Christians have asked Jesus for forgiveness
(confession) . . .
but still haven’t repented.
In other words, they’ve never walked away from
some of the sin they’ve sought forgiveness for.

Many hold onto some “favorite sins,”
attend church,
join in the praise and worship . . .

But many are wrong.

Jesus told us to count the cost before we follow Him.
That’s because following Him costs a LOT.
The price is everything.
It’s radical.
It’s tough to swallow.
It’s hard to embrace.
But it’s right.

We can want God’s love, grace, forgiveness, blessing
and an amazing eternity with Him—
but never get it.

Why?
Because many of us have been misinformed about
how to get it.

Billy Graham believes that only 50 percent of all people
who attend church will actually go to heaven.

Jesus confirmed this when He told the parable
of the 10 bridesmaids in Matthew 25 and compared it to
who’s getting inside the Kingdom of heaven.
HALF of the bridesmaids made it.

Does that seem hard to believe?

Many of us have given Jesus “Gumby-like” qualities.
We bend Him and shape Him to fit our needs.

We believe that He is all-patient.
All merciful.
And ever-affirming.

We’ve overlooked the fact that He came to proclaim
the Kingdom of heaven—
not to upgrade my self-esteem
or
make me happy
or
meet all my needs.

Does this seem harsh?
It’s truth.
You see, the true gospel is a call to self-denial.
It’s not a call to self-fulfillment.

God’s Son is not “Jesus Lite.”
And unless we accept the totality of Christ,
we’re not accepting Him at all.

Yes, He is love.
But He is also holy.
And He cannot tolerate sin in His Kingdom.

So instead of telling ourselves we’re getting into heaven
simply because we prayed a little prayer years ago
during Vacation Bible School—
maybe we need to start looking at our lives.

Have we really given ALL to follow Him?
Are we truly living in radical obedience
to the Lordship of Jesus Christ?

[More next week.]

Thoughts?

I’m speaking in Sharpsburg, GA Sept. 11-14.
I’d sure appreciate your prayers!

Maybe you’ve been taught that it’s impolite to ask for more.

But I’ve discovered a place where it’s expected and desired for you to ask for more!

Where?

At the feet of Jesus.

He desires us to want more of Him!

So each day I’m asking, “Give me more of You, Jesus!”

And just what does Jesus have?

Well . . . everything!

Peace, kindness, power to overcome, joy, wisdom, authority over satan, gentleness, confidence, discernment . . . the list never ends.

In his book Sparkling Gems, author Rick Renner says this:

“The day you chose to make Jesus your Lord and Savior is the day He delegated to you the power and authority to become a child of God. Think of it—at that moment of decision, all the power, authority, and divine influence that is resident within the mighty name of Jesus Christ came to live on the inside of you!”

Wow.

How much of Jesus and His gifts are you living with?

Too many Christians are living with about 75 percent of all Jesus has to give. I want more. I want it all.

That’s why I’m at His feet today saying, “Gimme, gimme, gimme!”

Let’s make our prayer, “Empty myself of me, Jesus, and give me ALL of YOU.”

This weekend I’m speaking in Roswell, NM. Please pray for God to be in complete charge of our services.

Thoughts about “Gimme”?

King David had just witnessed the successful delivery of the Ark of the Covenant. (2 Samuel 6:12-15). This was certainly cause for celebration, because earlier in this same chapter, Uzzah had been unsuccessful in his delivery of the Ark.

Have you ever been so full of joy that you couldn’t contain it?
If so, you can identify with David. He was excited that he began to dance with abandon in gratitude of God’s goodness. “Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets” (2 Samuel 6:14-15 NIV).

He was happy!
He was celebrating.
His dancing reflected the praise within his heart.

One commentary defines David’s dancing in this way:
“He danced with all his might—violent efforts of leaping—but it was unquestionably done as an act of religious homage, thankfulness and devotion.”

David’s wife Michael (daughter of the former King Saul) watched her husband dance from the window of their home. She was not only embarrassed; she was also angry with him.

“As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart” (2 Samuel 6:16 NIV).

Did you catch the last part? She despised him.
Ooooh.
We need to be careful not to criticize other people’s style of worship.
If worship is genuine, God loves it!

Michal berated David when he returned home, and he turned away from her for good. The last verse of this chapter says, “And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.” God didn’t bless her. But He did bless David.

When was the last time you truly ENJOYED God . . . and showed it?

Thoughts?

I’m speaking in Lubbock, TX this weekend—and as always—I appreciate your prayers!

King David, though, a mighty warrior, sinned when he lusted after Bathsheba. That sin led to another sin—sleeping with her—and when she became pregnant, David simply continued to dig himself deeper into a pit of sin.

You may recall that he brought her husband in from war to sleep with her, so he could deceive Uriah and make him think that Bathsheba became pregnant from her husband.

But when Uriah refused the comfort of being with his wife while his men were risking their lives in battle, David had him killed.

One sin led to another and another and another.

And it all began with being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Let’s look at Scripture:

“In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war . . . David remained in Jerusalem” (2 Samuel 11:1 NIV).

Why wasn’t David where he should have been?

Why wasn’t he at war with the rest of his men?

Failing to be where he should have been, got him in trouble.

This is where his downward spiral begins.

“One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her” (2 Samuel 11:2-3 NIV).

Wrong move, David!

Sometimes we can’t help what we see.

We live in a fallen world.

But we can determine how long we continue to view it.

David lingered too long.

“The man said, ‘She is Bathsheba . . . then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her”

(2 Samuel 11:3-4 NIV).

Right now would be a great time for David to seek forgiveness and repent. (Repent means to walk away from sin; to turn completely away from it.)

He knew what he did was wrong. But when he received the news that she was pregnant, he continued to sin by ordering her husband be placed on the front line of battle where he knew Uriah would be killed.

And it all began with being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The Holy Spirit is faithful to guide us on the right path.

“Show me the path where I should go, O Lord; point out the right road for me to walk. Lead me; teach me; for you are the God who gives me salvation” (Psalm 25:4-5 LB).

Being on the right path—and staying on the right path—begins with asking God to SHOW us and LEAD us.

Let’s commit to asking God each morning to show us the right path and empower us to remain on it.

Thoughts?

I’ll be speaking in New Mexico August 1-6. Please pray for me.

If you didn’t catch the last two weeks of this, please go back and read them. This is a continuation and conclusion.

RECAP:

We’ve been discussing an obscure little story found in 1 Kings 13.

God instructed the true prophet to enter the idol-infested city of Bethel and warn King Jeroboam of his sin. God told the true prophet not to eat or drink while there and to return a different way than he’d come.

An old prophet who lived in Bethel invited the true prophet to come home and eat with him. “Oh no, I can’t do that,” the true prophet explained. “God has given me specific instructions.”

But the old prophet convinced him it was OK.

So the true prophet went.

During dinner, however, the old prophet said, “This is what the Lord says: You have defied the word of the Lord and have not kept the command He gave you. You came back and ate bread and drank water in the place where He told you not to eat or drink. Therefore you’re going to die far from home.”

We can learn several things from this story through the red flags that are given.

First Red Flag:
• The true prophet of God stopped to rest under a tree (1 Kings 13:14). When researching this passage, I discovered that the Hebrew language reveals that he wasn’t simply sitting under a tree. He had built a temporary home. He knew to flee—and to flee immediately—but he didn’t. He rationalized it would be OK to rest a while.

• Second Red Flag:
The old prophet deceived this young prophet. When the old prophet said, “God spoke to me through an angel,” the young prophet accepted it as God’s word and went with him.

But God has already specifically spoken to the young prophet. So when does the voice of an angel trump the voice of God Himself?

• Third Red Flag:
The old prophet was living in Bethel. This tells us a lot!
The fact that he had chosen to live in the forbidden city of idols shows us he wasn’t living in God’s will.

Conclusion:

The young prophet was killed by a lion when he left the old prophet’s home. The young prophet tried to get back to where he should be, but he would never get home again. His ministry was over, and in fact, his walk with God in this world had come to an end. That seems pretty harsh to us, but remember, God isn’t playing games. Though He is long-suffering, there will come a point when He will no longer tolerate sin and disobedience.

The young prophet of God was very sincere, but he made the mistake of believing the wrong message which he was told was from God. But it wasn’t. He knew for a fact what God had told him—he didn’t know for a fact what God had told the old prophet.

We must be guarded and stick like glue to the message of the Bible. Don’t let anyone or anything draw you away—even someone you deeply love. If you do get drawn away, you’ll be deceived and deception can be deadly.

The young prophet of God was a good man who was deceived into disobedience. We don’t need to look for external voices and supernatural encounters with audible voices. We just need to know God’s Word. That’s how Jesus rebuked and refuted the devil during His temptation in the wilderness. Without being anchored on the Word of God, we’ll easily be deceived.

You are battling for eternity.
Be very guarded and test everything.

Bottom line:

The Word of God doesn’t change.
Man may alter it,
lie about it,
and add to it,
but God’s Word will endure forever.
So . . . how well do you know God’s Word?
Do you read the Bible consistently?

I’d love to hear from you!