By admin
Today I have celebrated my birthday by spending most of the day with my mother going to see my son Trey. I’m getting ready to go to one of my favorite restaurants with family and enjoy one of my favorite meals, spaghetti. I know what your thinking and the 21 day fast at least for me is over. I know some of you are extending the time and to that I say ”Praise the Lord and pass the pasta”.
One of the many purposes of fasting which I trust you have experienced is humility. Often times we are told in scripture that God’s people would humble themselves through prayer and fasting. I believe you are never more like our Lord than when you humble yourself, Philippians 3. Humility, when you think about it is extremely illusive to say the least. If you think you are, you probably aren’t.
Jesus talked about how some of the religious leaders of His day would seek to draw attention to themselves during a fast. Jesus not only condemned this kind of showmanship but also stated that the whole purpose of their fasting was forfeited.
I love the statement I read today in my quiet time in Psalm 18:35″You stoop down to make me great.” That’s exactly what Jesus did for us! He willingly laid aside His position, His power, His privileges as God and took upon Himself the most lowly form of humility, a servant. He stooped down, all the way down, to raise us up to a new position of power and privilege all because of His great love and mercy!
By admin
“Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said ‘It is because the Lord has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” Genesis 41:51. Joseph is now viewing life from the other side, and man what a view. He is prosperous and blessed. He has literally gone from the prison to the palace, life is good. Joseph has also been blessed with a family. He has turned 30 and God has given him two children. The first of which he names Manasseh. Then two things happen chronologically that I am convinced happen as a result of Joseph’s willingness to choose to forgive.
First of all, immediately following this milestone Joseph’s brothers show up at his door step looking for food to survive the severe famine. Unable to recognize their own brother, they plead for assistance, and then it happens, they bow down before him, just as God had said they would. This was the fulfillment of the vision which God had given Joseph years ago.
Secondly Joseph is once again tested in the area of forgiveness. He had absolute power to obliterate his brothers and make them pay for what they had done to him. Obviously Joseph still remembered how they had treated him, “all my trouble and all my father’s household”. Joseph, however, once again chose to return forgiveness and mercy for hatred and cruelty. This is one of the many reasons why Joseph is a example of our Lord Jesus in the Old Testament.
If there is someone who has hurt you, you have an opportunity to be Jesus to that person. They don’t deserve it and may even reject it, but forgive them anyway. Remember biblical forgiveness doesn’t mean you forget what they did to you. True forgiveness is about letting go. Release them and by doing so you will release yourself. You will release yourself from allot of pain and prolonged hurt. You also may be releasing the power of God to bring to fruition the vision He has for you.
Don’t be surprised when you chose to forgive someone that God allows you to receive what you have been praying about. Also don’t be surprised when the moment you chose to forgive here comes another test. Another opportunity to chose to forget.
By admin
If you have been following these blogs you realize I missed a day yesterday, thanks in part to some sinus issues. I guess you could say my timing was off. I remember first hearing about the concept of synchronicity in a Mercer Psychology class where we were studying the work of Carl Jung, not Sting and The Police. The concept of synchronicity is simply the idea of 2 or more unrelated events that are observed to occur together in a meaningful way. Similar to the idea of causality, that seeks to understand and support the reason for, and why certain events occur.
Before I sound like I am trying to teach Philosophy let me just say that timing is everything. When it comes to God’s timing, God’s timing is Always right on time! Lately I have been reading in my devotion time through the book of Genesis. One of the best examples of God’s impeccable timing is found in the life of Joseph, one of my favorite characters in all of the Bible.
Joseph saw some extremely hard times all because of a God given vision. He was threatened, then sold into slavery by his own brothers. Then repeatedly solicited by the wife of his boss to commit adultery. Then falsely accused and thrown into prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Finally after correctly interpreting the dream of two of his cell mates who promised to remember Joseph’s plight, of coarse they forgot, Joseph was released and ultimately promoted to what was equal to the position of Prime Minister. Second only to the king, Joseph was in charge of the most powerful of all the super powers of his day.
In each and every unfortunate event God was at work. Had Joseph not been placed in the home of Potiphar he would not have been placed in the prison for servants of royalty. Had he never faced the horrors of imprisonment he would have never met the servants of Pharaoh. Had he never met the cup-bearer to the King he would have never been elevated to such important status and influence. God through each and every up and down was at work.
See others may have forgotten about Joseph but God remembered! God keeps His promises and His promises never fail or fall by the way side. He is right on time, all the time, wait on Him!
“When God gives you a vision and darkness follows, wait. God will bring the vision He has given you to reality in your life if you will wait on His timing. Never try to help God fulfill His word.” Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest
By admin
I remember as a teen hearing the song “Bad Company”. This was not only the title of the song but was also the title of the album and the group that sang the song, very creative. I can remember loving that song, it became a favorite of me and my friends to cruise to. We would literally adjust the 8 track tape player in our car, please tell me you remember 8 track tapes, to where the song would kick in just as we turned into to the Mcdonalds parking lot. Those were the days!
One of the things that I, along with every other parent, try to do is warn my kids about the dangers of choosing to hang with the wrong crowd, or bad company. God’s word makes it very clear that “bad company will corrupt good character“, I Corinthians 15:33. As hard as it was for my parents then and as hard as it is for parents today, convincing our children of this is no easy task. ”You obviously don’t know them like I do”, but the reality is you usually don’t pull some one up to your standards in a relationship. The law of gravity works with morals as well, they usually pull you down.
In Psalm 14:5 David writes “God is present in the company of the righteous”. We parents sometimes want to blame the bad behavior of our own children on their choices in friends. Unfortunately the fact is that friends generally speaking don’t instill morality but reflect and reinforce it. Bottom line each of us must be responsible for the company we keep and the choices we make.
Are you keeping good company? Is God present in your company and does His Spirit feel comfortable in your presence?
By admin
Today being a holiday, I had planned to get some rest and enjoy some time with Kelly and Emma who got in late from a cheer competition last night. Unfortunately I had forgotten about a Dr.’s appointment so I had to spend the better part of the day in Marietta getting a check up and having some skin cancers removed, fun in the sun has its hazards.
I almost forgot what this day is all about, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Today is the first time the celebration included the newly unveiled memorial in our nations capitol dedicated to the memory and legacy of Dr. King. I heard that the King family spent the weekend going to worship and today was spent doing community service, what a fitting tribute. Obviously the dream is still alive.
As this relates to fasting Jesus said “if the Son sets you free, you are truly free“. One of the things we have been fasting about is for God to bring about a Break Free from habitual and generational sins. Fasting and prayer breaks the power of sin in life and allows you to daily live in the power and peace of God. Fasting makes us a living monument to Freedom!
By admin
My prayer for GP today was simply the prayer of our Lord for His disciples, “breathe on me” and God definitely answered that prayer. We closed out our study of the 40th Psalm as we are finally closing in on our last week of the 21 days of prayer and fasting. The fast will end on my birthday, just in time for me to pig out.
The Psalmist says something that amazes me in Psalm 40:6″Sacrifice and offering you did not desire but my ears you have opened, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.” As a pastor you hear so much about the importance of offerings and how to take up a “successful” offering. I am quite sure that you probably have never been to a worship service and probably never will where they didn’t take up an offering. We took up an offering today at GP as we do each week and will continue to do, offerings are important, but David says that’s not what God is after. David mentions in this Psalm 4 different kinds of offerings, and yet God was unimpressed. What God wanted was David’s heart! Look at the very next statement David makes in verse 7, “Then I said, Here I am, I have come”.
Tithes and offerings are commanded by God, Old Testament and New but it is not God who needs the giving, our Father isn’t in need of a “bail out”, heaven doesn’t need a” stimulus package”. The recipient of the blessing when we give is each of us. What God is after is the sacrifice of our hearts.
Is your heart completely open before God? Does He have your heart, every part? As we begin a brand new year I believe God wants to do some amazing things in each of our lives, Isaiah 43:19, are you truly open for business?
By admin
Today I attended the funeral of my cousin Debbie. Only 57 years old her death was completely unexpected and a painful loss for everyone who knew her. In spite of our sorrow the rare occasion for our extended family to all come together was a reason for rejoicing. We sat around and shared stories about Debbie and many other memories of growing up together.
Jesus was once asked by an observer why His disciples did not fast like the disciples of John the Baptist and the disciples of the Pharisees. In Mark chapter 2 Jesus answered their question with a question, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while He is with them? They cannot so long as they have Him with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast”.
Fasting and sorrow in the Bible are closely related. In fact the origin of fasting seems to be tied to an understanding of someone who is filled with such sorrow that the desire for food has momentarily ceased to exist. Jesus also described heaven as a place of feasting, a great wedding supper or banquet.
I have never been to a funeral that wasn’t followed by a huge meal. I guess this gives new and true meaning to the term “comfort food”. This tradition doesn’t make it easy on anyone fasting but as we gathered together today I am confident that our, or my family’s meal could not compare to the banquet my cousin sat down to in heaven.
By admin
“When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set.” Genesis 28:11. Mine is alone in my study upstairs. Yours may be a deck, a living room, a breakfast table or maybe outdoors like a park. Wherever you call your Bethel I hope you go there frequently. The certain place the Bible was speaking of was where God revealed Himself to Jacob on a “stairway to heaven”. I bet you thought that was Robert Plant and Jimmy Page’s idea. Jacob was so inspired by the vision that the place became a sacred, special place of worship for him. Bethel means simply, the house of God. Ultimately your church should be your Bethel, and once again I hope you go there often, but I also believe that there are places which become a sacred source of inspiration for us because that is where we most often have our most intimate encounters with God.
What are the characteristics of a Bethel?
1) The place where we first met God. The place where you were first made aware of Who He is and His love for you. My original Bethel is New Hope Baptist Church in Fayetteville Georgia. That was where I first truly came to know about and understand God’s love for me and that I can have a relationship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ.
2) A place where we receive a God given vision for our life. It can be a vision for your career, your family, who you will marry, but this is a place where you get your first glimpse of what life can be if you allow God to commandeer the ship.
3) A place where you feel safe.
4) A place of reverence.
5) A place of commitment. The sight of a true God given vision is awe inspiring and always moves you to action. In Jacob’s case he made an oath to God to serve Him. He also made a commitment to begin giving God a tenth of everything God gave him from that time forward. It is easy to be motivated to give God a tenth of what he gives you when you realize that it’s all His anyway and when you see what He has in store for you.
Do you have a certain place? As you read this blog you may find, like me, that you have many different Bethels which serve many different purposes in your life. Go there today, He is waiting there to meet with you!
By admin
I just got back from a few days alone outdoors enjoying some time with the Lord and the last few days of hunting season. I took along my books and everything I thought I needed but I forgot my journal. I don’t know if there is such a thing as “journal withdrawal” but if there is, I have definitely suffered while away. Keeping a journal as a part of my devotion life began for me several years ago as a student pastor. I can now say that I am a believer in the benefits of keeping a record of what God is doing in your life.
In just the last couple of days I have seen God answer some specific prayer requests which is another reason for keeping a journal. ” The things you planned for us no one can recount to You; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare” Psalm 40:5. If your not already, I encourage you to begin keeping a journal of what your praying about and what answers to prayers you have received. Whenever you sense God is speaking to you through scripture or a message you’ve listened to write it down. I promise you will begin to get more out of your time alone with God than ever before.
By admin
Psalm 40:13″Be pleased, O Lord, to save me; O Lord, come quickly to help me” I once heard someone say “God has never been late but He has certainly missed allot of opportunities to be early. The fact is simply this, we may be in a hurry but God never is, He is God, He is unchanging, He is incapable of worry or anxiety.
If I may be so bold as to offer my own interpretation I believe the urgency is clear in the words of the Psalmist, “God I need You, help, and if You will HURRY!! I remember hearing the native American legend about a young boy’s transition from boyhood to becoming a brave. His father would lead him deep into he forest and leave him to spend a night alone. This was his initiation. All the while the terrified boy was waiting for the first light of dawn to appear thinking he was alone but unknown to him his father had never really left him. He was waiting and watching over his son from a distance.
I’m sure I am not the only one praying that God will come and rescue me or some one I love in 2012. Let me assure you that your Father has never left your side. He is not in a hurry, but He is always on time. His time, perfect time.