Rosh Ha Shannah

16 Sunday Sep 2012

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Blow ye the trumpet (shofar in Hebrew) in Zion, and sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD is coming, for it is near at hand;  Joel 2:1

 

This Sunday night begins the feast of Rosh Ha Shannah, or Yom Teruah — the Feast of Trumpets. At the end of the summer the Hebrews are commanded to blow the shofar — the ram’s horn, all day long. The sound of the shofar was a sound of alarm — it told the people to get ready. It marked in the calendar that the summer harvest was over and the day of atonement was near and it was time to stand before God.

Time continues on… but this High Holy day should remind us that one day the end will come and we will have to stand before the Lord.

 

Blessings on this Rosh Ha Shannah, 

Pastor

 

Inspirational Prayer & Faith Quotes

15 Saturday Sep 2012

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Have a Blessed Weekend,

Pastor

 

 

You Might Be a Great Servant If… #1 You Know Your Gifts Are From God!

13 Thursday Sep 2012

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Have you finally arrived at the conclusion that who you are and what you can do is from the Lord? Many of us know this in principle… but has it sunk deep down into your soul and spirit yet?

The Bible doesn’t shirk away from controversy. Listen as a disagreement arose over “ceremonial washings or baptism” in John’s and Jesus’ day.

Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were constantly coming to be baptized. (This was before John was put in prison.) An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan–the one you testified about–well, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.  John 3:23-26

 

A controversy like this can crush a ministry more quickly than a frontal assault. This is especially true when God is moving and people are being impacted for good. I don’t want to go into the details of ceremonial washings now, but when someone comes in and says…”Your doing it all wrong. You are not doing God’s ministry like others. So-in-so is doing it better up the road and God is blessing. You have lost your crowd to the new guy, Jesus. You are yesterday’s news.” — Your inner man has to be ready to absorb it and you must be comfortable with your calling.

Now in reality, John is supposed to lose his following to Jesus. But what does this kind of talk do to some people, especially those who are new and a little weak in their faith? I have seen many new believers stumble and fall, not because of being attacked by a non-believer, but because another believer questioned some aspect of their new faith. It is true… “The Christian army is the only army which shoots its own wounded.”

These types of controversies didn’t derail John the Baptist. In fact, it only served to reveal his true character. He was a servant. From these last few words of John we can learn what it means to be a great servant of the Lord. John’s reply was simple… “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven…” (John 3:27) John wasn’t personally threatened when others succeeded, because it wasn’t his ministry in the first place.

One of the stages every believer must eventually arrive is to realize their gifts and abilities are not given for their own personal fulfillment, but are given for God’s uses and purposes. Knowing this keeps the focus upon the Lord and not on the believer. It keeps you from becoming proud of yourself, because you realize that anything you’re able to do, any good that comes from your effort, is really God’s doing. Like John, you aren’t threatened when someone else begins to receive recognition. You can be at peace if God sees fit to remove your ministry, change your ministry. or even change you. You’re at His disposal. It is true “the gifts and calling of God are without repentance;” but ministry and placement can change many times, if you are listening to the Lord. I have had to learn this lesson several times, because I wanted my ministry to go and flow a certain direction.

The Egyptian astronomer Ptolemy in the 2nd century postulated that the earth was the center of the universe. This meant the earth was still and the other planets orbited and rotated around it. All this made sense, and people believed it for over 1400 years. It wasn’t until the 16th century that Copernicus began to question the status quo. In his mind the old model just didn’t work. Copernicus figured out that not only did the earth itself rotate, but it also revolved around the sun.

Scandal! Heretic! Unbeliever! The world must revolve around us personally. This was hard for people to accept. Galileo came along advocating for these same lines of thought. The church promptly kicked him out and the state put him under house arrest. Both Copernicus and Galileo pointed to the sun and said “the center of the universe.” It took a long time for people to accept their personal world was not the center of the universe.

Max Lucado, in his book It’s Not About Me, writes, “What Copernicus did for the earth, God does for our souls. Tapping the collective shoulder of humanity, He points to the Son – His Son – and says “Behold the center of it all.”

Here is the point… God does not exist to make a big deal out of us. We exist to make a big deal out of Him. Is the Lord the center of your universe today?

Blessings,

Pastor

 

Are You Dangerous?

12 Wednesday Sep 2012

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One of my favorite stories to hear retold is about Telemachus, a 4th century Christian monk. He lived a life of no importance in a small remote village in Asia Minor. Like most monks of his day he spent his time tending the garden and most of the time in prayer. One day he thought he heard the voice of God telling him to go to Rome. So he obeyed the voice and quickly set out for Rome on foot.

After a long, weary journey, Telemachus arrived in the huge city of Rome during a time of great festivity. It was easy for the little monk to know what to do and where to go…. follow the crowds. The city was like the circulatory system of a wild animal. The surge of the crowds quickly led Telemachus around the city and into its heart, the Colosseum.

Soon the lone monk saw the gladiators stand before the emperor and say, “We who are about to die salute you.” It was then he realized these warriors were going to fight to the death…all for the entertainment of the crowd. The little monk was in shock. Telemachus cried out, “In the name of Christ, stop!”

As the games began, he pushed his way through the crowd crying over and over again, “In the name of Christ, stop!” Eventually the little monk made his way to the wall crying even louder, “In the name of Christ, stop!” He climbed his way over the wall, and dropped to the floor of the arena. When the crowd saw this tiny figure rushing to the gladiators and saying, “In the name of Christ, stop!”, they thought it was part of the show and began laughing. When they realized it wasn’t a part of the show but only a protester, the laughter turned to anger. As Telemachus was pleading with the gladiators to stop, one of them plunged a sword into the monk’s body. He immediately fell to the sand. As he was dying, his last words were, “In the name of Christ, stop!”

Then a strange thing happened that day on the Colosseum floor. The gladiators stood looking at the tiny figure lying there. A hush fell over the Colosseum. Way up in the upper rows, a man stood and made his way to the exit. Others began to follow. In dead silence, everyone left the Colosseum. The year was 391 AD, and that was the last battle to the death between gladiators in the Roman Colosseum. Never again in the great stadium did men kill each other for the entertainment of the crowd. The course of history was changed promptly by one tiny voice which could hardly be heard above the roar of the crowds. This one voice was prompted by God to speak truth and make a difference.

This is a true story and is found in the writings of Theodoret, Bishop of Cyrrhus in Syria (393-457 A.D.)  When I share it… I like to embellish it a bit.

Another martyr, Jim Eliot spoke succinctly and clearly about this same issue. “While we profess to know a power the 20th century cannot reckon with, we are all side-liners. Coaching and criticizing the real wrestlers while content to set by and leave the enemies of God unchallenged. We are spiritual pacifists, conscientious objectors in the Battle-of-the-Death, with principalities and powers in the heavenly places. The world cannot hate us: we are too much like its own. Oh that God would make us dangerous.”

It is difficult many times being a lone voice. Maybe you’re a lone voice about the injustices you discern. The crowds around you believe and are flowing one direction, but you stand alone and are going the opposite way. It takes heart to speak out when it’s easier to keep quiet. It takes courage to stand up when you’re standing alone.

Whether you are mislabeled, misunderstood, isolated, or just afraid…don’t let the flow of the crowd define who you are and what God has called you to be. I think one of the most important points of Telemachus’ life was not that he went to Rome and stood in protest in the Colosseum. No, one day in the quietness of his garden and prayer time…he heard God speak and followed Him in obedience. People don’t stand alone for very long without fully knowing “why” they are standing in that place. The most dangerous people in the world are those folks who have a word and take their stand. How about you… are you dangerous?

Be Blessed and Dangerous,

Pastor

 

Developing a Ministry of Availability

10 Monday Sep 2012

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Whenever Jesus has an encounter with us, He wants us to be more concerned about spiritual things than physical things. This is the way Jesus reaches us in our blindness and busyness of life. The Lord takes the physical things which usually trap us and turns them in such a way that it becomes a lesson about spiritual things. In the New Testament a simple discussion about food turns into a lesson about spiritual food… clothing becomes a lesson about wearing clothes of righteousness… fishing becomes a lesson about fishing for men. Jesus turns what we are concerned about into eternal matters.

The Lord is always striving to take us from shallow water into the deep. It is in these deep waters we begin to grow in faith and learn to trust Him more. The question becomes are we appreciative for the Lord’s attempts to move us into deeper waters? Do we view deeper waters as troubles or opportunities to grow.

Here is my invitation to you. Don’t be afraid when God attempts to move you from one place to another. He has a purpose and there is no need to be afraid. God has your best interest at heart. It is true…”If He led you to it, He will lead you through it.” Deeper water is always an opportunity to express faith and please the Lord. Peter’s response to Jesus at the shore should be our response as well. Listen to his response to the Lord.

Simon answered and said, ‘Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.’ Luke 5:5

Peter basically said, “Lord, I really don’t want to do this again…but because You suggest I should…at Your command, I will do it.” This needs to be our response to the Lord as well. We may not be totally excited about every word the Lord speaks to us. In fact, some of those words may actually give us shivers. But because the Lord speaks… we are obedient.

I believe there is a “ministry of availability” ready for each of us today. Obedience is the most important ingredient to our success in living the Christian life. The question becomes are we available to the Lord? There is an old quote which says, “God does not ask for your ability or for your inability. He asks only your availability.” I am sure you know your own abilities and inabilities. In fact, you may have already told the Lord about them. The truth is God is not interested in what you think you can or cannot do. He is only interested that you avail yourself to Him. Every believer is called to the ministry of availability.

In this story in Luke, Peter’s boat was available to Jesus, his net was available to Jesus, and ultimately his life was available to the Lord. The end result of all this availability was….”And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men. When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.” (Luke 5:10-11)

Peter did become a fisherMAN. Three years later He would preach a message after Pentecost in which three thousand people came into the Kingdom. Now all this didn’t happen at once, but it began on this day by the shores of Galilee.  Many life altering events begin at inconspicuous moments.

I am reminded about the petite Japanese lady who was on a bus touring Iceland. At one short bus stop she got off and went into the bathroom to change clothes. While she was gone it was reported that a person was missing from the tour. She returned, not recognizing it was her personally everyone was looking for…and joined in on the manhunt. It is difficult to find someone when they are not missing. So for a whole day everyone was looking for a small Japanese woman who wasn’t lost.

I know a lot of people are looking around church and the kingdom for someone to step-up and give themselves to the Lord’s work. They have never considered that the Lord is actually searching and calling for them. They only see their inabilities…. never their availabilities. I believe there is a boat with your name on it and it is ready for deep water.

 

Blessings,

Pastor

 

Victory: Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani Freed!

08 Saturday Sep 2012

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aclj

 

Today marks a day of celebration. After languishing in prison for almost three years, under the threat of execution for his faith, Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has been released from prison and acquitted of his apostasy charge.

Pastor Youcef had been summoned to appear before the court this morning for the charges brought against him. His hearing lasted almost six hours. But in the end, he was released and able to return home to his family.

Some of our sources close to the case report that the court acquitted him of apostasy, but charged and convicted him of evangelizing to Muslims. According to these same sources, the court sentenced Pastor Youcef to three years in prison and granted him time served, which means his prison sentence already has been completed. ( Copied from the ACLJ website )

 

Praise the Lord!  Many attribute Pastor Youcef’s release to the large outpouring of support from the internet and twitter campaigns.  

Blessings,

Pastor

 

 

Which Boat Are You In?

05 Wednesday Sep 2012

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Jesus is worthy! He is not just worthy of our affection and or our attention. He is worthy of all our entire life. Jesus is worthy of our fanaticism. When the Lord moves us from the fan level of faith to the fanatic level of faith, we soon discover how dangerous real faith can be. So lets answer this question… Which boat are you in today?

  • Are you staying in the boat close to shore or are you in the boat floating out in the deep? 
  • Are you in the safe boat… the place where you are comfortable simply listening to the teachings of Jesus?
  • Or, are you in the boat which is encountering the miraculous way out in deep waters?

Which boat are you in today?

The boat out in the deep is the one where you either pass or fail faith’s tests. This is the one where you are challenged and ultimately changed into Jesus’ image. No one else may even detect you are out there in the deep, except those out there with you. In fact, those on shore may even deny there is a “deep water experience.” The mild-mannered Jesus they know would never suffer His followers to undergo such a trial.

There is no challenge when you stick close to shore. Yeah, you hear Jesus’s teachings and you get to watch what is going on, but there is no action in your own life.

Which boat are you in?

One day with Jesus changed Peter’s whole life. He had been washing the nets while keeping one ear listening to Jesus. He had other responsibilities and duties to do. He had to fish in order to make a living. His family relied on him to bring in a good catch to eat and sell. So he thought he couldn’t give up what he was doing in order to spend a whole day with the Lord. But, Jesus had other plans for Peter. He has other plans for us as well. Listen as the story continues in Luke.

4 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.” 6 When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break; 7 so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink. Luke 5:4-7

 

This movement from the shallows into deeper water is an analogy of what Jesus was going to do in Simon’s faith life. Jesus was going to move Simon from his superficial, half-hearted and casual attention to Jesus and turn it into a deeper, more personal and real commitment. While Peter’s baptism didn’t turn him into a radical believer…while watching Jesus heal his mother-in-law didn’t make a fanatic out him. One day in the deep water did change Peter’s life forever.

Resistance is Futile! Jesus was not the leader of the Borg collective, but Simon couldn’t resist. Peter tried to counter Jesus’ suggestion, but quickly caved. I don’t know about you but I don’t like starting over on task when I have already cleaned up and put my stuff away. When I conclude my business…I am finished.

Here is what you and I need to know. Just how does Jesus take us from where we are to where He wants us to be? Jesus pushes us, that’s how! The Lord pushes us, ever so gently. Sometimes He uses words and sometimes He moves us with actions. He encourages us to move from one level of stability, as symbolized by the shallow water near the shore, to a place where we are more dependent on God than even before as symbolized by the deeper water.

We might mildly argue with him, saying, “Lord, I’ve already been there and done this several times. I’ve already tried reading the Bible, I’ve already tried praying, and it hasn’t worked. I’ve already done what others have attempted numerous times.” Hopefully we won’t stop at this point. Like Peter we need to say, “Lord, if this is what you want me to do, I will move one more time from where I am now, and be obedient to Your word.”

Which boat are you in today?

Now I personally wouldn’t want to get into a boat with Peter. Every boat he gets into begins to sink. Twice storms ravaged the boats Peter takes to cross the lake. Jesus doesn’t seem to care. On one occasion, Jesus is asleep and the other He is walking on the water attempting to sneak pass the boat. On this venture the catch of fish begins to take the boat under. Why would anyone want to get into boat with Simon Peter or any other disciple? It is going down! Who wants to purposefully undergo a near death experience every six months?

It is tough being in a boat with someone who needs to learn their faith lessons. Invariably, the boat begins to sink and they have to exhibit faith. It is tough to watch your own self or other believer struggle in faith. Why? Everybody has to go under two or three times before they learn. I know…I have been there and got two or three (actually 5-6) wet t-shirts to prove it. How about you? All Jesus will say during these failures is…”Where is your faith?” I have absolutely hated those words at times in my life. I thought, if I have to continue hearing that phrase I will scream and pull out what little hair I have left. For some of us, our hair isn’t falling out on its own…we are pulling it out because we struggle with faith.

But there is a reason why I kept hearing those faith words…. I wanted out in the deep with Peter and the boys. I didn’t want to remain close to the shore with most of the other fans. I wanted and still want to “walk on water” with the Lord. I don’t want to just see Jesus exhibit faith…I want to exhibit faith too! I have always wanted to be a fanatic. In fact, those fans on the shore drive me crazy too. They always talk about great faith but have never left the shore. If you stay there long enough they will chain your boat to the bank and convince you Jesus doesn’t operate this way. Tell this to Peter.

Pass or fail, sink or swim… I wanted to go to the deep. Anyone who really wants to grow must go out into the deep with the Lord and learn what real faith is all about. No one can do it for you. No one can help you. Your faith lessons are not my faith lessons. My faith lessons are not your faith lessons. I don’t know how God does it, but He personally tailors each person’s walk of faith.

Have you see the “Footprints the Sand” poem?  Have ever noticed how neatly the tracks are in the sand?  Well, my tracks are not like the poem’s.  My shoreline looks like “D-Day on Omaha Beach.”  I have left tracks all over the beach where I fought with the Lord, rolled on the ground, and kicked sand all over the place.  I’ve cried, wallowed, and basically thrown fits.  The only thing I can hope for was the Lord wasn’t recording during the melee.  Learning to walk in faith is not pretty.

Your greatest blessings will always be out in the deep. Yes, it is a little scary, unstable and unfamiliar out there. But it is also where most of the fish live. Fishermen never catch many fish from the shore. They have to go out into the deep water to catch larger and greater numbers of fish,  unless you want to catch them one-at-a-time with the rest of the fans hugging the shore. You might still have your hair, but will not have grown in faith.

Which boat are you in today? Jesus wants to take you from your comfortable shoreline to a deeper place where you will find more food for your soul and discover your dependence on Him. Are you ready to go! The Captain of Our Souls is calling.

Blessings,

Pastor

Are You a Fan or a Fanatic?

04 Tuesday Sep 2012

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I know I may have told this story before, but it is one of my favorites.

A middle-aged woman has a heart attack and is taken to the hospital. While on the operating table she has a near death experience. During that experience she sees God and asks if this is the end. God says no and explains that she has another 30 years to live.  Upon her recovery she decides to just stay in the hospital and have a face lift, liposuction, breast augmentation, tummy tuck, etc. She even has someone come in and change her hair color. She figures since she’s got another 30 years, she might as well make the most of it.

She walks out of the hospital after the last operation and is killed by an ambulance speeding by. She arrives in front of God and complains, “I thought you said I had another 30 years.”
God replies, “I did, but I didn’t recognize you.”

I know and you know God always recognizes us. This story is usually the other way around. We don’t recognize God. We fail to recognize what He is doing in our life. We fail to recognize what He is doing in other’s lives and in general we miss what He is doing in the world around us.

Listen to the story from Luke as Peter has a personal encounter with Jesus one day by the Sea of Galilee. Even in this story Jesus was already working in Peter’s life… he just didn’t know it yet.

 

Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret; 2 and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. 3 And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat. Luke 5:1-3

 

Jesus was teaching and the people were listening to Him. Apparently, He felt a little crowded and wanted some space. He saw two boats near-by and asked to use Simon Peter’s as sort of a stage or platform.

But I believe there was clearly another reason why Jesus wanted to speak from the boat. Later on, He wanted to talk to the owner of the boat, Simon. Jesus is not only interested in crowds, He is also interested in you individually. Sometimes we need more than classroom instruction. We need individualized tutoring. The Lord knows when we need more personal attention and arranges life so that we get His undivided attention.

If we believe the Lord’s instructions cease after we leave the church pew, we are mistaken. If we believe the Lord’s instructions conclude when our Bible’s are closed, we are deceived. These events are merely the beginning of our journey. The real test arrives when we are called to apply what we have learned. How much one-on-one time have you received lately?

Why does Jesus change His approach for just one person? Why would Jesus change His focus from a crowd to a single person? Most ministers are trying to climb out of the single digits, not move towards them. Evidently Jesus recognized a hunger in Peter He didn’t see in everyone else. So, He rearranged His schedule to help Peter move from a shallow type of faith to a deeper faith. I don’t believe Jesus wastes His time. If you are receiving one-on-one attention, then He believes it is time for you to move into deeper waters as well.

There was an Episcopal pastor who was having a cup of coffee in the restaurant across the street from his church. He was reading his paper when the fellow next to him noticed his clerical garb and asked which church he led. He pointed across the street to the Episcopal Church. The fellow eagerly piped-up and said “Why that’s the church I go to myself!” At this the pastor perked up and said “That’s strange. I’ve been preaching there for five years and I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you.” The man responded, “Come on now, preacher. I didn’t say I was a fanatic.”

Peter was a “fan of Jesus” at this point, but he wasn’t a “fanatic for Christ” either. He had been baptized by John the Baptist and witnessed Jesus being baptized as well. He had witnessed Jesus performing a few miracles including the healing of his mother-in-law. But until this point, he had yet to commit himself fully to Jesus’ teachings.

For many Peter’s type of committment would have been enough to give them security. Jesus knew the difference and so should we. Jesus wants to move each of us from the “fan” level of faith to the “fanatic” level. The only question is are we personally willing to go with the Lord to deeper waters?

– More tomorrow.

Blessings,

Pastor

Labor Day Blessings…

01 Saturday Sep 2012

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May you always have work for your hands to do.
May your pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.
May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near you.
And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

Irish Blessing

 

Blessings,

Pastor

 

The High Cost of Low Level Complaining (Part 3) It Brings Chastisement

31 Friday Aug 2012

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I am wrapping-up this three-part series on complaining with a somber note. I don’t believe God ever wants to discipline His children. As every parent knows, sometimes godly discipline is the best course of action. While we might not think complaining is a serious issue, God does. Why?  Because low-level complaining is a heart issue. Complaining is an activity Satan participated in when he challenged the throne of God. When we revel in venting our displeasure, we mimic the demonic world. Thus a wall begins to grow between us and the Lord. Every time we choose to complain, gripe, and grumble, we lay another brick in that wall. Since complaining is a heart-issue… it develops into other sins. Complaining leads to rebellion, passing judgment on others, greed, jealousy, and disbelief. What we do not realize is a complaining spirit has roots which grow quickly into the fabric of our hearts. This wicked spirit eventually takes over and permeates our life. God knows the only way to correct the issue is by discipline and chastisement.

God Takes Action…The People Became Sick

 

18 Say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, “Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For we were well-off in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat and you shall eat. 19 You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, 20 but a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you; because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’” Numbers 11:18-20

 

How did God know the people would get sick eating meat? It wasn’t tainted. It was good meat. The Lord knew they would treat the quail like they treated the manna. They would run, snatch, and grab. Each quickly grabbed up 10 homers…that is 10 donkey loads. As one commentator noted, a homer is an “ass load.” What a description. They spread their loot around camp and commenced eating.

Have you ever fasted for any length of time? I have. It is always a delicate issue coming off a lengthy fast. My stomach always needs a transition period. If I stuff my belly full after fasting… I will be one sick puppy on the backside. God knew his children would sicken themselves. God didn’t have to do anything… He simply didn’t warn them about the dangers of eating too much… too fast. They had a steady diet of manna for a while. He knew they would gormandize themselves with the new-found meat. They did! Moses and the nation buried these folks where they died. Listen to the description….

 

33 While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very severe plague. 34 So the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had been greedy. Numbers 11:33-34

 
For the record, not everyone was struck with this plague. Only the greedy were touched by it. They named this burial site, “the graves of lust” or “graves of those which lusted.” How would you like this epitaph on your marker? As noted before, complaining doesn’t evaporate into thin air. Complaining leads to “bigger and badder” sins. It causes a defection of the heart. God knows it must be dealt with immediately or our sin will eventually affect our family, church, friends, and world.

The good news is you can do something about a complaining spirit right now. You can confess your sin and ask God to help you check your mouth and heart. He will. The Holy Spirit will remind you early and often when that ugly spirit begins to rise up with in you. Take action do today… while it still is today.

 

Blessings,

 

Pastor