Just Because You Can, Doesn’t Mean You Should

24 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by in Abraham: Life of Faith, The Strange & Unusual Voice of God

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I watched American Idol last week and was sad when Colton Dixon was voted off.  Being from Nashville, knowing he was both a believer and a Preds fan, I was pulling for him.

While watching, the Lord reminded me of a spiritual principle all believers must eventually realize and assimilate into their lives. It goes something like this… Just because we are given the freedom to do a certain activity doesn’t mean we should participate in that same activity.  Let me give you some examples.

  • Just because you can go on that date, doesn’t mean you should go on that date.
  • Just because you can attend that party, doesn’t mean you should go to that party.
  • Just because you can attend that college or graduate school, doesn’t mean you should attend.
  • Just because you can attend that church, doesn’t mean you should join there.
  • Just because you can listen to that particular music, doesn’t mean you should.
  • Just because you can go to that movie, doesn’t mean you should go.

The list is endless….

In Colton’s case…Just because he could sing Lady Gaga, didn’t mean he should sing Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance.  Some would say Colton veered from the formula that got him into the top seven.  This is true to a certain extent.  Following the Lord is more than following formulas.  It is about knowing the Lord’s voice and following His heart.  The Lord gives us the freedom to choose.  It is those choices which reveal how well we know Him and follow His heart.

Somewhere in every believer’s walk with the Lord, he or she crosses a line.  It is a line of demarkation.  They know from that point on …their life is no longer their own… they are the Lord’s.  The decision is made to only honor the Lord and bring glory to Him in everything they personally accomplish.  In other words, they have chosen to serve the Lord wholeheartedly.  It is not about bringing glory to themselves, but only the Lord.  By the way… the Lord doesn’t force anyone to make this decision or cross this line.  Everyone gets to freely choose to walk this road.

Back to Colton… I could see it in his eyes, even before the he was voted off…  He knew he didn’t honor the Lord the previous evening.  Other believers could have sung Lady Gaga and everything would have been fine… but not Mr. Dixon. The issue was not about Lady Gaga’s music, it was about the decision Colton made long before he went on American Idol.  There was an altar somewhere with Colton Dixon’s name on it.  At some point in the past, Colton knelt at an altar and became a “living sacrifice” to the Lord and that was the end of Colton Dixon’s flesh. He didn’t have surrender but he did. He didn’t have to offer himself up to the Lord, but he did. He freely gave himself to the purposes of the Lord. He knew from that point on, just because he could do certain activities, didn’t mean he should participate.

In the interest of full disclosure, I too have a long list of occasions when I failed to honor the Lord with the decisions I made.  I have had to learn the hard way, the best course of action is to quickly confess and repent.  There is no need to sit around and mourn a bad decision.  The Lord doesn’t require it.  The Lord requires we acknowledge our sins and move on in humility.  I believe that is what Colton did and so should all who have crossed the line and given their entire lives to the Lord.  The altars we build and sacrifice upon determine our destiny and future. They continually speak to us throughout our life.  What do the altars you have built reveal about you?  Sometimes like Abraham, we have to go back home to worship and sacrifice on those old altars again.

 

Blessings,

Pastor  

 

Allowing Someone to Talk Us Into Known Sin

23 Monday Apr 2012

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We Miss God’s Plan for Our Life When…

We Allow Someone to Talk Us Into Known Sin

 

Abram agreed to what Sarai said. (Genesis 16:2)

 

Did your mother or father ever say to you, “If Joe jumps off a bridge, are you going to jump off the bridge too?  You will follow anyone. You need to learn to stand on your own.”  This was their way of saying, “You are easily manipulated.”

Go visit any county jail or prison.  There you will find a high percentage of inmates who allowed someone else to talk them into doing something they knew was wrong. If we allow people to talk us into things in a physical sense, we can fall victim to allowing others to cause us to compromise our spiritual principles as well.

How many times have your friends or your spouse talked you into doing something which caused you to compromise your spiritual principles? They offered up suggestions like, “You can go to church next Sunday. You can pray later. You can read your Bible when you get home. You can tithe next time.”

If you really want to stay in the center of God’s will, you must listen to only One Voice, the voice of your Lord. Abraham had already received a word from the Lord.  He was told he would have a son and that son would eventually become a great nation.  Sarah had a bright idea. This scheme allowed Abraham to sleep with another woman and forgo God’s waiting period. It didn’t appear Sarah had twisted her hubby’s arm. So, in a seemly insignificant moment, he agreed.  Such moments define our character and destiny.

Here is a short list of problems caused by Abraham following Sarah into sin.

Unwanted Pregnancy – “She conceived” (Genesis 16:4) Almost immediately after conception, this pregnancy was no longer desired.

Pride – “When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.” (Genesis 16:4) Hagar had achieved something Sarah could not accomplish. She used her pregnancy as a source of pride to torment Sarah.

Marriage Problems – “Then Sarai said to Abram, It’s all your fault! Now this servant of mine is pregnant, and she despises me, though I myself gave her the privilege of sleeping with you. The Lord will make you pay for doing this to me!” (Genesis 16:5-6) No marriage can experience moral shortcuts and not have problems!

Hypocrisy – “Then Sarai said to Abram, “It’s all your fault!”  A trademark of the hypocrite is to blame others for the sin the hypocrite committed.

Betrayal – “Your servant is in your hands,” Abram said. Do with her whatever you think best. Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.” (16:6). Hagar found out, as many other men and women have discovered over the ages, that those who encouraged the sinful shortcuts will not stand with you when problems come as a result of their immoral behavior.

Injustice – “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar;” (16:6).  Sounds as if Hagar is the only one to blame for this act.  Remember, these two women are both Abraham’s wives.  Yet Hagar was the only one considered guilty. Sarah was not condemned. She had encouraged the sin, yet she was given a free hand to do whatever she wanted to do to Hagar. Abraham took no blame either. He had gotten Hagar pregnant; but he assumed no responsibility. It was the ugly picture of injustice which is one of the products of a sin.

Cruelty – “Then Sarai mistreated Hagar” (16:6). Before the shortcut occurred in Abraham’s household, things flowed along fine. Sarah treated Hagar kindly, but an immoral shortcut changed how people were treated.

Unemployment –  “So she (Hagar) fled from her.” (16:6). Hagar was working for Sarah, but their shortcut to success resulted in Hagar being put out in the wilderness without a job. Security quickly turned into insecurity.

Sorrow – Ultimately, the sinful shortcut that originally was intended to bring success.  Tragically, it brought only sorrow. Sarah was upset. Hagar was upset. Abraham was upset. Most importantly, God was not pleased.

It seemed such a small insignificant decision, when Abraham agreed with Sarah to sleep with Hagar.  Yet the devastating outcomes were apparent.  The bigger problem was that God was left out of the picture and could do nothing to prevent the outcome or its effects.

 

Blessings,

Pastor

 

 

What Happens When We Abandon God’s Timing…

22 Sunday Apr 2012

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We Miss God’s Plan for Our Life When…

We Abandon God’s Timing and Settle for Self Timing

 

So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. (Genesis 16:3)

 

It is a mistake to forsake Godly foresight, especially when it is surely given.  One mistake often births a second and then a third.  I don’t know about you, but I barely recover from one detour, never mind a second or third detour.  The scriptures reveal that Ishmael was born because Abraham and Sarah couldn’t wait any longer. Because they couldn’t wait for God, they also failed to detect the potential disaster their mistakes would create for millennia to come.

Now maybe you still don’t think that looking ahead is important and disobeying God is no big deal. Maybe you think that your mistakes are “your mistakes” and they do not affect anyone else.  As believers, it is imperative we look ahead and seek Godly foresight.

Our sins, errors, or mistakes have lasting consequences.  In the case of our passage today, Abraham and Sarah missed the fact that their “Ishmael” would create dissention.  First, Hagar and Sarah began to argue and disagree due to jealousy and envy.  Eventually, God’s promised child was born.  Now this same dissention carried over to the next generation.  As you know, the conflicts between the seed of Abraham (Isaac and Ishmael) continue to this day.  Does all this seem like a good idea? What seemed like a good idea soon became a colossal disaster.  Now it might have seemed like a good idea for Abraham to have a son by Hagar, after all Sarah was too old, but they failed to look ahead.

Have you ever received a speeding ticket?  Did you conclude, “I shouldn’t have received that ticket.  I wasn’t speeding.”  But I ask – Are there consequences to speeding?  You may think not if you conclude… “There are no consequences if I don’t get caught.”

Yet the ones who do not get caught are the same ones who wreck and cause others to wreck or kill themselves.  Speeding has consequences.  One teenager in Philadelphia has received 440 tickets! He faces possible fines of up to $88,000, 6 years in prison, and a lifetime ban on driving.

One of our prayers should be –  “Lord, catch me now.  Give me a ticket now before I make a big mistake.  Help me to look ahead with Godly foresight. Help me to slow down and go in Your speed and time.”

SPEEDING – Is thinking your “time” is more important than the law.

SPIRITUAL SPEEDING – Is thinking God is moving too slow, therefore I need to speed things up.

If God were passing out spiritual speeding tickets today or if Gabriel were to pull you over, would he give you a spiritual speeding ticket for getting out of God’s timing?  It is far better for the Lord to “ticket” you before you get out of His timing and bring lasting consequences upon you and your family.

  • Sometimes we must wait so God can prepare us for what lies ahead.
  • Sometimes God makes us wait so that He can work on some weaknesses we have.
  • Sometimes God makes us wait to strengthen our faith.
  • Sometimes God makes us wait to benefit those who are watching our life.
  • Sometimes God makes us wait in order to give us His very best, not just what is adequate for the moment.
  • Sometimes God makes us wait for reasons only He knows.

Whatever the case, the better choice is to wait upon the Lord.

 

Blessings,

Pastor

Where I Am Weak, He Is Strong!

20 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by in The Strange & Unusual Voice of God

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I guess like most pastors I have had my number of anonymous letters, phone calls, and notes slipped silently under my door.  People usually do this to tell me something, but do not want to be the source.  It is usually news I don’t want to hear.  Occasionally though, people feel the need to get up close and personal.

One day a man dropped by my house that I had never met or seen before.  He communicated that he had some distressing news which I needed to know as pastor.  I braced myself for the impact because he intimated that what was causing the distress in his life was my fault.  I invited him in and we sat down.  He informed me that a deacon in my church had stolen the affections of his wife and now she was going to divorce him.  He had elaborate details of the affair because he had been following them for weeks.  I was shocked and could hardly get my head around the validity of the accusations.  This was a fairly young man with a young wife.  The deacon he was referring to was retired, had been in this church for over forty years, and was currently leading the music.  In other words, the pairing didn’t seem probable or possible.

The bottom-line for him approaching me was that he wanted me to put a stop to their activity and somehow get his wife’s affections aimed back towards him.  It was my fault because I was the pastor and was allowing this type of behavior to happen in my church.  Again, I was floored to hear this type of news.  I consoled him as best as I could and told him I would look into the situation.  I also felt the need to defend the Lord’s reputation and His church.

This man was not a believer and he told me so.  I treaded lightly because I didn’t want to impair or tarnish what the Lord might be doing in his life.  I promised to do all I could to repair whatever damage he felt this deacon and the church had done against him. We agreed to meet at a later date.  I knew then I had my hands full.

I didn’t know then, but I soon discovered later that this situation was more about me than it was about this alleged affair.  God was doing a work in me.  Back in those days I hated confrontation and avoided it at all costs.  I always wanted just to “get long” with everybody and wanted everybody to like me in return.  This situation created what the Lord termed a “horseshoe canyon.”  There was only one way in and one way out.  I now had to confront this situation because this man was pressing the issue.  I needed to confront the issue because it was sin!  At the time, I wasn’t appreciative of what the Lord was purposing to accomplish in my life.  I signed up to be a pastor, not a prophet.  The Lord saw things differently.  He knew avoiding confrontation was my weakness and this “horseshoe canyon” was His solution.

 

 

At our next service I ask the deacon about this situation.  He strongly denied anything inappropriate and stated he was simply doing some marital counseling.  I told him about the man’s allegations.  The deacon replied the man had mental problems.  I was hoping this might be the end of the situation.

The Lord had everything lined up.  Just when I thought I might be able to write-off my visitor  as crazy or overreaching, someone else from church popped by to tell me they had seen the deacon out with this lady.  They had details which I will not go into here.  I knew I was headed for the confrontation I didn’t want.  The person also informed me that others in church had seen this situation but were not willing to say anything about it.  For someone who didn’t like confrontation, I was getting upset.  I was becoming deeply troubled with this deacon.  I was getting disappointed at my voice-less church members.  I was also getting frustrated with the Lord for making me deal with this mess.

Have you ever been in a situation similar to this?  You knew everything was orchestrated by the Lord, but you didn’t want to walk through it.  I guess if handling confrontation was one of my strengths, I wouldn’t have trusted the Lord and simply marched on through in my own resources.   Little did I know the Lord was also going to make me stand alone or it would cost me my job as pastor.

At this point in the situation the Lord was beginning to shore me up for a showdown.  I didn’t want one, but no one was recanting their story or repenting.  The church business meeting was coming up and I knew I was going to have to say something about this situation.  The deacons met before each business meeting and I felt led to confront the situation during the deacon’s meeting.

You might be thinking why my job as pastor would be in jeopardy when I hadn’t done anything wrong?  At the time, I was wondering the same thing.  During the deacon’s meeting I brought up the issue.  Of course he denied all the allegations.  It was just one person’s word against the other.  Since I was the only one interested in pursuing justice, the whole issue just sat there like an unwelcomed visitor in the room.  The deacon was threatening to leave.  He stated he was being treated unfairly after all his years of service.  We finally dismissed and headed for the business meeting with nothing accomplished.

Before the business meeting began I discovered a coup might be in process.  Another deacon, who knew the allegations were true, walked by me and said, “Are you looking for another job?  I don’t think you are going to be here very much longer, pastor.”  I knew what he meant and I was angry.  Remember, I hated confrontation but now I was looking for one.  I was angry because these deacons were too spineless to confront the situation with me and were content just keeping silent.  I felt about them the way the Lord felt about me prior to all this.  This attitude of just getting along to get along doesn’t always work.   I began to pray for the Lord to work a miracle and make something happen from nothing.

 

 

The business meeting went on as usual until the end.  The deacon asked for permission to speak.  I was moderating the meeting so I yielded the floor to him.  He began by saying he was going to resign because some allegations were being made against him and his character.  What he really wanted was for the church to rally behind him and leave me in the dark as the lone conspirator.  After he spoke there was dead silence.  It was then that the Lord gave me an idea.  I stood up and asked for a motion to receive his resignation.  It was accepted and the church promptly approved his resignation.  It happened in less than a minute.  It was over and he was gone.

I relate this story for a reason.  The Lord is always challenging us and changing us into the image of Jesus, His Son.  This process is usually an ugly process because it involves fire.  The things in our lives that need to be exercised have to be burned away so that the Lord’s real work might be completed.  It is never a comfortable process.  It is usually painful because the Lord moves in our weakest area.  We tend to hide our weaknesses, hoping the Lord doesn’t touch those tender areas.  The Lord knows how to arrange circumstances so that these areas might be exposed and dealt with on a continuous basis.  When we fight the Lord, His process for refining us only becomes more difficult.  If you love the Lord and desire to be conformed into the image of Jesus, He will create these horseshoe canyons so that your weakness might become His strength.  How you react to these dead-ends will determine how deep the Lord’s refinement process will go.  When we allow Him to have His way, He can do so many good things on the other side of our refinement process.

The whole process was a struggle for everyone.  It always helps to know the Lord’s way is the correct way.  Afterward, the deacon and the young woman got together.  He didn’t get to relish in this new relationship because he soon went blind.  I was, however, able to minister to the young man who came to my house.  I lead him to the Lord and counseled him through the process of his wife leaving him.  Had I not stood up for what was right, I would have had no rapport with him.  God is good.

 

Blessings,

Pastor

God Doesn’t Need Our Help to Get Things Accomplished

19 Thursday Apr 2012

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Now Sarai, Abram’s wife had borne him no children, and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Now behold, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.  Genesis 16:1-2

 

Notice who Sarah blamed for her inability to have children. She blamed God.  Now the Lord had told these two on numerous occasions they were going to have a child of promise. Since the Lord’s word had yet to come to pass… it was totally God’s fault. In Sarah’s mind God was working behind the scenes preventing her from having children.  The truth was God was working on the character of Abraham and Sarah so that they might value and cherish the child He provided. It is one thing to receive a promise from God.  It is another thing to keep or maintain a promise from God once it is provided.

Sarah wrongly concluded that she needed to help God. Her thought processes probably flowed along these lines… “God has had ten years to give us a child.  God needs a hand to get it done.  Maybe God has been waiting on me!  Hagar is fit and can bear children.  I will give her to Abraham and maybe the Lord will bless this alternate plan. Others have produced heirs in this fashion, maybe it will work for us.”

The problem was Abraham believed the voice of Sarah over the words God had already spoken to Him. He traded “God’s Idea” for a “good idea“.

Many believers have fallen prey to this type of thinking.  Sarah wasn’t the first and our generation will not be the last.  I have heard some say, “If I don’t give my money this church, it will not make it.” Even pastors have wrongly concluded, “This church would be nothing without me.”

The truth is God does not need our money, our presence, or our help to continue His work. If the Lord’s work is dependent upon us, then it is probably not the Lord’s work.  He simply invites us to join Him and work alongside in faith where He is already moving.  If His will is dependent upon us moving in the flesh to accomplish His tasks, then we are the ones who will get the glory.  When we truly follow the Lord’s plan and will, He receives all the glory.

Who are you working for today?

 

Blessings,

Pastor

 

Underestimating God’s Power To Do the Supernatural

18 Wednesday Apr 2012

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We miss God’s plan for our life when… We Underestimate God’s Power to do the Supernatural.

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar. Genesis 16:1

 

Let me first say that God’s will is never dependent on what we do or do not have at our disposal.  A lot of times, we look at the facts around us and we say, “There is no way God  can do something in this situation. This situation is even too much for God to turn around into good.”  Even though we may not say it aloud… we believe it in our hearts.

Sarah knew that her womb was barren and past child-bearing age. Making matters worse, Abraham was ten years her senior. It had been ten plus years since God had promised them a child.  Evidently, she got to the place where she didn’t believe God could do something supernatural.  She possibly thought, “Well God could have moved if I had just been younger and healthier.”

When Abraham thought that his problem was bigger than God could handle, he decided that it was a good idea to try and help God out. Later in Abraham’s life, God reminded him of this very issue.

 

Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son.” Genesis 18:14 (NIV)

 

Is anything too hard or difficult for God?  Of course not.  But how we behave towards God in the middle of our tribulations reveals exactly how much we believe God.

Everyday, it is our behavior which reveals the truth of our beliefs, not our lips. God desires us to possess real integrity towards Him.  It is easy to keep and employ God as the option of last resort. So often it’s only when we come to the end of ourselves that we begin to seek God.  If God doesn’t start opening the doors of opportunity quickly, an internal alarm is triggered and panic arises.  Many begin kicking all available doors to see if God is behind any of them.  We think of God’s delay as being His weakness.  Unfortunately, like the afore-mentioned, we remain clueless to the timing of God.

Sarah and Abraham became frustrated while waiting, so they wrongly concluded, “if God isn’t going to move then we might as well go to plan B, Ishmael.”  Hasn’t  frustration with the apparent “non-activity” of heaven stopped more movements of God in your life than anything else?

You may not be familiar with his name, but a great New England preacher, Phillips Brooks of yesteryear, was noted for his poise and quiet manner. At times, however, he suffered moments of frustration and irritability like most of us. One day a friend saw him pacing the floor like a caged lion. “What’s the trouble, Dr. Brooks?” asked the friend. “The trouble is that I am in a hurry,” said Brooks, “but God isn’t.”  Can you agree?  Haven’t we often felt the same? Brooks was also quoted as saying “The hardest task in my life is to sit down and wait for God to catch up with me.”

Yet patience is part of God’s strategy for maturing us. It’s a lost skill we all need to cultivate.   Frustration is easy.  It allows pride to grow and ultimately reject God’s will and timing. If you are waiting for God to act and wondering what’s taking Him so long, don’t make the mistake Abraham made and rush ahead of God and produce an Ishmael.

 

 

God continually reminds us to stick with the plan and continue to believe. If we don’t believe God can do the supernatural, we will miss His best plan for our life. God doesn’t need our help, especially help gained from Egypt. God wants to do far more than simply answer our prayers.  His will is to answer our prayers and 100 other prayers we didn’t even mention or think about because He loves us.  God may not be early… but He is never late!

 

Blessings,

Pastor

I Wish I Had Waited On God!

17 Tuesday Apr 2012

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Have you noticed a reoccurring pattern in Abraham and Sarah’s life?   Every time they gain spiritual ground or receive a revelation, testing or trials immediately follow to evaluate God’s word.

How many of us have had to learn the hard way…there are no shortcuts in obtaining God’s blessings.  Shortcuts are any paths that miss God’s perfect will for our lives.  Simply put, a shortcut is an alternative route that is shorter or quicker than the one prescribed by the Lord.  We usually find at a later date that we also didn’t exactly arrive at the Lord’s destination.

Just because everyone else says, “it is ok” to choose the alternative route, doesn’t necessarily mean it is God’s will.  Everyone approved of Abraham and Sarah’s “shortcut” to obtaining the Promise of God.

 

“Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said.”  Genesis 16:2

 

Society Approved. This arrangement was common and encouraged among the people of Abraham and Sarah’s day. If Abraham was given Hagar as a wife and had a child by her, society would not criticize, despise, or reject the results. Instead, they would have applauded. What society of their time did frown upon was not having an heir.

Sarah Approved. Sarah plainly accepted the norms of society. This shortcut must have her unqualified seal of approval, or neither party would hardly consider such a plan. With Sarah making the proposition of the shortcut to God’s perfect will, it was clear she approved of the plan.

God Rejected. Abraham approved, Sarah approved, and society approved, what more could anyone ask? They all could have and should have asked for God’s approval!

There is one thing worse than waiting on God, IT IS WISHING YOU HAD WAITED ON GOD.

In the next few blogs I will spend some time on how Abraham and Sarah missed God’s will.  They didn’t ultimately miss God’s will entirely.  They simply took a side road or shortcut God never intended them to travel.  Like most of us know, these are easy roads to travel.  Follow the blog and see if you agree.

 

Blessings,

Pastor

 

Enlightened Perspective (Andy Rooney)

14 Saturday Apr 2012

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I’ve learned … That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.

I’ve learned … That when you’re in love, it shows.

I’ve learned … That just one person saying to me, “You’ve made my day!” makes my day.

I’ve learned … That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.

I’ve learned … That being kind is more important than being right.

I’ve learned … That you should never say no to a gift from a child.

I’ve learned … That I can always pray for someone when I don’t have the strength to help him in some other way.

I’ve learned … That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I’ve learned … That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.

I’ve learned … That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.

I’ve learned … That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I’ve learned … That we should be glad God doesn’t give us everything we ask for.

I’ve learned … That money doesn’t buy class.

I’ve learned … That it’s those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I’ve learned … That under everyone’s hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

I’ve learned … That the Lord didn’t do it all in one day. What makes me think I can?

I’ve learned … That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I’ve learned … That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I’ve learned … That love, not time, heals all wounds.

I’ve learned … That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I’ve learned … That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I’ve learned … That there’s nothing sweeter than sleeping with your babies and feeling their breath on your cheeks.

I’ve learned … That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I’ve learned … That life is tough, but I’m tougher.

I’ve learned … That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.

I’ve learned … That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I’ve learned … That I wish I could have told my Dad that I love him one more time before he passed away.

I’ve learned … That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I’ve learned … That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I’ve learned … That I can’t choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it.

I’ve learned … That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you’re hooked for life.

I’ve learned … That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.

I’ve learned … That it is best to give advice in only two circumstances; when it is requested and when it is a life-threatening situation.

I’ve learned … That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

by Andy Rooney

Blessings,

Pastor

The Lion, the Witch, the Warlock and Me

13 Friday Apr 2012

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A mother called me one day and wanted to bring her daughter by for some counseling.  Everything seemed kosher because I had counseled this mother previously about some other issues, non-related to her children.  We made an appointment for the next day.  I was just hoping mom wouldn’t stay in the session the entire time so the daughter would open up and talk.

Little did I know this was actually an “ice cream” appointment.   Back when I worked at a psychiatric hospital, I had to handle “ice cream” admissions every now and then.  This happened when the parent told the child they were going out for some fun activity, like getting some ice cream, only to end up at the psych unit to be admitted.  For the record, young adolescents hate these types of deceptive arrangements.  This 15 year old was no different.  She was angry and arguing with her mother and I was frustrated because the mother didn’t inform me she was bringing her daughter for counseling under duress.  In a matter of moments I became the most hated man in the world.  The rapport I was hoping to build immediately vanished.

As they settled in for counseling, the mother began to relate her worries and concerns for her daughter.  The young girl kept telling us there was no need to worry because her issues were not real problems and the mother needed to stay out of her business.  The mother’s main concerns were boys, booze, drugs, and running away.  It may sound like a country song, but these are common concerns of parents, especially when there is a rebellious attitude or lifestyle manifesting.

Susan (not her name) was a beautiful girl and appeared far older than her age.  It was also apparent she had something “on” her as well, a dark foreboding spirit.  When I finally got her away from her mother, that spirit was less volatile.  I wondered where and how she had gotten this darkness on her.  As she gave me her recent history of activities, I could tell she was withholding certain information by the way she steered away from certain questions.  As I pressed, she became more honest and began to confess that some of her actions were neither Christ-like nor beneficial for her well-being.  She ultimately admitted she was a witch.  It caught me off guard.  I knew she was a carrying a dark presence, but I didn’t really buy in to her practicing the craft.  She admitted she hadn’t really practiced being a witch, she was choosing to be a witch because she was in a relationship with a warlock.  This warlock wanted her to be a witch and that is what she now wanted.  (I later met with this 21 year old man and he was a practicing warlock.)    I had counseled women who had practiced or dabbled in witchcraft, but I had never met or counseled a true practicing warlock.

I sensed the Lord revealing to me that the warlock was the spiritual open door for this evil spirit to get into Susan’s life.  I spent several minutes explaining what this relationship was doing to her and the impact her boyfriend and his spirit was having on her spiritual life.  She didn’t disagree with me and even agreed that the dark spirit now on her was beginning to control her life.  I thought this initial breakthrough would lead to Susan’s freedom.

The Lord began to teach me a valuable principle during this counseling session and I have made it the first and primary step to anyone who truly desires to find freedom from dark forces.  You have to want to be free in order to gain freedom and ultimately stay free.  No other person can want or gain your freedom for you.  This was Susan’s real problem.  Since she was “in love with this warlock”, she simply wouldn’t choose freedom.  She didn’t want any more darkness in her life, so she was willing to agree with me to a point.  But the bottom-line… she didn’t want full freedom.   Susan, like many others, didn’t wake-up one day and say, “I am going to find me a warlock and fall in love with him.”  No, she dabbled in risky behavior and now she found it irresistible and unable to leave.

 

 

In Susan’s case, what scared her were the demonic manifestations she had begun to experience.  She began to experience demonic nightmares, dark spirits were beginning to appear to her, and she was beginning to have urges and desires she had never had before this relationship.  I have always found it amazing what people will live with in their lives before making a course change.  It is a truism… you cannot help those who refuse to first help themselves.

In a side note, when the boyfriend attended a session with Susan, my wife met him.  Now I didn’t see a spirit on this young man, but my wife did.  She said it looked like the “grim-reaper.”  I thought this to be somewhat odd, since neither of us had seen the grim-reaper… thankfully!  She described what she saw, so I told her to tell young Susan.  She was shocked because her warlock boyfriend referred to himself as the grim-reaper.  Now, we all knew why.  He would dress up as the grim-reaper, talked and acted like this was his personality.  All this still didn’t sway Susan.

Unfortunately, Susan left our counseling sessions unchanged.  She was more than educated about her circumstances and knew the dilemma she faced.  Later she did choose to leave the relationship with the warlock.  She didn’t leave him for freedom, as I had suggested.  In the end, she left him because she simply didn’t want to be one of ten others girls in this man’s coven he was creating.  This guy had more than witchcraft on his mind and Susan eventually realized it and left it all before she was in complete bondage.

The Lord doesn’t want any of us to be ignorant about the schemes of evil.  Unfortunately, evil seeks to entrap us much earlier in life than we can imagine.  Young teenage girls shouldn’t have to worry about being seduced by warlocks with demonic presences on them.  The truth is all believers should wear their spiritual armor and be teaching their children to do the same.  How about you… are you protected?

 

Blessings,

Pastor

Lot, A Believer Who Never Grew Up

12 Thursday Apr 2012

Posted by in Abraham: Life of Faith

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 1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, 3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?  1 Corinthians 3:1-3

 

This verse explains exactly why Lot was in such awful spiritual shape. He never grew in his faith or out of Abraham’s shadow. He only grew to a certain stage because he never pursued God outside Abraham’s faith.  The end result was that Lot was spiritually dwarfed. Lot’s heart continued to pursue things of the world rather than spiritual things.

Lot had a righteous soul but was living in sin and was miserable because of it. He was trying to have the best of two worlds. That prevented him from being able to enjoy either one. He felt all twisted inside and had a continual knot in his stomach that just would not go away, no matter how he tried to get rid of it.

Did you know that Christians can be more miserable that nonbelievers?  You would think that even in their worst state, a Christian would still score less on the misery index.  Why?  It is absolutely impossible to live in two worlds.

I grew up under TVA power lines and heard them constantly buzz from the flow of electricity. I used to wonder why birds never got electrocuted standing on those hot wires all day.  I came up with all sorts of reasons why the birds did not die.  I began to believe if I climbed the tower and grabbed the wire, I too would not be shocked.  How faulty was this thinking?

Before I ever had the opportunity to try out his little experiment, someone told me the truth.  The reason that the birds were not hurt was because they were touching nothing but the cable.  I, on the other hand, could not reach the cable without being connected to something else that was touching the ground. The reason the electricity would kill me is because I would have tried to grab hold of something high in the sky without letting go of his world below.

Lot fought those same temptations. He wanted the high-powered cable in the sky, but he also wanted the life on the ground. Since he could not let go, he was suffering greatly.

What causes a person to continue living in the midst of a situation that is tormenting their very soul?  They have no true peace or joy.  They can’t fully enjoy sin in reality. Did the king of Sodom chain Lot to the city gate?  Was Lot made to live in Sodom or was he free to leave at any time?  Even though Lot was free to leave, he was bound.

A rancher once described how cows wander off and get lost.  “The cow starts nibbling on a tuft of green grass, and when it finishes, it looks ahead to the next tuft of green grass and starts nibbling on that one, and then it nibbles on the tuft of grass right next to the hole in the fence. It then sees another tuft of green grass on the other side of the fence, so it nibbles on that one and then goes on to the next tuft. The next thing you know the cow has nibbled itself into being lost.”

I have never talked to one believer who thought or said, “Today I am going to start wandering away from God and in a few weeks or months I will be so far away I will be unable to connect with Him.”  No, most gradually nibble their way right out of the green pastures God has provided. The means may differ, but the result is the same.

This is a real life story to illustrate how quickly things can get mixed up when we go the wrong way.   A woman attended a large funeral at a church one afternoon.  Since she had appointments to make later in the day, she decided not to join the procession to the cemetery, but to just go her separate way after the funeral. After the service she drove out of the parking lot as planned. However, as she reached the street, the officer directing traffic slapped a sticker on her car and instructed her to put on her headlights. Then he signaled her to fall into line with the other cars going to the cemetery. She rolled down her window to explain that she wanted to go in the opposite direction, but he had already moved on to the car behind her. It was too late. She was stuck.

Feeling awkward, she had no choice but to follow the long line of cars winding its way to the cemetery. Along the route, she noticed the entrance to a supermarket parking lot. She suddenly had a clever idea, she thought, then she acted upon it. With resolve, she turned into the driveway to pull herself out of the string of cars. At last, she assumed, she was free and could proceed to her appointments. But to her horror, the entire procession behind her followed her into the supermarket parking lot! It took half an hour and two policemen to straighten out the confusion. Furthermore, she missed all of her appointments because of the delay.

Sometimes, for seemingly innocent reasons, we allow ourselves to be forced into following the crowd. When that happens, we must force ourselves to break away from the wrong direction we are going, and proceed on to our God-appointed direction.  Even though we are believers, unless you and I take appropriate action we all will be drawn into the world’s gravitational pull. The world wants us to go with its flow, which can often seem so reasonable and logical to the natural mind, but we must only flow with the Holy Spirit if we are to live a victorious, fruitful life.

 

Blessings,

Pastor