A Sharing Marriage
12 Saturday Nov 2011
Posted in Humor/Reaping and Sowing
Dear Tech Support … (Humor)
11 Friday Nov 2011
Posted in Humor/Reaping and Sowing
I ran across this funny story again and thought I would pass it along this weekend. Maybe some of you ladies can relate.
Blessings,
Pastor
Dear Tech Support,
Help!!!
Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slow down in overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.
In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as: Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable programs such as:
– NBA 5.0
– NFL 3.0
– Golf Clubs 4.1
Also, Conversation 8.0 no longer runs and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system. Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail.
What can I do?
Signed,
Desperate.
Dear Desperate,
First, keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while Husband 1.0 is an Operating System.
Please enter command: ithoughtyoulovedme.html and try to download Tears 6.2 and do not forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update.
If that application works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5. However, remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5.
Whatever you do, DO NOT under any circumstances install Mother-In-Law 1.0 (it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources.)
In addition, please do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0 and associated programs as they are unsupported and will crash Husband 1.0.
In summary, Husband 1.0 is a operation system, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance. We recommend Cooking 3.0 and Lovey Dovey 2.2.
Good Luck!
Tech Support
Share this:
Ten Ways Not To Hear From God
10 Thursday Nov 2011
Posted in Receiving Revelation
Tags
admitting needs, ask God questions, Christian exhaustion, comfort zone, ignore the Holy Spirit, margins in life, Psalm 46:10, unconfessed sin
1. Take no time for margins in your life.
Fill your life with so much activity that there is no room to “Be still, cease striving, and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10). When we live in the tyranny of the urgent, we can be so busy that two-way conversation with God is not a priority.
2. Don’t admit that you have any needs.
Be so self-sufficient that you don’t need a prayer base. We all need personal intercessors. Yet, as I ask most Christian leaders if they have a prayer base as a necessity of their life and ministry, they reply blankly, “Uh… no.”
3. Respond to every need as if you are the only one who can fix it.
Jesus did not respond to every need. From our people-pleasing natures, it is not easy to see that every need is not our call. Our valid call is only from God, not from the pleading voices around us.
4. Don’t ask God any questions.
People have questions, and they will look for the answers somewhere: psychics, self-help books, friends, talk-radio shows, the internet, etc. Only God is the source of eternal Truth. He is available for our questions, toll-free, unlimited access.
5. Be exhausted!
Be so exahausted that your physical, mental, and emotional fatigue cries out to be satisfied louder than the still, small voice of God. To hear from God, we must take adequate time off to get much-needed rest and refreshment. Burned out, we are no good to ourselves or anybody else, much less to God.
6. Completely ignore the Person and work of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit speaks words of truth and comfort and enables us to grow in spiritual awareness. By slighting His work and failing to rely on Him, we short-change our ability to hear from God.
7. Insist that God must conform to your comfort zone.
Be so comfortable that if God did speak, it would upset your status quo. Self-satisfaction kills our hunger to hear from God. So does lack of vision that there’s more beyond where we are. When we are busy perpetuating a personal agenda, we will not hear the voice of God, especially if it means change.
8. Be religious.
“Religion” is characterized by tunnel vision that thinks it has all the answers. Religion does not deepen us in the grace of God. Look at the Pharisees. They were preoccupied with keeping every jot and tittle of the law. Jesus called them whited sepulchres, full of dead men’s bones. They kept a form of godliness and missed God walking among them. God calls us to cultivate a living relationship in intimacy with Him at all costs.
9. Be ignorant of the warfare.
We must not see only the surface of things. We are not fighting flesh and blood but unseen spiritual battles (Eph 6:12-13). Paul instructed us not to wage war on the horizontal level as the world does. The informed and armed soldier overcomes everything that sets itself up against the righteousness, peace, and joy of the kingdom of God (2 Cor 10:3-5, Rom 14:17).
10. Tolerate unconfessed sin in your life.
The psalmist said, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (Ps 66:18). Our sin and flesh must not be allowed to dominate so loudly that they drown out God. We must draw near God with a clean conscience (Heb 10:22).
The best way to hear from God is to follow the example of Jesus, who often slipped away from the crowds to spend time with the quiet loving voice of his Father. Take some to correct the issues preventing you from hearing God and purpose to get alone with Him each day.
Blessings,
Pastor
For more reasons why we don’t hear God, see Prayer Essentials For Living In His Presence, Vol 2, page 55-58. © Sylvia Gunter 2000. Available at www.thefathersbusiness.com
Share this:
Faith In God’s Future!
09 Wednesday Nov 2011
Posted in Our Spiritual Process
Tags
deathbed requests, faith, faith in the future, God's promises, God's will, Joseph, our will, the bones of Joseph
Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.” 25 Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones up from here.” Genesis 50:24-25
I know you have heard of “death-bed confessions.” Some people also make “death-bed requests” of their family and friends as well. Maybe you have had to carry out one or two of these requests. Some have made requests like, “Don’t allow this or that to happen at my funeral. I want to be buried at so-in-so place.” Usually people make these requests when they are short on time or in need of help beyond their capabilities.
Here we have in the Bible Joseph making a deathbed request to have his bones carried out of Egypt to the land of Israel. It would take a whopping 400 years to complete. You have to have people who love you to carry out a 400 year old promise.
The question arises as to why Joseph was not content to be buried in Egypt? Why was he so insistent on going with the Israelites when they eventually did leave Egypt? I think I know the answer.
Joseph was interested in being a part of what God was doing on the earth, whether he was dead or alive.
Can you say with integrity that you want to be a part of what God is doing today, whether or not you live to see all of it fulfilled in your lifetime? Joseph knew that God would keep his promises and wanted to go where He was taking his children in the future. He not only saw his life as helping to fulfill God’s will upon the earth, but wanted to be a part of those blessings forever.
Joseph was not interested in having some pyramid named after him or having Geraldo opening His tomb some 5000 years later.
Question – What are you interested in? Are you more interested in the rich and famous than the godly and pure? Are you trying to make a lot of money so you can retire early? What motivates you? Instead of building a pyramid for man’s honor, Joseph wanted to live in the house of faith.
Faith is not getting our will done in heaven, but getting God’s will done on the earth. The vision and mission of God and His plan and promises have been passed on to us. We have to come to a spiritual place in our lives where we do not simply read the promises in the third person but apply them in the first person of our lives.
I believe God is raising up a new generation of believers called to do just this. The only question is will you believe the Lord’s promises and answer His call? If you need encouragement…remember the bones of Joseph. They carried Joseph’s casket out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and throughout the wilderness wanderings. The Israelites carried this casket for more than forty years. There was more faith in the bones of Joseph than in the feet of the Israelites.
Don’t allow the bones of Joseph to have more faith in God’s promises than you. Ask the Lord to speak to you about what He wants to accomplish in your generation. I believe He is waiting to share with you His plans for the future.
Blessings,
Pastor
Share this:
Three Tests of Faith
08 Tuesday Nov 2011
Posted in Times of Testing
Tags
Abraham, Genesis 22:1-2, Isaac, trust God with His purposes, trust God with possessions, trust God with promises
1 Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” Genesis 22:1-2
There are three tests found in the life of Abraham in this passage. These tests are common to our lives as well. Satan tempts to bring out the bad, but God tests to bring out the good. Although I would rather be exempt from tests, a faith that cannot be tested is a faith that cannot be trusted.
The story is told about a man on the operating table who was very uncomfortable about his imminent surgery. Although anesthesia was to be applied, the doctor said, “It seems you are very uncomfortable about this surgery.” “Yes,” the man replied,” it is my first surgery.” “I understand,” the doctor said, “this is my first surgery too.”
How many of us would rather go to a surgeon who has been tested?
The first test answers the question – Can You Trust God with the Possessions He Has Already Given You?
Abraham was a hundred years old when Isaac was born. Sometimes we say we are willing to give up everything for the Lord, but are we willing to give it up to the Lord? There’s a big difference between giving up something for the Lord and giving it to the Lord.
God had given Abraham a priceless possession and then asked for it back. It was the test of Abraham’s faith because he loved both Isaac and God. It is not enough to give God a place, prominence, or priority in our lives. God wants to have preeminence. Is there anyone, anything, or any blessing that we love more than God? Is it possible that Abraham was beginning to love the blessing more than the Blesser or the gift more than the Giver?
Somewhere along life’s journey, God will ask you to give some of your blessings back to Him. Can you trust Him with your possessions?
The second test answers the question – Can You Trust God with His Purposes for You?
Not only did God give Abraham a possession, He gave him a purpose. “With Isaac there is a purpose, and through him the nations will be blessed.” Understanding and doing the will of God requires three simple steps of finding, following, and finishing the will of God.
The opposite of obedience is disobedience. Faith is not simply obeying in spite of the evidence; it is obeying in spite of the consequences. It is obeying whether or not we understand the purpose.
Sometimes we offer sacrifices for which God is not asking. Real obedience is doing what your told to do…doing it when your told to do it… and doing it with the right heart attitude. A lot of people who plan to obey only procrastinate. As soon as we move into procrastination, however, we are automatically in disobedience.
The third test answers the question – Can You Trust God with the Promises He has Spoken to You?
God said to Abraham years earlier, “You are going to have a son. It’s going to happen.” Did it happen the next day or during the next ten years? No! In the course of time Isaac was born in fulfillment of God’s promise. For decades Abraham stood on those promises even when he and his wife became old. Wow! Have you ever struggled holding on to a promise of God for a week? Real faith stands the test of time.
Can you trust the promises of God even when the circumstances of life do not add up? On life’s journey, you may face many problems, sicknesses, and disappointments – but God will still keep His promises to you.
This devotional was created from original material by James O. Davis.
Blessings,
Pastor
Share this:
Adversity!
06 Sunday Nov 2011
Posted in Our Spiritual Process
Tags
calms the child, calms the storm, John 16:33, lead us into the storm, love is a choice, peace, trouble
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33,
Jesus didn’t say you might have trouble, or you will only have trouble when you’re out of God’s will – He said you WILL have trouble. Jesus is clear on the point that we will all go through trouble. If you are going through troubling times right now, I have good news for you. YOU ARE GOING THROUGH IT.
George Barna reports that over 70 million Americans today are struggling to find some meaning in life, and that over 50% of Americans struggle with some type of depression.
The peace that Jesus offers us comes only through a relationship with Him. The world can’t give us peace and it can’t take away the peace that Jesus gives. It’s a peace based on our relationship with him, not on our performance (how “good” of a Christian we are), not on our feelings, and not on our circumstances.
Sometimes though God will lead us into a storm. This is where our expectations of God and reality clash. It is here in the storm God creates the opportunity for greater growth. The strain of life is what builds our strength. The typical view of the Christian life is that it means being delivered from all adversity. It actually means being delivered in adversity.
For two years, scientists sequestered themselves in an artificial environment called Biosphere 2. Inside their self-sustaining community, the Biosherians created a number of mini-environments, including a desert, rain forest, even an ocean. Nearly every weather condition could be simulated except one, wind. Over time, the effects of their windless environment became apparent. A number of acacia trees bent over and even snapped. Without the stress of wind to strengthen the wood, the trunks grew weak and could not hold up their own weight.
We all need some adversity. Think of all the things God could have prevented – sin – pain – heartache – evil, and even the devil. He didn’t. He has given everyone a choice. God has given us a choice in the midst of all the hard times… and with all the temptations we face to love Him and serve Him. That’s what makes love – love it’s a choice.
Someone once said, “Sometimes He calms the storm. Sometimes He lets the storm rage on and calms the child.”
Choose this week, whatever your circumstance, to be the child of God who continues to abide in the peace of the Lord.
Blessings,
Pastor
Share this:
Inspirational Quotes on Love, Life and Happiness
05 Saturday Nov 2011
Tags
10 ways to love, 5 rules for happiness, Abraham Lincoln, big things, Christian quotes, drream, inspirational quotes, laugh, little things, something new
“May the Lord, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times and bless you as He has promised.” Deuteronomy 1:11
Pastor
Share this:
Eleven Great Bonhoeffer Quotes
04 Friday Nov 2011
Posted in Quotes
Tags
cheap grace, children, Christian quotes, christianity, costly grace, inspirational quotes, judging others, kindness, letters from prison, suffering, the cost of discipleship
“The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its children.”
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our church. We are fighting today for costly grace.”
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer.”
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“A God who let us prove His existence would be an idol”
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“Discipleship is not an offer that man makes to Christ.”
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
“Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.”
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
“When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
“Music… will help dissolve your perplexities and purify your character and sensibilities, and in time of care and sorrow, will keep a fountain of joy alive in you.”
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“Jesus himself did not try to convert the two thieves on the cross; he waited until one of them turned to him.”
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison
“There is meaning in every journey that is unknown to the traveler.”
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession…. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
Have a blessed weekend,
Pastor
Share this:
Rediscovering God’s Kingdom
02 Wednesday Nov 2011
Posted in Kingdom of God
Americans don’t really understand “kingdom life” because we live under a democracy. Now we can get enamored watching a royal wedding or a coronation service. Simply put, we don’t have an understanding of what it means to live in a kingdom because we lack a practical frame of reference.
Many of you who read this blog and receive its emails live in a kingdom. You may pay homage to a king or queen and understand more practically the benefits of living in a monarchy. I know that some kingdoms are not so admirable.
The message of the Bible is primarily about a Kingdom. Our Father, the Creator chose the concept of a Kingdom to communicate His purpose, will, and plan for mankind. I don’t believe you can really understand the Bible without understanding this truth. When we fail to see the activity of God as “Kingdom Activity”, we have a tendency to interpret the activity of God and ourselves as merely “religious” activities. I have to remind myself that I live in God’s Kingdom. If not, I too will fall into the trap of being religious because I think my Father requires this type of activity from me. I am thankful that I am a part of the Kingdom of God. I am not chained to a set of religious duties because I think God expects these types of activities from me.
God Himself stands alone as the perfect prototype of a government built upon righteous judgment. All the kingdoms of the earth are attempts to imitate the perfect Kingdom of God. So what are some of the characteristics of God’s Kingdom He is seeking to establish?
- God Is Establishing a Kingdom, not a Religious Organization.
- God Is Establishing Sons (to reign with Him), not simply servants (subject to tyranny).
- God Is Establishing a Commonwealth of Citizens, not Religious Members.
- God Is Establishing Relationships With Man, not Religion.
- God Is Establishing a Heavenly Government on Earth using Principles Like Giving, Forgiving and Unity etc.
- God Is Influencing Earth From Heaven Through His Sons.
- God Is Communicating Through A Small Thing Called Prayer.
There several others characteristics I could mention. But these are enough to get us thinking along the right lines of thought.
The question is how do you view the operations of God in your life? Do you see yourself in a relationship with the King of Kings or are you simply part of a religion? There is a big difference.
I will be taking the next few days examining these issues and hope you will follow along with me.
Blessings,
Pastor
Share this:
Lord, Give Me Some Relief!
01 Tuesday Nov 2011
Posted in Kingdom of God
Tags
boundaries, grace not condemnation, is Jesus judging you, judgment, Luke 12:13-14, seek and save the lost
13Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” Luke 12:13-14
Most approach life earnestly believing the Lord is always on their side. Naturally, they also believe they deserve preferential treatment. Listen to people pray during a crisis, natural disaster, or impending armed conflict. You will hear phrases like this: “God is on our side! Our cause is His cause! The enemy has been defeated because the Lord is for us!”
Now, let’s answer Jesus’ question – “Who appointed Him judge?” The truth is His Father appointed Him judge. But for now, Jesus is not 
bringing judgment to anyone. Jesus came “to seek and to save those who are lost.” He is seeking to give life, not condemn lives. When Jesus walked this earth did He ever issue a judgmental word or comment to anyone personally? No! He made plenty of prophetic warnings about future judgment.
What do you think? Is Jesus currently judging you? I hope your answer is “no”.
What are we doing when we ask Jesus for relief and to judge our situation? Maturity is knowing your real motives and the purposes of God. Jesus said “greed” was at work here and if greed got its way, it would force Jesus out of God’s perfect will and He would judge His followers before their time. The same is true for all of us. We need grace and mercy and we need to be issuing the same.
God has placed boundaries for Himself and desires us to do the same. God’s boundaries call for grace, not condemnation. Judgment will come in due season. Ask the Lord to reveal your boundaries and give you help in discerning His. A good place to start is ceasing to tell the Lord what good a Christian you are and honestly confess where you are failing and how much you need His grace to continue. This is the type of relief we all need.
Blessings,
Pastor
eisakouo 