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Tag Archives: John Wimber quote

The Purpose Of Storms

04 Tuesday Dec 2012

Posted by eisakouo in Times of Testing

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complacency, educate, enlarge, expose, faith and dependence on God, faith in the last words Christ spoke, grow up before I grow old, John Wimber quote, Luke 8:22-25, only concerned about life and limb, priorities twisted, Sandy recovery, self delusion, vulnerable to any storm, where is your faith

 

Grow Up Before I Grow Old

 

22 Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they launched out. 23 But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger. 24 They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm.25 And He said to them, “Where is your faith?”  Luke 8:22-25

 

Someone once said whether we like it or not, storms do three things for us… Storms educate, enlarge, and expose us. I am referring to both physical and/or spiritual storms. Think about the storms you personally have been through in life. Think about the people and communities which have just endured Sandy’s wrath. Their recovery is still on-going.

Storms Educate Us.

We are reminded every time a major hurricane hits our shores that the ecological system near the shoreline is fragile. In addition, no matter how well built the houses along the shore are constructed, they can be destroyed in moments. The coastal areas are vulnerable to any storm… even small ones.

Every storm we face should re-educate us on how vulnerable we are and how much we need each other and the Lord. Unfortunately, these lessons are short-lived. Years without storms create complacency and self-delusion.

Storms Enlarge Us.

Storms cause us to create and learn more about ourselves. By stretching personal resources, storms cause us to think beyond ourselves. We tend to streamline aid, become more efficient, and learn to multitask.

Storms are supposed to increase our faith and dependence on God. This was the purpose of the storm in Jesus’ day. If we fail to learn these basic lessons, another storm will be arriving… shortly.

Storms Expose Us.

This is the area I primarily want to focus upon in the next few blogs. Look at how certain areas have been exposed by storms in the past few years. People thought they could depend on certain groups and programs to help them cope and recover. Recent storms only proved and revealed that certain portions of the population were vulnerable and are still vulnerable.

The truth is storms eventually come to all. None of us really want to be educated, enlarged, or exposed. The rains, wind, and lighting eventually reach everyone. When it was all said and done, Jesus’ only question to His disciples was… “Where is your faith?” While they were concerned about life and limb, Jesus was concerned about faith.

Does this sound strange? It only sounds strange if your priorities are twisted. If you have spent the last four hours bailing out a sinking boat… If you have been angry with Jesus for sleeping during the storm… If you have been picturing yourself drowning… If you have lost all hope… Then Jesus’ words sound foreign.

Your faith just might be on life support today, but the day is not over. You can find the last words the Lord spoke to you and get back on course. The Lord is not looking to see if you are still running hard or trying with all your might or fighting the good fight… He is looking for faith.  Your faith should be in the last words He spoke to you. Where is your faith? Is your faith in your boat or in your Lord?

 

Blessings,

Pastor

 

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The Humble Planter

29 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by eisakouo in Receiving Revelation

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Tags

Alex Haley, biblically obedient, born to loose, He had help, hearing only clubs, humble stature, humility, James 1:21, John Wimber quote, Norman Vincent Peale, reach our destination, roots, roots are partially grown words, seeds are words in their infancy, shelf life on God's word is limited, tattoo, tattoo on mind, the word implanted, turtle on a fence post, words sometimes come to us as seed or roots

 

 

 

“In humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” James 1:21

 

  • It takes humility to accept a Gospel message which says you are a no good sinner.
  • It takes humility to openly receive a message which says you need to be told how to live your life.
  • It takes humility to accept counsel which tells you need to change your attitudes, your ways of thinking, your speech, and your behavior.

The Humble Planter begins their journey willing to accept instruction, correction, and reproof found in the Word. I really can’t say enough about this issue. In the Kingdom the person with a humble stature stands heads and shoulders upon the rest. This believer will receive the most and be in a position of favor. The tough part is remaining in this place.

Alex Haley, the author of “Roots,” had an unusual picture hanging on his office wall. It was a picture of a turtle on top of a fence post. When asked, “Why was the picture resting in such a prominent place?” Alex Haley answered, “Every time I write something significant, every time I read my words and think that they are wonderful… and begin to feel proud of myself… I look at the turtle on top of the fence post and remember that the turtle didn’t get there on his own. He had help.”

Without God’s help… we will not reach our destination either! We need the Lord in the beginning, the middle, and at the end of our journey.

James doesn’t stop with humility. James says, “Receive the word implanted.” What does he mean? Why are we to implant? Implant means to engraft the word. Sometimes words come to us as seeds and sometimes they arrive to us as roots!

I’ve seen my mother and my wife root certain plants in a glasses of water. When the roots begin to grow they “implanted” them quickly in fresh dirt. We like to use the word “transplant” when speaking today. The larger question is why does God talk about the word being “seeds” in one passage and words needing to be “implanted” in other passages?

In essence, they both are the same. The difference is in how they arrive to us personally. Seed words are in their infancy. When words come to us as roots they are already partially grown. The important issue is that those words from heaven find a home in our heart, mind, and soul.

When I was a new believer every word of God seemed to come to me in “seed” form. I was definitely a greenhorn Christian. Everything the Lord did in my life was brand new. Sometimes the Lord had to reissue those seeds because I wasn’t faithful with them. I have been a believer now for over thirty-six years. In my youth some teachings took a long time before they took root. Now, many things the Lord teaches me arrive in roots. He knows I will be more faithful with His precious truths.

Again, the big difference is not found in the root or seed… it is in what we do with God’s word. God knows in order for us to act and obey on His word… we must implant those words quickly, while they still have an opportunity to grow. The shelf life on God’s word is limited. As I have written before, the word will be stolen, choked, or starved out if we do not get them into our hearts and minds.

The fact is: if you don’t implant the Word, you won’t be doers of the Word. You will join one of those “Hearer Only Clubs“. We have enough of those people packing the pews today. They know plenty but act very little.

Norman Vincent Peale tells the story of walking through the twisted little streets of Kowloon in Hong Kong. He said, “I came upon a tattoo studio. In the window were displayed samples of the tattoos available. On the chest or arms you could have tattooed an anchor or flag or mermaid or whatever. But what struck me with force were three words that could be tattooed on one’s flesh, “Born to Lose.”

I entered the shop in astonishment and, pointing to those words, asked the Chinese tattoo artist, “Does anyone really have that terrible phrase, Born to lose, tattooed on his body?”  He replied, “Yes, sometimes.”  “But,” I said, “I just can’t believe that anyone in his right mind would do that.”

The Chinese man simply tapped his forehead and said in broken English, “Before tattoo on body, tattoo on mind.”

Everyday something or some words are being tattooed on your mind and heart. The only question is what are you allowing to be tattooed in your most holiest of places. Our Heavenly Father wants to tattoo the best of His words on your heart and mind. He is sending His seeds and roots your way. The only question is are you allowing this process to happen? Agree with King David and say… “Thy word I have treasured in my heart.”

 

Blessings,

Pastor

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