At the time I got saved I worked at a factory. When I say that I was a babe in Christ; I truly mean that I was a babe in Christ! I was a new born. I was ignorant on even the most basic doctrines. If you find yourself in such a place; God has you right where He wants you. Don't be ashamed! Don't be embarrassed! I began carrying scripture around with me on the job. If it was an eight hour shift I washed my mind throughout the day with verse after verse. If it was a ten hour day I did the same. Perhaps you are a seasoned saint or somewhere inbetween it doesn't matter. Put God's Word in your mind and know it in your heart. Don't just carry this thought with you today but carry God's Word as well.
"O how I love thy law! it is my meditation all the day." Psalm 119:97
At the time I got saved I worked at a factory. When I say that I was a babe in Christ; I truly mean that I was a babe in Christ! I was a new born. I was ignorant on even the most basic doctrines. If you find yourself in such a place; God has you right where He wants you. Don't be ashamed! Don't be embarrassed! I began carrying scripture around with me on the job. If it was an eight hour shift I washed my mind throughout the day with verse after verse. If it was a ten hour day I did the same. Perhaps you are a seasoned saint or somewhere inbetween it doesn't matter. Put God's Word in your mind and know it in your heart. Don't just carry this thought with you today but carry God's Word as well.
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“Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.” Psalm 139:5-10 On Wednesday, August 2, 2006, I was working out in the middle of nowhere. I was pressure washing a modular home. The home owner was not there. It was just me and a borrowed pressure washer that was not doing a sufficient job. I was having to hand wash large portions of the home. It was hot and humid and the horseflies were in bountiful supply. The longer I worked the more frustrated I got. I began to ask myself, “is God in this? Is the Lord even with me?” I said to myself, “This can’t be of God.” I felt pressed, pushed and alone. I was a fairly new Christian whose attitude was not Christ like as I made my way around that modular. I asked the Lord to forgive me for my sinful attitude. I got home and got ready for church on my way out the door I grabbed a pad of paper and stuck it in my Bible. I found my way to my seat feeling dejected and discouraged. I started pouring out my heart to the Lord on the pad of paper I had put in my Bible. When I was finished writing, I looked down at my Bible and staring at me was Psalm 139. I had unknowingly placed the pad of paper at that Psalm. I was overwhelmed with the power and presence of God as I began to read those wondrous words. I got a Word from God that night in my pew at Lifeway Baptist Church. My friend, never doubt the assurance we have from God’s promises. They will delight your heart; accompany your steps and strengthen your faith. His are Words of assurance indeed. We need to be quick and ready to share the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Many people who are lost, dead in their trespasses and sins have no hope like the hope God revealed to me in that pew from His Word. The believer has a blessed assurance that is rock solid and without end. We are drawing close to Christmas day; there is still time to share the greatest gift ever given to man. The Saviour, The Giver of life, The Redeemer, The Son of God, He is the Lord Jesus Christ. He was born of a virgin of in Bethlehem and made His way to Calvary’s Hill to be the supreme sacrifice for sin debt of mankind. Share and give the greatest gift ever; it will be words of assurance indeed.
Growth is a by-product of waiting on the Lord.
I have found the easiest things to teach can be the hardest thing to learn to do. Let me spell it out, W-A-I-T. It is easy to teach and preach and implore my wife, family, friends and those who hear me preach to wait on the Lord. One can quote God’s word and refer to those scriptures that speak such a truth. The question we must ask ourselves is do we practice what we teach and preach? Are we putting into motion what God’s word tells us to do? Webster’s defines the word wait: to stay in place in expectation of; to look forward expectantly. We will wait expectantly on those we trust. If I can’t believe a word that one says why would I trust or put any hope in a promise that they make? But we can trust GOD! Deuteronomy 32:4 teaches us that God is a God of truth (Look it up and you will be blessed). Let’s remember this and our faith will grow and increase more and more with each passing day. “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” Ephesians 2:1-3 As clichéd as it sounds- one never truly appreciates where they are at until they look back at where they once were. In Psalm 143:5 David in the midst of a trial looks back. I believe that Christians would do well to follow such a practice when it comes to the thought of their salvation in Christ Jesus. David wrote, “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the works of thy hands.” In our verses today a picture is painted via the Holy Spirit moving Paul’s pen. A picture of where the redeemed in Christ once stood. One would do well to remember, meditate and muse from time to time in such a scripture. We have all heard that one should never forget where it is that they have come from. We should never forget where we once were spiritually. We were dead in trespasses and sins and separated from God. Hopeless and hell bound was our position and destiny. I pray that you will meditate over our verses. Take small bites and let your heart digest while allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart. Look back and remember where you once stood and praise God for where it is you stand today in Christ Jesus. The seed of revival in each individual will be planted in the soil of gratitude. O my friends when gratitude fills the heart and head of the born again a heavenly fire will be set ablaze that the devil and all his angels can’t put out. Again
Will you pray today for the USA? Will you take the time to come down on your knees today while lifting up your voice to the God of heaven on the behalf of this nation? Will you pray throughout the day for God to have mercy on this nation? Consider the youth and the teens, and where it is they are heading, and in fact where it is they are at this very moment. Because we as a nation has turned from God, we have subsequently turned from His Word, and the young people are a product of such a turning away. The slope is slippery and the slide has been in motion year after year. Now is the time to dig in! Now is the time to be prayer warriors! Now is the time to bring and share the soul saving, destiny altering truth of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ! Now is the time to invest our time wisely in the very soul of this nation. The devil is a liar, and is in the business of deception. He wants to take as many as he can to hell with him. The Bible say, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs14:12.) This verse tells the story of many Americans at this very moment; in small towns, rural areas and big cities. We need to: I. Nurture a burden- For the salvation of the people! II. Nurture a brokenness- For the seriousness of our sin! III. Nurture a boldness- For the sharing of the Gospel! “And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?” Mark 4:40 I recently read, “A Japanese soldier by the name of Shoichi Yokoi lived in a cave on the island of Guam to which he fled in 1944 when the tides of war began to change. Fearing for his life, this man stayed hidden for twenty-eight years in the jungle cave, coming out only at night. During this long period of time, this self-imposed hermit lived on frogs, rats, snails, shrimp, nuts and mangoes. He had carried a pair of trousers and a jacket from a burlap like cloth made from tree bark. Yokoi said that he knew the war was over because of the leaflets that were scattered throughout the jungles of Guam. But he was afraid that if he came out of hiding, he would be executed. Finally, two hunters came upon him and told him that he need not hide any longer. At last he was free, and with new clothes to wear and food to eat, he was taken by plane to his home.” The Lord Jesus asked two penetrating questions to those in the ship on the stormy waters that night; “Why are ye fearful?” “How is it that ye have no faith?” I wonder how many times these same two questions could be asked of each of us? We often live our lives like the man in the jungle. We hide out in our own caves trembling and fearful of most everything. If we would only look back to all of the times that the Lord provided, protected and sustained us in the middle of the great storms of life, our fears would turn into faith in the Lord. Our fear is a direct result of our lack of faith. We are saying I can’t trust God. My friend look back and remember and then look up and be strengthened by these words, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid in Christ.” Colossians 3:1-3 Take a moment and allow this thought to sink in: “Your life is a sermon and your days are the pulpit.” You are proclaiming something to those around you. What is it that you are saying with your attitude, actions and your words? What is the message you are proclaiming? Are you a secret service saint or are you a bold and loving soldier in the army of the Living God? Dear believer, we need to be seeking those things which are above. Holy things and heavenly things should be our desire. When one is seeking the higher things than one’s life will reflect that. We need to be salt and light in this dark and hopeless world. Secondly we need to set our affections on things above. It’s been said, “You must not only seek heaven; you must also think heaven.” That is what is meant by setting our affections on things above. When one sets their mind on something that something will become rooted in their thoughts and this will define that which not only is in their mind, but also that which is found in their heart. It is a two way street that we would do well to keep clean. Dear believer, you have the best message to share with the lost; a soul saving message, a life altering message. Your life is a sermon and your days are the pulpit. What has your message been? |
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