Greetings!
Are you feeling anxious? Nervous? Afraid? Have you been upset by the events in the world, in your church, or in your life? Fear and anxiety are not of God. He is a God of peace and power and His promise is that He gives those things to you. "God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." 2 Timothy 1:7
First, realize ("realize" to understand that something is real) that God has already given something to you, if you are a believer: God gave us a spirit...
If there is fear in your life, it is not from God: God gave us a spirit not of fear...
Instead, He has given you a great gift, ...a spirit...of power, and the power of God is limitless! It is the power of creation, of resurrection, of eternity!
In addition, He has given you a spirit...of...love, and nothing, nothing, can separate us from the love of God.
And we have a part in this, for God has given us a spirit of self-control. Self-control is a gift from God - it says so right here, but it is a gift that we must choose to employ.
Are you feeling anxious? Nervous? Afraid? Have you been upset by the events in the world, in your church, or in your life? Fear and anxiety are not of God. God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Call upon the Lord, cry out to Him in your pain, ask Him to reveal His gifts to you, then use them. Feel the fear and anxiety washed away. Nothing is too hard for God.
I love you with the love of the Lord, Pastor Jim
Monday, May 30, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011
ListenDaily: Why May 21st is bad for the church
Greetings,
I am taking a pause from our look at Ephesians 6: 10-20; I just can't ignore Harold Camping any longer. If you haven't heard, Mr. Camping is the guy that is saying tomorrow is judgment day. I've talked in a couple of groups this week, and the people I've talked to range from amusement to anger, concerning this issue. Many folks say that "at least his heart is in the right place' or "maybe some good will come of it".
No.
So David assembled all Israel, from the Shihor River in Egypt to Lebo Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim. David and all Israel went to Baalah of Judah (Kiriath Jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the LORD, who is enthroned between the cherubim—the ark that is called by the Name. They moved the ark of God from Abinadab’s house on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding it. David and all the Israelites were celebrating with all their might before God, with songs and with harps, lyres, timbrels, cymbals and trumpets.
When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled. The LORD’s anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God. 1 Chronicles 13: 5-10
The first time I read this, many years ago; I could not understand why God would strike down this well-intentioned man; all he wanted to do was keep the Ark of the Covenant from falling. Further study and explanation brought me to understanding. God was specific about how, where, in what manner, and by whom the Ark could be touched. All those things were being violated here.
Poles were to be used to carry the Ark (Exodus 37). The ark had to be covered (Numbers 4). Specific families were set aside to carry the ark (Numbers 4). In other words, it was to be carried upon men's shoulders, only by Levites – only by the family of Kohath, and using the specified poles.
The process was important; Uzzah was in the midst of sinful disobedience. Once we are in that state, our intentions, no matter how good, will not bring us to righteousness – only a return to obedience.
Clearly the Scriptures tell us that no one knows the hour or day of God’s return. No one.
Clearly, the Scriptures tell us that we are not to add to God’s word.
Nowhere in Scripture are we instructed to “decode” secret meanings or mathematic formulas. Plenty of places we are given instructions to love each other, take care of each other, spread the Gospel, and make disciples.
The folks in Chronicles were to take care of the Ark, in the manner prescribed by God. Once outside that, their ‘good intentions’ were for naught, as they were being done outside His will.
Yes, we are called to spread the Gospel and make disciples, but anyone who is in violation of God’s basic tenets, as clearly prescribed in Scripture, can not make up for them with ‘good intentions’. They must obediently return to the Truth of the Word.
So must we all.
Lord willing, see you tomorrow.
And the day after, Pastor Jim
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
ListenDaily: Feeling strong?
Greetings!
As we begin to discuss "The Full Armor of God", I am struck by Ephesians 6:10, which says:
"Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. "
Can you imagine?
What do you think about when you imagine "His mighty power"?
The parting of the Red Sea?
The bringing of the flood?
The creation of everything out of nothing with His spoken Word?
The defeat of death itself in the flesh and blood of Christ?
That is the "mighty power" we have to be "strong in"!
What do you think of, when you imagine God's power?
Are there examples of it in your own life?
Do you feel strong?
Until tomorrow, shalom, Pastor Jim
As we begin to discuss "The Full Armor of God", I am struck by Ephesians 6:10, which says:
"Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. "
Can you imagine?
What do you think about when you imagine "His mighty power"?
The parting of the Red Sea?
The bringing of the flood?
The creation of everything out of nothing with His spoken Word?
The defeat of death itself in the flesh and blood of Christ?
That is the "mighty power" we have to be "strong in"!
What do you think of, when you imagine God's power?
Are there examples of it in your own life?
Do you feel strong?
Until tomorrow, shalom, Pastor Jim
Monday, May 16, 2011
Are you aware?
Greetings,
Over the next few days we are going to take a look at Ephesians 6: 10-20, the passage often entitled The Armor of God.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Some things to consider as we move forward:
- We are told to be strong.
- We are given the armor.
- We do have an ongoing struggle in the spirit world.
Thoughts? Questions?
See you tomorrow, Pastor Jim
Over the next few days we are going to take a look at Ephesians 6: 10-20, the passage often entitled The Armor of God.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Some things to consider as we move forward:
- We are told to be strong.
- We are given the armor.
- We do have an ongoing struggle in the spirit world.
Thoughts? Questions?
See you tomorrow, Pastor Jim
Thursday, May 5, 2011
ListenDaily: An interesting morning
It was an interesting morning.
God summoned me.
No, really. I woke up a little after four and felt the call to go downstairs and pray. I was sleepy and rolled over. Call it “Scripture” or call it a “Bible verse”, but remember it’s God’s Word, and the Word that exploded into my mind was “Couldn’t you keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak… He again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. Are you still sleeping and resting?”
So, downstairs I went and submitted myself in prayer. I felt the Holy Spirit moving, asking – no – telling me not to love God only when I felt that He had done something in my best interest. He reminded me, that while circumstances are often brought about by people with other than the best interests of the world (the nation, the city, me, the church, whatever) in mind, that He is indeed sovereign. And He spoke to me through His Word again, reminding me of my own teaching that “love”, as in loving God and others, is not a feeling but a verb, an action. He also reminded me that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Some of those “all things” are good things, some neutral, some are bad things, the result of living in a fallen world. The good, bad, or neutral nature of the circumstance has no bearing on God’s ability. And it is He who calls me. My role in this “all things” affair is to love Him.
I protested. Once again, the Word spoke, but this time He placed Peter’s words in my mouth: “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” But the response was not “feed my sheep” it was “this is love for God: to keep his commands.”
I had some question about time; the Spirit told me “I own time.” I stayed there on the floor and listened for what seemed like a few minutes, but ended up to be an hour and a half. I had a 6 a.m. meeting for which I was ten minutes late. It was OK, because, like I said…
…it was an interesting morning.
God summoned me.
No, really. I woke up a little after four and felt the call to go downstairs and pray. I was sleepy and rolled over. Call it “Scripture” or call it a “Bible verse”, but remember it’s God’s Word, and the Word that exploded into my mind was “Couldn’t you keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak… He again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. Are you still sleeping and resting?”
So, downstairs I went and submitted myself in prayer. I felt the Holy Spirit moving, asking – no – telling me not to love God only when I felt that He had done something in my best interest. He reminded me, that while circumstances are often brought about by people with other than the best interests of the world (the nation, the city, me, the church, whatever) in mind, that He is indeed sovereign. And He spoke to me through His Word again, reminding me of my own teaching that “love”, as in loving God and others, is not a feeling but a verb, an action. He also reminded me that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Some of those “all things” are good things, some neutral, some are bad things, the result of living in a fallen world. The good, bad, or neutral nature of the circumstance has no bearing on God’s ability. And it is He who calls me. My role in this “all things” affair is to love Him.
I protested. Once again, the Word spoke, but this time He placed Peter’s words in my mouth: “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” But the response was not “feed my sheep” it was “this is love for God: to keep his commands.”
I had some question about time; the Spirit told me “I own time.” I stayed there on the floor and listened for what seemed like a few minutes, but ended up to be an hour and a half. I had a 6 a.m. meeting for which I was ten minutes late. It was OK, because, like I said…
…it was an interesting morning.
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