Today's reading: Deuteronomy 1, 2, 3; Psalm 22, 52, 82, 112, 142; Proverbs 22
Deuteronomy 1:30, "The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;"
Deuteronomy 2:36, "From Aroer, which is by the brink of the river of Arnon, and from the city that is by the river, even unto Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us: the LORD our God delivered all unto us:"
Deuteronomy 3:22, "Ye shall not fear them: for the LORD your God he shall fight for you."
As I was sitting at the computer today I received a video from a friend. It was of a retired military man that was saying that a recent terrorist attack on a military base in Texas was executed by a man that was in leadership over our troops and his way of life was ignored by the government. I am not here to get into politics and all that; but, it did catch my attention.
Here in America we are in a battle. The conservatives are fighting the liberals. The muslims are fighting to take over America and make it a muslim nation. We who are Christians should be fighting to make America a Christian nation once again by winning one soul at a time to Jesus Christ.
The Church today is failing miserably. We have taken over control and legislated God out of our nation and our Churches. Yes, we have. I dare say that if Jesus Christ returned today and took His children home to heaven that far too many Churches would just continue to meet like nothing ever happened. Oh, a couple people might not be there anymore; but, they would just keep on keeping on. How sad.
If we are going to engage in this battle we must be prepared. One way to prepare is to know Christ as your Saviour. This is first and foremost the most important thing. Then you must prepare for the battle. A good soldier must know his/her equipment. You need to know who your source of strength is. That is God. You must know what your weapons are. That is the Word of God. You also must know where the battle is and you have to engage that battle.
I hope that you are engaged in the Holy Battle on the side of the Lord Jesus Christ. If not then you need to enlist today. Will you?
Monday, February 22, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
February 21, 2010
Today's reading: Numbers 34, 35, 36; Psalm 21, 51, 81, 111, 141; Proverbs 21
Psalm 51:18, "Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem."
This morning's message was a great message. It might become a series of messages too. God powerfully used the Pastor. I agree with him that it is a sad day when 84 Churches every week close their doors and cease to exist. This is a tragedy! The Church we are attending right now is running about 180 for the Sunday morning service. This is a good number I think; but, it is not a number to be happy about. What I mean is that we need to keep trying to win people to Christ and help them get added to the Church. The writer of Hebrews said it best in Hebrews 10:25, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." We need to be faithful to Church so that we can get our spiritual gas tanks filled up for the week to come. It is vital to attend a Church that teaches and preaches the Bible and not worldly philosophy.
We need to have a good testimony before others also. Psalm 141:3, "Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips." I know that I struggle with this sometimes. If you are in a group of people that are not believers then you need to watch what you say. There might be someone that will never trust Jesus Christ just because I said something that was not Christlike. That would be tragic! We must rely on the leading of the Holy Spirit to guide us in what to say to others. I know someone who at this very moment is meeting with someone they care very deeply for in order to win them to Christ. God help them! Your walk talks and your talk talks; but, your walk talks louder than your talk talks. I don't know who said that originally but it is very true.
Friends, you and I need to do some building. We need to be actively seeking to win lost souls to Christ everywhere we go. Think about this one for a minute. Have you sought to win the very people in your own home? Do your children know Christ as their Saviour? How about your spouse? I was married to a lost Church member for a number of years and one day she dragged me to the altar in a Church service and told me that she was lost.
How about you? If you died today and you stood before God and He said, "Why should I let you into My heaven?" how would you answer Him?
Psalm 51:18, "Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem."
This morning's message was a great message. It might become a series of messages too. God powerfully used the Pastor. I agree with him that it is a sad day when 84 Churches every week close their doors and cease to exist. This is a tragedy! The Church we are attending right now is running about 180 for the Sunday morning service. This is a good number I think; but, it is not a number to be happy about. What I mean is that we need to keep trying to win people to Christ and help them get added to the Church. The writer of Hebrews said it best in Hebrews 10:25, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." We need to be faithful to Church so that we can get our spiritual gas tanks filled up for the week to come. It is vital to attend a Church that teaches and preaches the Bible and not worldly philosophy.
We need to have a good testimony before others also. Psalm 141:3, "Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips." I know that I struggle with this sometimes. If you are in a group of people that are not believers then you need to watch what you say. There might be someone that will never trust Jesus Christ just because I said something that was not Christlike. That would be tragic! We must rely on the leading of the Holy Spirit to guide us in what to say to others. I know someone who at this very moment is meeting with someone they care very deeply for in order to win them to Christ. God help them! Your walk talks and your talk talks; but, your walk talks louder than your talk talks. I don't know who said that originally but it is very true.
Friends, you and I need to do some building. We need to be actively seeking to win lost souls to Christ everywhere we go. Think about this one for a minute. Have you sought to win the very people in your own home? Do your children know Christ as their Saviour? How about your spouse? I was married to a lost Church member for a number of years and one day she dragged me to the altar in a Church service and told me that she was lost.
How about you? If you died today and you stood before God and He said, "Why should I let you into My heaven?" how would you answer Him?
Saturday, February 20, 2010
February 20, 2010
Today's reading: Numbers 31, 32, 33; Psalm 20, 50, 80, 110, 140; Proverbs 20
Numbers 32:12, "Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the LORD."
I love this verse. What an epitaph to go on your tombstone (I don't mean pizza either). I could only wish that someone would say of me that I "wholly followed the LORD". I try so hard but I seem to just spin my wheels. Maybe you know what I am talking about.
So how can we "wholly follow the LORD"? I think we can find a good starting place in Numbers 32:17-18, "But we ourselves will go ready armed before the children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fenced cities because of the inhabitants of the land. We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance." I think first of all if we are going to "wholly follow the LORD" we need to make a committment to follow Him. If you do not committ to something then you will not see it as important. There is no higher committment daily than to follow the Lord with all of your heart, mind and soul.
Something else that we need to do if we are going to "wholly follow the LORD" is to confess all known sin in our lives. Look at Numbers 32:23, "But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out." You cannot run from the consequences of sin. It will find you no matter. The worst part about it is that it not only effects you and I; but, it also effects those around us and our family. Our Church family even suffers when we are living with unconfessed sin in our lives.
Another thing that will help us "wholly follow the LORD" is to consult the Scriptures and follow His course. Numbers 33:11, "And they removed from the Red sea, and encamped in the wilderness of Sin." If you think you are going to "wholly follow the LORD" and you go about life and you never take another thought as to what the Lord wants you to do or where He wants you to go then you can bet your bottom dollar you are not following Him as He wants you to follow.
Lastly if we are going to "wholly follow the LORD" we need to conquer the barriers in the way. Look at Numbers 33:55, "But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell." I am not talking about the dog eat dog garbage that the usaved world does on a dailly basis to get ahead in life. We need to look out for obstacles and either avoid them or plow through them in the power of God. Notice I did not say our own power. We must conquer in the power of God. I like the words of the song "Just a Closer Walk with Thee". It says, "I am weak; but, thou art strong. Jesus, keep me from all wrong." In and of ourselves we are not able to overcome. We can do this by the power of the Holy Spirit living in and through us. If we are truly born again we have Him living and dwelling in us and He will help us.
Are you willing to "wholly follow the LORD"? If you are then let's both Commit to follow, Confess besetting sin, Consult the Scriptures for guidance and Conqure in the power of God. See you at the finish line!
Numbers 32:12, "Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun: for they have wholly followed the LORD."
I love this verse. What an epitaph to go on your tombstone (I don't mean pizza either). I could only wish that someone would say of me that I "wholly followed the LORD". I try so hard but I seem to just spin my wheels. Maybe you know what I am talking about.
So how can we "wholly follow the LORD"? I think we can find a good starting place in Numbers 32:17-18, "But we ourselves will go ready armed before the children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fenced cities because of the inhabitants of the land. We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance." I think first of all if we are going to "wholly follow the LORD" we need to make a committment to follow Him. If you do not committ to something then you will not see it as important. There is no higher committment daily than to follow the Lord with all of your heart, mind and soul.
Something else that we need to do if we are going to "wholly follow the LORD" is to confess all known sin in our lives. Look at Numbers 32:23, "But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out." You cannot run from the consequences of sin. It will find you no matter. The worst part about it is that it not only effects you and I; but, it also effects those around us and our family. Our Church family even suffers when we are living with unconfessed sin in our lives.
Another thing that will help us "wholly follow the LORD" is to consult the Scriptures and follow His course. Numbers 33:11, "And they removed from the Red sea, and encamped in the wilderness of Sin." If you think you are going to "wholly follow the LORD" and you go about life and you never take another thought as to what the Lord wants you to do or where He wants you to go then you can bet your bottom dollar you are not following Him as He wants you to follow.
Lastly if we are going to "wholly follow the LORD" we need to conquer the barriers in the way. Look at Numbers 33:55, "But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell." I am not talking about the dog eat dog garbage that the usaved world does on a dailly basis to get ahead in life. We need to look out for obstacles and either avoid them or plow through them in the power of God. Notice I did not say our own power. We must conquer in the power of God. I like the words of the song "Just a Closer Walk with Thee". It says, "I am weak; but, thou art strong. Jesus, keep me from all wrong." In and of ourselves we are not able to overcome. We can do this by the power of the Holy Spirit living in and through us. If we are truly born again we have Him living and dwelling in us and He will help us.
Are you willing to "wholly follow the LORD"? If you are then let's both Commit to follow, Confess besetting sin, Consult the Scriptures for guidance and Conqure in the power of God. See you at the finish line!
Friday, February 19, 2010
See You at the House
Psalm 49:8-9, "(For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption."
Psalm 49:15, "But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah."
Yesterday evening was a sad day for many of us in this part of the country. One of God's choice servants was called home yesterday evening. I could list his name here; but, most would not know him. Here was a humble man who loved God with all of his heart.
He suffered with congestive heart failure and had the gastric bypass surgery for weight loss to help lessen the stress on his heart. God saw differently. Yesterday evening God called our friend home to heaven.
Everything he has longed for is now a reality. He has a new body that is not hindered by anything and he can worship at the feet of Jesus whom he loved and served with all of his heart. We who knew and loved him will miss him greatly.
I was reminded of a phrase that song writer Bob Benson used to say. When leaving he would say, "See you at the house." He was referring to that reunion on the shores of heaven. Praise God!
See you at the house my Brother!
Psalm 49:15, "But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah."
Yesterday evening was a sad day for many of us in this part of the country. One of God's choice servants was called home yesterday evening. I could list his name here; but, most would not know him. Here was a humble man who loved God with all of his heart.
He suffered with congestive heart failure and had the gastric bypass surgery for weight loss to help lessen the stress on his heart. God saw differently. Yesterday evening God called our friend home to heaven.
Everything he has longed for is now a reality. He has a new body that is not hindered by anything and he can worship at the feet of Jesus whom he loved and served with all of his heart. We who knew and loved him will miss him greatly.
I was reminded of a phrase that song writer Bob Benson used to say. When leaving he would say, "See you at the house." He was referring to that reunion on the shores of heaven. Praise God!
See you at the house my Brother!
February 19, 2010
Today's reading: Numbers 28, 29, 30; Psalm 19, 49, 79, 109, 139; Proverbs 19
Psalm 139:17-18, "How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee."
I remember reading an e-mail that made it's way around the internet a few years ago. One line of that e-mail said, "If God had a refrigerator your picture would be on it." Now, I don't think God has a refrigerator and if He did it would contain the pictures of all of His children from all of the ages. That is a humbling thought to me.
So many people today think of God a an ogre in heaven waiting to pound them with is righteous fist. This is just not true. God is righteous, holy, just and all those other attributes. He is also loving. He is very love! Nothing says, "I love you!" more than the cross where Jesus was brutally beaten, scourged and crucified for mine and your sin. As the song says, "If that isn't love...".
Consider that God thought of you when He formulated His plan for the ages. I think that as He planned how things would go He considered each individual of all the ages and He did exactly what was best for all of us. He thought of each one of us.
I love the words of the song, "He saw me in his likeness. He saw me just like Him. Pure, clean and holy spotless, white within. He saw me bound in heavy chains and longed to set me free. But He knew if I became like Him then He must become like me."
Thank you Lord for thinking about me!
Psalm 139:17-18, "How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee."
I remember reading an e-mail that made it's way around the internet a few years ago. One line of that e-mail said, "If God had a refrigerator your picture would be on it." Now, I don't think God has a refrigerator and if He did it would contain the pictures of all of His children from all of the ages. That is a humbling thought to me.
So many people today think of God a an ogre in heaven waiting to pound them with is righteous fist. This is just not true. God is righteous, holy, just and all those other attributes. He is also loving. He is very love! Nothing says, "I love you!" more than the cross where Jesus was brutally beaten, scourged and crucified for mine and your sin. As the song says, "If that isn't love...".
Consider that God thought of you when He formulated His plan for the ages. I think that as He planned how things would go He considered each individual of all the ages and He did exactly what was best for all of us. He thought of each one of us.
I love the words of the song, "He saw me in his likeness. He saw me just like Him. Pure, clean and holy spotless, white within. He saw me bound in heavy chains and longed to set me free. But He knew if I became like Him then He must become like me."
Thank you Lord for thinking about me!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
February 18, 2010
Today's reading: Numbers 25, 26, 27; Psalm 18, 48, 78, 108, 138; Proverbs 18
Proverbs 18:24, "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother."
My wife and I have had the pleasure of visiting Churches in many different areas. You find all kinds of people in Churches. I always enjoy meeting the Pastor and checking him out. Just kidding. I do enjoy meeting the Pastor though.
We have been in Churches that had great numbers in attendance and we have attended some that were small to say the least. No matter the size of the Church there should be a warmth when you enter. The Holy Spirit should be evident that He is welcome and dwells there with the people of God. Unfortunately, there are Churches that if Jesus came back and took His children home that would continue to meet and not know the difference. This is tragic!
I can name a Church that if you visit that you will nearly be knocked off your feet at their love and attention. It sure makes you "feel good". It makes it hard to leave, I know. Sometimes you just want to sit there after the service and just take it all in and be loved. Unfortunately, you have to leave sometimes and go on about your life.
I hope that if you name the name of Christ today and are His child you are a friendly person. If you are not a friendly person maybe you need to spend more time with God in His Word and more time in prayer until you become like Him and then find yourself friendly.
So, how is your friendly meter? Sure about that?
Proverbs 18:24, "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother."
My wife and I have had the pleasure of visiting Churches in many different areas. You find all kinds of people in Churches. I always enjoy meeting the Pastor and checking him out. Just kidding. I do enjoy meeting the Pastor though.
We have been in Churches that had great numbers in attendance and we have attended some that were small to say the least. No matter the size of the Church there should be a warmth when you enter. The Holy Spirit should be evident that He is welcome and dwells there with the people of God. Unfortunately, there are Churches that if Jesus came back and took His children home that would continue to meet and not know the difference. This is tragic!
I can name a Church that if you visit that you will nearly be knocked off your feet at their love and attention. It sure makes you "feel good". It makes it hard to leave, I know. Sometimes you just want to sit there after the service and just take it all in and be loved. Unfortunately, you have to leave sometimes and go on about your life.
I hope that if you name the name of Christ today and are His child you are a friendly person. If you are not a friendly person maybe you need to spend more time with God in His Word and more time in prayer until you become like Him and then find yourself friendly.
So, how is your friendly meter? Sure about that?
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
February 17, 2010
Today's reading: Numbers 22, 23, 24; Psalm 17, 47, 77, 107, 137; Proverbs 17
Numbers 23:19, "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"
Numbers 24:11, "Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour."
In today's reading in the book of Numbers we see the account of Balaam and king Balak. This king was afraid of the Israelites. He looked at them from the mountain tops and they looked like bugs all over the ground because there were so many of them. King Balak wanted to defeat them because he knew if he did not then they would defeat him. This sounds like the dog eat dog world that we live in today.
I love the words of Numbers 23:19, "God is not a man, that He should lie;". So many people today think that they have to lie to get ahead in life. Lying is common and is not even frowned upon in our society today. I am glad that God is one who will never lie. Imagine you come to the end of your life and you find out God lied about how to get to heaven. How tragic! This is not the case. We have God's Word and it is the Truth.
Speaking of lying, we need to remember that the devil is a liar and the father thereof (John 8:44). If we are caught in this besetting sin then we are more like the devil than Christ. This ought not to be! God help us!
Christian, don't let the world lie to you either. They will tell you, "If God loved you He would not keep _____ from you or He would not tell you to do _____. (you fill in the blanks)" In Numbers 24;11 that is exactly what Balak is trying to tempt Balaam with. He is telling him that God was holding back honor from him. That is a lie from the pits of hell. God protects us by what He allows and does not allow and we need to remember that.
Do you love the Truth today? I hope so. How are you and I doing at telling the truth? Need a little work?
Numbers 23:19, "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"
Numbers 24:11, "Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour."
In today's reading in the book of Numbers we see the account of Balaam and king Balak. This king was afraid of the Israelites. He looked at them from the mountain tops and they looked like bugs all over the ground because there were so many of them. King Balak wanted to defeat them because he knew if he did not then they would defeat him. This sounds like the dog eat dog world that we live in today.
I love the words of Numbers 23:19, "God is not a man, that He should lie;". So many people today think that they have to lie to get ahead in life. Lying is common and is not even frowned upon in our society today. I am glad that God is one who will never lie. Imagine you come to the end of your life and you find out God lied about how to get to heaven. How tragic! This is not the case. We have God's Word and it is the Truth.
Speaking of lying, we need to remember that the devil is a liar and the father thereof (John 8:44). If we are caught in this besetting sin then we are more like the devil than Christ. This ought not to be! God help us!
Christian, don't let the world lie to you either. They will tell you, "If God loved you He would not keep _____ from you or He would not tell you to do _____. (you fill in the blanks)" In Numbers 24;11 that is exactly what Balak is trying to tempt Balaam with. He is telling him that God was holding back honor from him. That is a lie from the pits of hell. God protects us by what He allows and does not allow and we need to remember that.
Do you love the Truth today? I hope so. How are you and I doing at telling the truth? Need a little work?
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