Monday, May 4, 2009

Power of Prayer!

Epaphras, who is one of you, says hello. What a trooper he has been! He's been tireless in his prayers for you, praying that you'll stand firm, mature and confident in everything God wants you to do. I've watched him closely, and can report on how hard he has worked for you and for those in Laodicea and Hierapolis. (Col 4: 12-13 The Message Bible)

Epraphras is not a name you hear much of. He was a member of the Colossian church, and obviously a dear saint in the Lord. We know that he suffered imprisonment with Paul at one time. But the thing that really impresses me about this saint is what Paul wrote about him– he's been tireless in his prayers for you.

The intercessory work of Christians through prayer is the work behind the scenes, the silent ministry that the world knows little of, yet more powerful than any weapon on earth unleashing power from above that makes demons tremble!

This was a man with whom Paul must have been accustomed to praying, and clearly Paul knew of his zeal from personal experience. But notice what Epaphras prayed for – that you may stand firm, mature and doing everything God wants you to do! That's my prayer for our planning team.

In this day and age, when you can feel the spiritual battle going on all around us– when faith will be tested to the extreme – my prayer is that you will stand perfect and complete in the will of God! With so much work to be done, and so many of us under severe attack, never neglect the power of prayer – for this silent ministry counts so much more than you may realize. It's the power that will claim the spiritual victory and the victory over our lives.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Broken and Beautiful...

Mark 14:3-- Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had leprosy. During supper, a woman came in with a beautiful jar of expensive perfume. She broke the jar and poured the perfume over his head.

This is the touching story of how Jesus was anointed before His crucifixion. But there’s one thing about this passage that stood out to me as I read it again. Jesus was not anointed with ointment until the expensive jar was broken! In the the same way, we must be broken before the Lord so that His anointing can be poured out upon us to touch others!

We should never be ashamed to be broken. God will not deny a broken heart and a contrite spirit! When we humble ourselves in His sight and place our pride on the altar of sacrifice, it is then that God’s anointing will be greatest upon us. It will pour out of us like the ointment from that box — and we will be used greatly for His kingdom!

Let’s ask the Lord to break us where we need to be broken this week so that we might be anointed completely to do the great things He’s called us to do! It reminds me of the song that has the lyrics in it "broken and beautiful"....

Monday, April 13, 2009

He's the Resurrection, and the Life

"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 1 Corinthians 15:55

I read an article where there were at least 27 people banking on life after death. They’re all members of the Alcor Life Extension Institute, where their bodies are frozen in liquid nitrogen. They’re waiting for science to solve the problem of death. One Alcor member says he plans to try it because, ‘I like living and I don’t want to die.’ Unfortunately for him, the company Chief Executive says, ‘We don’t even know if it will work.’ Good news! It doesn’t matter! Jesus has already overcome death! He rose from the grave with a glorious new body, and all who are faithful to Him will do the same! Christ, and Christ alone, is the only sure thing when it comes to eternal life. Here's our good news: Christians who have died will be raised with transformed bodies, and then we who are living will be transformed so that we will never die. For our perishable earthly bodies must be transformed into heavenly bodies. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? (1 Corinthians 15:52-55). There’s no record of Jesus ever preaching a funeral sermon. Know why? Because He’s the Resurrection, and the Life. (John 11:25). He broke up every funeral He ever attended! Death couldn’t exist where He was. When the dead heard His voice they sprang to life! And they will again! No wonder the song writer writes: Celebrate, Jesus, Celebrate!!!

Hope you all had a great Easter celebration and are charged up knowing we have a God who has power over sin & death!!!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

We have Victory!

At our church on Sunday mornings, we have been looking at the 7 last statements that Jesus made on the cross. One of the ones that we looked at yesterday is found in John 19:30. I would like to share with you my thoughts on this powerful verse.

In John 19:30, we find one of the last phrases that Jesus used just before he died on the cross. He uttered three words: “It is finished.”

I am sure that the crowd around him had different emotions hearing those words. Think about the soldiers. They were probably clapping their hands as if to say, “finally, this man is dying. We can go home to our families.” They would have been ecstatic to hear Jesus utter those words.

How about the Pharisees that were standing nearby? They were probably thinking that they had won the battle and had accomplished what they wanted to keep their religious views "sacred".

And then there is Mary....as a mother what do you think those words meant to her. More than likely, her thought was that Jesus was saying that his life was over, it is finished.

We don't know much about Joseph as he is not mentioned being at the crucifixion, or if he was even still alive at this point. And you are probably wondering why do I even bring him up. But if Joseph would have been there to listen to these 3 words of Jesus, I think they would have taken on a different meaning. Joseph, being a carpenter, would have understood what Jesus was really saying. You see, when a carpenter had a project going, was making something, he would take the utmost care and time to get it exactly right. He would work and work and keep perfecting the piece he was making. When his project was done, he would hold it up and look at it and say "it is finished", meaning, I have finally accomplished what I started out doing. So for a son of a carpenter to say "it is finished", Jesus was really saying, "I have accomplished what I came here for". He became the ultimate sacrifice for us and his ministry on earth was complete. He had brought us back into a right relationship with God. His purpose on earth was complete.....

Thru these 3 little words, we have victory. We have been reunited with God and sin had no more hold over us. Satan had been defeated and Jesus had given us victory.

It is finished equals VICTORY. Let's celebrate that this Friday!

Monday, March 30, 2009

The Thrill of Victory...

For every child of God defeats this evil world by trusting Christ to give the victory...1 John 5:4 (NLT)

Growing up, one of my favorite shows to watch was ABC Sports. I can still remember the opening line — “The thrill of victory or the agony of defeat!” One of the greatest prophets of the Bible, Elijah, experienced his share of victories — but he also knew that sudden feeling of defeat. If you recall, Elijah was on Mount Carmel, the only prophet of God standing against four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. (2 Kings 18) When it was all said and done, Elijah was absolutely victorious! But wouldn’t you know that in the next chapter, we find Elijah under a juniper tree saying — “Lord take my life!” (2 Kings 19:4). He had the victory, but was feeling the agony of defeat.

We’re so quick to forget the victories that the Lord has given us, aren’t we? There are countless examples of great men of God who struggled this way. If they can go from victory to defeat so easily, how much more are we susceptible to the same attacks of the enemy? We must remember that this is precisely what they are — attacks of the enemy upon our lives — attempting to draw our attention away from all that God has done.

If you are finding yourself in the midst of a valley — try focusing on the victories the Lord has already displayed in your life. And more importantly, focus on the power of victory you can walk with today!

Remember, "we've been made more than conquerors, overcomers in this life, we've been made victorious, thru the blood of Jesus Christ."

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Renew Our Trust!

Jesus responded, "Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!" Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm. The disciples were amazed. "Who is this man?" they asked. "Even the winds and waves obey Him." Mt. 8:26-27 (NLT)

Wow! How do you think the disciples must have felt back then as they saw the waves crashing against their boat? They were being swayed from side to side in the deep dark sea. They were afraid for their lives! But our Lord was there all along. He just wanted them to trust.

So often we find ourselves in that same boat (pardon the pun), don’t we? “Lord, where are you?! "Are you there?" "Don’t you see these waves about to consume me?" "Do you care about me?"

But He does! He sees all, hears all, knows all. He is the same Lord that calmed that storm two thousand years ago and He can cause the winds and the seas, and the trials of our lives to become calm in an instant! But you know what this passage really points out? This is the hard and fearful part... it’s usually in the storms that He will display His awesome power!

Let’s renew our trust in the Lord today. God has great plans for those who will put their trust in Him.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

New Levels of Faith!

"After preaching the Good News in Derbe and making many disciples, Paul and Barnabas returned again to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch of Pisidia, where they strengthened the believers. They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that they must enter into the Kingdom of God through many tribulations" Acts 14:21-22 (NLT)

I don’t know about you, but it seems that the tests we’re going through are getting harder and harder. Do you remember when you took tests in high school? At the time they may have seemed hard. But imagine if you had to take an elementary school test when you were in high school. You’d probably think – oh this is so simple.

So if it seems that the testing of your faith is more intense – it simply means that you’re graduating to new levels of faith! Our faith is being tested, and as we pass each “faith” test, we’re finding different means of being tested. I suppose in a few years, we’ll look back and think to ourselves – wow that was a hard test, but now it doesn’t look so difficult!

Look back on how you prepared for exams--you probably studied (hopefully), you had your parents quiz you, and you might have had a group to prepare with. I wonder what would happen with our faith tests, if we would use the same methodology for those tests? How about if we study the Scriptures? or use someone that has gone thru the tests to bounce the questions off of, or why not get a group of trusted Christians and discuss together? This might make us a little more prepared for the test and we might not feel so alone when going thru the tests.

If you’re going through a tough time right now, be encouraged because it simply means that God is graduating you to new levels of faith! The harder the tests, the greater difficulty – the greater the reward, an increased blessing awaits you! Stay focused, stay alert and remember that God is trying to stretch your faith so that you can accomplish even more for His Kingdom!

Friday, March 13, 2009

The Road to Success!

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6-7 (NLT)

How do we avoid rough spots? One of the big problems we create for ourselves is when we attempt to plan God around our lives instead of planning our lives around God. So how do we avoid the rough spots and not get off the wrong road? Guidance. We need guidance. I read an article that said "if we do not have guidance, then it is probably withheld because of one of two reasons: we are untrained or we are unwilling". Guidance just doesn't happen, it's a result of steering oneself in the right way. A radio just doesn't receive a transmission on its own. You have to turn the dial to the nearest frequency and receive the station. I have often prayed, "God, bless my plan" when I ought to be praying "God, what is the plan?" His plan is already blessed. Guidance comes as a result of our fellowship with God. As we spend time with the Lord, His peace is ever present in our hearts, putting us in a position to hear His voice. As we travel the road of life, we will encounter rought spots.

One writer put it this way.....the road to success is not straight. There is a curve called failure, a loop called confusion, speed bumps called friends, red lights called enemies, caution lights called family. We will have flats called jobs. But, if you have a spare called determination, an engine called perseverence, insurance called faith, a driver called Jesus, you will make it to a place called success.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Who do you resemble?

"...called according to his purpose...to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." Romans 8:28b-29

I am sure this has happened in your family, but there are times when friends see a picture of my family, they will say, "you look like your dad". Others might say, "well, you're the image of your mother".

I always get a laugh out of that... but even funnier, sometimes I get told by my husband that I act like my mother. I observe my sister, and she reminds me a lot of our mother. There is always a family resemblance one way or another.

Consider Jesus for a moment now. When Jesus was born, he took on the form of a man. He looked like ordinary man, so to speak. And we get to see God in the flesh, acting the way we ought to act.

So when God tells me in His word that He has a purpose for me - to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, there should be a family resemblance. To look like Jesus, I have to act like He would. That comes from hanging around Him, studying His character in the Word and imitating Him.

And when I look like Jesus, others will see Jesus in me. Isn't that our real purpose? To act in such a way, that others see Jesus in us? Let's look like our "Daddy--Abba, Father"!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

"Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel," (Philippians 1:12 NAS)

Have you ever been in a circumstance in which you were up against a wall and felt like there was absolutely no where to turn? I think we have all been there. This seems to be the position that Paul was in at this point in his life. He sat in a prison, probably in Rome, chained to a prison guard. (Now I call that up against a wall with no where to turn!) Instead of becoming discouraged, Paul found a way to patiently wait it out. If you read on, verse 13 tells us Paul’s imprisonment had become well known throughout the whole prison guard system. Look at what this means. Paul was probably chained to a different guard two or three times a day and each time he was sharing the gospel. Paul took a difficult circumstance and found a way to use it to glorify God.

Do you think if Paul had been anxious and worried he would have been able to share the gospel with his jailers and write an encouraging, joyful letter to the people of Philippi? He had already written these words in verse six, "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6) Paul knew God had already begun a work of grace in his life and whatever continued to happen would also be a work of grace. He was confident and patient that God’s plan was good.

Ask yourself, Is there some part of my life that has not come together as I had planned? If there seems to be a wall in the way, look around where you are and make sure you are giving your best to God in your present situation. Maybe God has someone around you, right now, that needs to hear the gospel and be shown the love of Jesus Christ through your life. Patiently wait where you are and use the time God has you "on hold" to allow Him to do His "good work" in you. We all have a message to preach and it can be done thru our circumstances, if we allow God to preach it thru us. That's the only way the gospel will advance.

"Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction." (2 Timothy 4:2 NAS)

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Expect God!

And Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze upon him (the lame man) and said, "Look at us!" And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. Acts 3:4-5

The lame man looked with anticipation to Peter and John. He was begging for alms and that is what he expected to receive. I especially like the exclamation mark behind "Look at us!" Obviously Peter wanted his attention and the man obeyed. It was because of his faith and trust in Peter and John that he expected to receive something from them.

As believers, we are required to "look at Jesus". First we ask, then we look expecting to receive something from Jesus. When we come to know Jesus as our Savior, it is by faith and trust that we receive His gift of eternal life. The key is in the word "expect". As the lame man expected to receive something, we need to expect to receive from Jesus. That's when our faith is used the most.

As we enter promo night tonight, let's expect Jesus first to be there. Let's expect a sense of unity among our team and among our other Christian sisters. Let's expect a great time of praise and worship. Let's expect a fun game of Jeopardy. Let's expect to have great fellowship with each other. Let's expect excitement....let's expect our God to do awesome things.......

Monday, February 9, 2009

In the Midst of the Storm...Find Rest!

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him." Psalm 62:5

Here we are in the middle of February and it will be in the 60's the next couple of days and we are expecting some severe thunderstorms after midnight tonight. Kind of unusual weather for this time of year...thunder instead of snow. And if you know me very well, I hate thunderstorms. Past experience has shown that lightening likes to strike my TV's (and my brother-in-law) and uproot an oak tree, throw the doghouse over our fence into our neighbor's roof and take down our chain-link fence. I hate storms!

We've all experienced storms in life and not just the kind outside our window! It may be in our family, at work, in our finances, our health or even in our church that storms come. We know it's not a matter of if they come, but when. Difficulties are an inevitable part of life--seasons of our lives change, and sometimes change brings hardship. We are all people of differing temperaments, sometimes clashing and affecting those around us, bringing environmental turmoil.

When life is "stormy", it is anything but restful. But God's Word teaches us we can rest in Him no matter what the circumstances. The original Hebrew word translated "hope" in today's verse literally means "a cord, as an attachment". In all the changes and turmoil of life, God is constant and faithful. Our cord must be attached to Him and Him alone. Anything else we try to hold on to for security can fail. He is where our soul finds rest. He is that "cord" that holds our life together when we think we're falling apart.

He is there in the midst of the storm. When the Apostle Paul was traveling to Rome in chains and was lost at sea and gave up hope, God spoke to him in the storm to give him courage and promise of being saved (Acts 17:13-25). When Job was suffering severely and his friends were accusing him of some terrible wrong, "the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm" (Job 40:6) assuring Job of His justice and that He was in control.

If you're sailing along peacefully now--rejoice! Be thankful! But when the winds begin to blow and life is not smooth sailing, attach yourself firmly to the Lord, hold on to Him--and find rest.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Are you in the "belly of a whale?

In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry." (Jonah 2:2)

Jonah is an interesting character. I taught in our kids Sunday School class a couple of weeks ago on Jonah and told them he was one of my favorite Bible characters. For this week, I want to take a look at him and ask the question, "What caused him to turn and repent?"

Chapter 2 opens with Jonah rescued, from drowning, but still in a desperate situation. From the time God gave this assignment, to this point, Jonah left one very important thing out of his life, prayer. He did not pray when God told him to go to Nineveh, he did not pray before getting on the ship to Tarshish, he did not pray during the storm, and he did not pray before being cast into the ocean. He was so busy running and being scared, he forgot the most important comfort that God offers us. Jonah 2:1 says, "From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God." Finally, he stopped to pray, or rather God stopped him so he would have nothing to do but pray. Jonah, in the most desperate situation of his life, prayed.

Have you been there, constantly trying to do it all your way and nothing works out? Have you, at some point, "hit the wall" and been left with nowhere to turn and no way out? It is a horrible place to find yourself. I have known people that have been in those situations...I myself have had times where I have been in that situation. Jonah got out of the practice of praying and looking to God for guidance. He turned so far from the Lord and ran away so fast that now He has hit that wall. And to be honest, I bet all of us have done that from time to time.

The Wycliff Bible Commentary writes this about Jonah 2:2. "According to the Hebrew way of thinking, genuine hearing involved response. For man, hearing God involved obeying Him. For God, hearing man involved delivering him." Don’t you love that? If God hears you pray, He will deliver you, and if you pray, He will hear you. "And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we ask of him." (1 John 5:15)

Jonah was delivered, ". . . But you brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God." (Jonah 2:6), We all will have times that we need delivered too. But let’s learn from this situation. Don’t get out of the habit of praying. Stay in contact with the Lord through good and bad situations and maybe you can avoid those situations that feel like being in the "belly of a whale."

"But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord." (Jonah 2:9)

Monday, January 26, 2009

Dwell in the house of the Lord!

"One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple." (Psalm 27:4 NIV)

Our relationship with God should be based on one thing - fellowship with Christ. The first priority of our day should be spending time in the presence of Jesus Christ. You can read, pray, listen and praise Him on a daily basis. This should be the one thing in our lives that we will not sacrifice for anything or anyone. Our time with Jesus should be very special to us.

It is very special to Him as well. In Luke 10, Jesus chastised Martha when she let daily activities come between her and spending time with Him. Paul told the Philippians in chapter 3 that he was continually "straining toward what is ahead..., to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward..." It was a daily effort for Paul to reach the goal of fellowship with Jesus.

I don't pretend that this has been as easy task to pursue. My daily time with the Lord has been many years developing to what it is, and I still have a long way to go, but it has become the most valuable part of my day. Let me challenge you to "dwell in the house of the Lord...", daily, and He will become the one thing you cannot live without.

Worship Him right now! Stop and just give him the names that He deserves.....Creator, Redeemer, Emmanuel, Alpha & Omega......and keep it going until you have exhausted all of the Biblical names you can think of.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Take the Time!

"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights." Psalm 18:32,33

I want you to close your eyes and imagine a lighthouse. Well I guess you can't really close your eyes because then you couldn't read what to do next. Anyway, imagine a lighthouse. There is usually a path that takes you up a hill on a rock. You take that windy, rocky path and you finally get to the top. And the view! It is His view. It is breathtaking. Looking out into an ocean. All is calm, all is still! You feel close to God.

The above is one of my favorite verses, found also in Habakkuk 3:19. In the midst of difficult climbs, on days when nothing goes right, God gives me the strength to continue on the path, even though it is steep and rocky. Sometimes, God even gives us the strength to run up the hill. He'll get you to the heights.

Take the time to experience the strength of God. Take the time to go to the heights (as the verse ends). Let God equip you to run when you can barely walk.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Give it up! Give it over!

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Phillippians 4:6

If you are like me, when you read this verse, you probably say "That's easier said than done. If you only knew what I'm going through." True, I don't know your individual needs or worried thoughts.

What I have learned during my own personal growing experiences is that God's Word has never failed me in my greatest time of need. He doesn't say He will answer my every need. As a child I learned that God may answer "yes", "no", or "wait." As an adult, I have received all of the above answers, not understanding them, but knowing He loves me. Many times the "yes" I so desparately wanted was the "no" God knew I needed. Hind-sight is a good teacher. I was so thankful God said "no".

I don't know your circumstances, your anxious thoughts, or your pain; but our heavenly Father knows the yesterday, today and tomorrows of your life. If you let him know your burdens, then you don't have a load to carry any longer...besides, He'll be up all the time anyway! Let Him carry your anxieties for you so you can focus on the responsibilities of today and sleep peacefully through the night.

Give it up! Give it over!

Monday, January 5, 2009

Look Up

I was hesitant to write this today, but something in my spirit told me to write this. It is not as upbeat as I had desired, but spoke to me personally anyway.

Are you waiting on God to answer your prayers? Maybe you are waiting on him to help that loved one you have been praying for and their need for salvation? Maybe you are worried about one of your children. Maybe, you yourself, are going thru some issues that you are trying to get out of. Never give up. Even though it may seem that God is far away, He is still there. He is hearing your cry. He will bring deliverance in due time. When reading Psalm 69:3, we are reminded:

"I am weary of crying; my throat is dried: my eyes fail while I wait for my God"

We all know David had to wait and wait on God as he earnestly prayed to him. I always love to read the Message Bible's translation for Scripture and for this particular verse, here is how it reads:

"I am hoarse from calling for help. Bleary-eyed from searching the sky for God"

The most important thing we can do when going thru life's difficulties or trauma's is to LOOK UP. Don't look at the problem, but look at the One who will get you thru the problem. When you look at your problems, you will sink, but when you look up, you will receive strength. I heard a sermon yesterday about problems and provisions. It was explained that, yes, we will have problems, but if we dwell on the problem we will wander like the Israelites did for 40 years in the wilderness. All they did was look at the problem and compared it to the past, so God had them wander a little longer. It wasn't until they quit looking at the past that he led them to the promised land (the provision). God will provide no matter what we go thru, we just need to LOOK UP and not thru the rear view mirror.