Friday, June 30, 2017

July 1, 2017

“We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you.”  Psalm 33:20-22

For the Founding Fathers, the doctrine of the providence of God was inextricably linked to the idea that Jesus Christ was the Creator who decrees law and sustains life. It was these men who pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor, having acknowledged their “firm reliance on divine Providence.” It was these men who repeatedly passed laws calling for days of national thanksgiving, humiliation, and prayer in response to the work of providence which they specifically defined in their official acts in terms of Jesus Christ and the moving of the Holy Spirit. It was these men who officially recognized the Trinitarian view of providence when they signed the Treaty of Paris in 1783 on behalf of the United States, “In the name of the most holy and undivided Trinity, It having pleased the divine Providence...”

George Washington describes his capture of Boston, 1776:

"Upon their discovery of the works next morning, great preparations were made for attacking them; but not being ready before afternoon, and the weather getting very tempestuous, much blood was saved, and a very important blow, to one side or the other, was prevented. That this most remarkable interposition of Providence is for some a wise purpose, I have not a doubt."

In his original draft of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson had written:

"And for the support of this declaration, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

But Congress amended it to read:

"And for the support of this declaration, [with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence,] we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."  (And they did!)  

The Israelites left Egypt and wandered in the desert in their quest for the Promised Land motivated by their hope and desire to establish a nation blessed of God where they could live in peace and prosperity. Their only hope was in their God and in His divine providence.

Likewise, our Founders were constantly cognizant of God's providence and divine intervention on behalf of the colonists against overwhelming odds in their fight for independence. They trusted in:

God Our Foundation - “We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield…..”

A nation built on the Word of God, by the will of God, for the worship of God and the work of His Kingdom is built on a firm foundation!

God Our Father – “In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name……”

The providence of God is based upon His role as a Father of His people. If we as human fathers are committed to provide for and protect our families, how much more would our Heavenly Father care for us?

God Our Future – “May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you.”

Just as God, our Father has provided and protected and blessed us in days gone by there is every reason to trust that He will continue to do so in the coming days if we choose to obey Him and serve Him as we have in the past.

We see that over 241 years ago when the Founders where fighting for their freedom while framing the documents that would shape the new nation, their hopes were pinned fully upon God's power and His providence.

If our great nation is to survive another 241 years, or even 41 years, our hope must be upon our Heavenly Father!





Security From The Inside Out

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance. From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth— he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine”.  Psalm 33:12-19



Where should we look for national security in a post-911 world of terrorists who are developing nuclear weapons? Ours is a world governed by the aggressive use of force, is it realistic to think that trusting God can keep us safe?

Think about the Exodus! Think about the Red Sea! Think about Jericho! Think David and Goliath! Think Gideon and the Midianites. But more recently, consider this:


Numerous miracles were reported during the famous 1967 war. One such story involved a Catholic journalist who was reporting on the front lines during the war. Ernie Miller had personally met this man in Baton Rouge, LA. The journalist was reporting from the Sinai Desert during the 1967 war. The battle had become very intense and there were numerous casualties. At one point an Israeli soldier was rushed into the medical tent, where the journalist was wiring front line information.

The journalist observed that the soldier was severely wounded. In fact he had been shot in the intestinal area, and his intestines were hanging from his body. He knew it was only a matter of time until the man would die. Yet, the man, who was fully conscience, began praying and saying the various names of God in the Hebrew language. As he prayed he began to talk about God’s ability to heal him and to defeat the enemy armies. To the journalist amazement, the man suddenly screamed, and jumped up from the cot. His intestines were back inside his body and the entire area was healed! The man was jumping and screaming, and ran out of the tent praising God.



The journalist told Ernie, “I am a Catholic and I am suppose to believe in miracles but had never seen one. That day, I saw one with my own eyes that was a true miracle!”

This amazing story clearly demonstrates that the “Battle belongs to the Lord!”



Maybe it is just me but it seems the best way to anticipate what we can trust God for in the future is to see what He has done for His people in the past. Since He never changes and is the same "yesterday, today and tomorrow" it seems like making Him the foundation of our national security makes sense! God did a good job of protecting His nation, Israel when they trusted Him. But Israel maintained an army, too.

The big point here is that security comes from the inside out. Like everything else in our world, it is fundamentally a spiritual issue. God may preserve your life or He may choose not to. Christians die in war as pagans do. But we know He always preserves the soul who has trusted Christ for salvation. Have you received His salvation from your sins and entered into an eternal relationship with God? If you have you can live in this assurance:

"Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”     Psalm 91

Thursday, June 29, 2017

June 29, 2017

"For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The LORD loves righteousness and justice;"  Psalms 33:1

Even a cursory reading of the Founding Fathers reveals a strong desire by them to establish a nation where righteousness could flourish protected by justice. These two concepts are really inseperable and they derive from the essential character of God. In fact, the root word for righteousness and justice occurs 510 times in the Word of God and 102 times it is translated "justice" while 394 times it is rendered "righteousness".

This gives us an important insight into the principles upon which our nation was founded and how the Founders intended for it to be preserved. They understood that freedom is dependent upon justice and righteousness and they also knew that justice and righteousness are dependent on absolute truth.

Our Founding Fathers were versed in the Scriptures well enough to understand the fallen nature of man and were aware that human nature does not tend toward what is right or just or free. So they prayerfully gave much thought and discussion to how to protect the nation from the greedy self-destructive nature of men. The only way that was possible was to establish our system of justice on the absolute truth revealed in the Commandments and the teachings of Christ.

While not all of the Founders were devoted Christians as we evangelicals define discipleship, but they were pragmatic and they were sincere seekers of truth which led them to the conclusion that they must establish this new government on principles of righteousness and justice expressed in the God of the Bible, ""For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The LORD loves righteousness and justice;"

Any attempt to deny or pervert or revise this undeniable truth of our founding is in fact, a violation of this principle. Perhaps the biggest assault on justice is the perversion of justice is the politically correct notion of "fairness" or "social justice" as they refer to it. Social justice comes out of the mistaken belief that rights come from government and that government has a responsibility to make everything fair for everyone. The primary means of achieving social justice is redistributing wealth by taking it from those who have the most wealth and giving it to those who don't have much.

The Founding Fathers believed in that all men were created by God and were created equal therefore deserving equal opportunity and equal justice under the law. But having an equal opportunity is much different that trying to create equal outcomes. It is a misguided pipe dream that has been attempted in many nations throughout the 20th century and has never worked. What it creates is a lot of people who are equally poor and miserable.

Jesus never believed in fairness. He told a parable about the talents in which the three servants were each given different amounts of money to invest and the two who were the wisest ended up with more and the one who did not invest lost all he had.

But rather than rant against those who have set themselves up as enemies of our founding principles, I challenge you to live by them yourself. Guide your own decisions and conduct by these absolute truths expressed in God's Word. Treat others justly. If you want to turn our nation back to these timeless principles that foster true liberty, start with you! Movements consists of individuals committed to a cause. It will take more than just Superman being committed to "Truth, Justice and the American Way" it will also take you!










Tuesday, June 27, 2017

The Founding Fathers: A Strong Desire For Justice

"For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The LORD loves righteousness and justice;"  Psalms 33:1



Even a cursory reading of the Founding Fathers reveals a strong desire by them to establish a nation where righteousness could flourish protected by justice. These two concepts are really inseparable and they derive from the essential character of God. In fact, the root word for righteousness and justice occurs 510 times in the Word of God and 102 times it is translated "justice" while 394 times it is rendered "righteousness".

This gives us an important insight into the principles upon which our nation was founded and how the Founders intended for it to be preserved. They understood that freedom is dependent upon justice and righteousness and they also knew that justice and righteousness are dependent on absolute truth.

Our Founding Fathers were versed in the Scriptures well enough to understand the fallen nature of man and were aware that human nature does not tend toward what is right or just or free. So they prayerfully gave much thought and discussion to how to protect the nation from the greedy self-destructive nature of men. The only way that was possible was to establish our system of justice on the absolute truth revealed in the Commandments and the teachings of Christ.

While not all of the Founders were devoted Christians as we evangelicals define discipleship, but they were pragmatic and they were sincere seekers of truth which led them to the conclusion that they must establish this new government on principles of righteousness and justice expressed in the God of the Bible, ""For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The LORD loves righteousness and justice;"

Any attempt to deny or pervert or revise this undeniable truth of our founding is in fact, a violation of this principle. Perhaps the biggest assault on justice is the perversion of justice is the politically correct notion of "fairness" or "social justice" as they refer to it. Social justice comes out of the mistaken belief that rights come from government and that government has a responsibility to make everything fair for everyone. The primary means of achieving social justice is redistributing wealth by taking it from those who have the most wealth and giving it to those who don't have much.

The Founding Fathers believed in that all men were created by God and were created equal therefore deserving equal opportunity and equal justice under the law. But having an equal opportunity is much different that trying to create equal outcomes. It is a misguided pipe dream that has been attempted in many nations throughout the 20th century and has never worked. What it creates is a lot of people who are equally poor and miserable.

Jesus never believed in fairness. He told a parable about the talents in which the three servants were each given different amounts of money to invest and the two who were the wisest ended up with more and the one who did not invest lost all he had.

But rather than rant against those who have set themselves up as enemies of our founding principles, I challenge you to live by them yourself. Guide your own decisions and conduct by these absolute truths expressed in God's Word. Treat others justly. If you want to turn our nation back to these timeless principles that foster true liberty, start with you! Movements consists of individuals committed to a cause. It will take more than just Superman being committed to "Truth, Justice and the American Way" it will also take you!

Monday, June 26, 2017

June 27, 2017

"Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy."   Psalms 33:1-3

God raised up the nation of Israel to be a people who would worship Him! He raised up a nation of people through whom He could demonstrate His great power and grace. He formed a nation out of whom a Savior could be born.

Many Bible scholars believe this Psalms refers only and directly to the nation of Israel. That may be true, but no serious student of history can deny that one of the driving forces behind the founding of America and then the establishment of the United States was a desire to have a place where the citizens could worship freely.

With the Founders freely acknowledging that rights and freedom devolve from God, how could they then deny their citizens the right to worship freely - or not to worship at all?

Consider some of these quotes:

"Every man "ought to be protected in worshipping the Deity according to the dictates of his own conscience." - George Washington (Letter to the United Baptist Churches in Virginia in May, 1789)

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religion but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We shall not fight alone. God presides over the destinies of nations." - Patrick Henry

"He said, “We have staked the whole of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self‐government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.” - James Madison

The desire to worship as a man chooses found expression in the First Amendment of the national constitution, part of the United States' Bill of Rights: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

William Bradford wrote that they [the Pilgrims] were seeking:

“a better, and easier place of living”; and that “the children of the group were being drawn away by evil examples into extravagance and dangerous courses [in Holland]“

“The great hope, and for the propagating and advancing the gospel of the kingdom of Christ in those remote parts of the world”

"I. . . [rely] upon the merits of Jesus Christ for a pardon of all my sins.

The name of the Lord (says the Scripture) is a strong tower; thither the righteous flee and are safe [Proverbs 18:10]. Let us secure His favor and He will lead us through the journey of this life and at length receive us to a better.

I conceive we cannot better express ourselves than by humbly supplicating the Supreme Ruler of the world . . . that the confusions that are and have been among the nations may be overruled by the promoting and speedily bringing in the holy and happy period when the kingdoms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may be everywhere established, and the people willingly bow to the scepter of Him who is the Prince of Peace.

He also called on the State of Massachusetts to pray that . . .

the peaceful and glorious reign of our Divine Redeemer may be known and enjoyed throughout the whole family of mankind.

we may with one heart and voice humbly implore His gracious and free pardon through Jesus Christ, supplicating His Divine aid . . . [and] above all to cause the religion of Jesus Christ, in its true spirit, to spread far and wide till the whole earth shall be filled with His glory.

with true contrition of heart to confess their sins to God and implore forgiveness through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior. - Samuel Adams

Have you taken time to worship God today? Have you thanked Him for the Founding Fathers who were used by Him to establish this great nation that has blessed so many people across the world?

The ability and freedom to worship God as you see fit is one of the great blessings you have as a believer in Jesus Christ!

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord...."














June 26, 2017

"Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance. From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth— he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,  to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you." Psalm 33

I understand that the immediate context of these verses applies to the nation of Israel but I can see the "big idea" that looks like what America became. See what you think.

The Purpose of Our Nation, Vv. 1-3

God raised up the nation of Israel to be a people who would worship Him! He raised up a nation of people through whom He could demonstrate His great power and grace. He formed a nation out of whom a Savior could be born.

While I will be developing this thought throughout the week, I believe the freedom to worship God without pressure or interference from the government was a driving force toward the founding of this nation.

The Principles of Our Nation, Vv. 4-11

Two of the foundational principles upon which our great nation was established are mentioned here: righteousness and justice. Righteousness essentially means that we look to God to determine what is right and wrong and justice is the implementation of right and wrong. A sincere wholesale return to righteousness and justice would sure help restore our nation today!

The Protection of Our Nation, Vv. 12-19

Where should we look for national security in a post-911 world of terrorists who are developing nuclear weapons? Ours is a world governed by the aggressive use of force, is it realistic to think that trusting God can keep us safe?

God did a good job of protecting His nation, Israel when they trusted Him. But Israel maintained an army, too. But I think the big point here is that security comes from the inside out. Like everything else in our world, it is fundamentally a spiritual issue.

The Promise of Our Nation, Vv. 20-22

Is fundamental change really the hope of our future? Doesn't it make more sense to understand what has worked for us in the past and project that forward? Should we not rediscover the roots of our greatness and replant the seeds of our success?


"Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD" ..........

Saturday, June 24, 2017

June 25, 2017

"Since you became alive again, so to speak, when Christ arose from the dead, now set your sights on the rich treasures and joys of heaven where he sits beside God in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts; don’t spend your time worrying about things down here. You should have as little desire for this world as a dead person does. Your real life is in heaven with Christ and God. And when Christ who is our real life comes back again, you will shine with him and share in all his glories. Away then with sinful, earthly things; deaden the evil desires lurking within you; have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires; don’t worship the good things of life, for that is idolatry. God’s terrible anger is upon those who do such things. You used to do them when your life was still part of this world; but now is the time to cast off and throw away all these rotten garments of anger, hatred, cursing, and dirty language. Don’t tell lies to each other; it was your old life with all its wickedness that did that sort of thing; now it is dead and gone. You are living a brand new kind of life that is continually learning more and more of what is right, and trying constantly to be more and more like Christ who created this new life within you." Colossians 3:1-10
Wow, we are born with a lot of harmful habits!
So when God gives us a holy heart how do we dump those harmful habits and develop holy habits?
Here are three keys:
1) Submit
2) Surrender
3) Substitute
Submit yourself to the Lord along with your harmful habits. Confess your weakness and inability to overcome these habits. Express your disgust with these habits and your desire to develop holy habits.
Further, don't attempt to overcome all your habits at once! Submit them individually and attack each one with undivided devotion.
Surrender the source of your harmful habits, your selfish will. Early on this may be an hourly process. But when your will is surrendered and consecrated to His will the battle gets much easier. How can you hope to develop His habits without being led by His will?
Substitute His holy habits for your harmful habits. I am convinced that the best way to rid yourself of old habits is not to stop them but to substitute new habits in their place. To do so with take intentional focus and determined faith. 
Be realistic and allow for some hits and misses early on. Celebrate your wins and allow your losses to make you more determined. 
Prayer will be an essential and prayer with fasting might be necessary in some cases.
Here are five habits we are recommending this Summer. They form the acrostic "BELLS" and will greatly assist in making you much more effective reaching people for Christ.
1) Bless - develop the habit of blessing at least three people every week. It may be a gift or a visit or a phone call, but do something to be a blessing. Work at making one or two of those people non-believers or new believers!
2) Eat - since you already have the habit of eating three times per day, this one should be easier. Make sure you plan a meal with at least three people during the week. Make sure at least one of those meals is with an unbeliever. Use these meals for either evangelizing or edifying.
3) Listen - perhaps when we think of witnessing we think in terms of what we need to say or we get intimidated because we don't know what to say. Well, try listening. If you listen well to others you will get to know them well and how to connect with them effectively. And, more importantly, listen to God!
4) Learn - make time regularly during the week to learn from Jesus and about Jesus through prayer, His Word and meditation.
5) Sent - live daily with a missional mindset. As a Christ-follower your life has a purpose, so act like it and live like it! Don't live your life - invest it!
Paul is very clear in this advice to believers, a holy heart demands holy habits. It won't be easy. It will be a battle but you will be on the winning side!
Make sure you have holy habits to go with your holy heart!
Make your new habit making new habits!





Friday, June 23, 2017

June 24, 2017

"So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. You must also do good to prove that you have it. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good works is no faith at all—it is dead and useless. But someone may well argue, “You say the way to God is by faith alone, plus nothing; well, I say that good works are important too, for without good works you can’t prove whether you have faith or not; but anyone can see that I have faith by the way I act.” Are there still some among you who hold that “only believing” is enough? Believing in one God? Well, remember that the demons believe this too—so strongly that they tremble in terror! Fool! When will you ever learn that “believing” is useless without doing what God wants you to? Faith that does not result in good deeds is not real faith." James 2:17-20

Complete this sentence. "If you do what you've always done you will get what _________________."

Try this one, "To do what you have always done and expect a different result is  the definition of __________.

Do you agree with those two sentences?

Okay, then, when you put those two pieces of conventional wisdom together,  I can make a case that bad habits that are not addressed have the potential to drive you crazy. 

Right?

And, when your heart believes one thing while your habits show something different you are at least conflicted and maybe crazy.

No one wants to be crazy and those who are don't want to admit it.

But the point is this, if you don't like how your life is going you must change some habits. It isn't easy but it is necessary.

Habits become very comfortable because you don't have to think about them. They have become ingrained patterns of behavior and by nature we are lazy.

Changing a habit is hard because you DO have to think about it. You have to consciously and willfully take an action that is unnatural and uncomfortable. You also have to change a thought pattern because thoughts precede actions.

So, wanting a better outcome for your life without changing any habits is crazy. But changing habits of behavior and thinking can make you feel like you're crazy.

To be happy and content in life your heart and your habits must match. Your actions must be consistent with your beliefs.

That is the point James is making in this Scripture. If God has changed your heart then you must change your habits to match up with your new nature. 

Just as it takes the power of God's Holy Spirit through the grace of Jesus to transform your sinful nature so it will also take nothing less than the power of God to help you change your habits.

God calls you to have a holy heart. And He calls you to also form holy habits. 

It's crazy to think you can have a holy heart but not have holy habits.

It's crazy to think you can have holy habits without having a holy heart.

It's crazy to think you can change either your heart or your habits without the help of God.

It's crazy to think He can't do it and it is even crazier not to ask Him.

Don't be crazy. Be conformed by the power of God in your heart and it your habits.




Thursday, June 22, 2017

June 23, 2017

Since you became alive again, so to speak, when Christ arose from the dead, now set your sights on the rich treasures and joys of heaven where he sits beside God in the place of honor and power.  Let heaven fill your thoughts; don’t spend your time worrying about things down here.  You should have as little desire for this world as a dead person does. Your real life is in heaven with Christ and God.  And when Christ who is our real life comes back again, you will shine with him and share in all his glories. Away then with sinful, earthly things; deaden the evil desires lurking within you; have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires; don’t worship the good things of life, for that is idolatry.  God’s terrible anger is upon those who do such things.  You used to do them when your life was still part of this world;  but now is the time to cast off and throw away all these rotten garments of anger, hatred, cursing, and dirty language. Don’t tell lies to each other; it was your old life with all its wickedness that did that sort of thing; now it is dead and gone.  You are living a brand new kind of life that is continually learning more and more of what is right, and trying constantly to be more and more like Christ who created this new life within you.” Colossians 3:1-10
The Bible is quite clear that when your heart is changed by faith in Jesus, your habits should change as well.
If you have been a follower of Christ for awhile but are still caught up in the habits of your old life, something is wrong.
Here are some things that must change as evidence you have changed. 
When you became a Christian you were given a new direction! You are to follow in the direction God and His Word leads you! 
Before you knew Christ you were walking away from God and following your own desires. That direction has changed.
When you became a Christian you were given a new destiny! Before you came to trust Christ your destiny was an eternity separated from God in a horrible place called Hell.
But now, as a Christ-follower, your destiny is to be formed into the image of Christ! That includes having habits like Him.
When you became a Christian you were given a new dynamic! The day you trusted Christ to save you you were given the Holy Spirit. 
God's Holy Spirit is the presence of God. So, since you have the Spirit of God you have His presence no matter where you go! You will never be be alone!
Also, God's Spirit is the power of GOD active in your life to enable you to resist temptation when the enemy comes to tempt.
The same power that spoke the universe into existence can speak to your need, your fears, your uncertainty, your confusion and your broken heart.
Don't you think the same power that created you should also be able to change you and your habits?
His power is greater than anything that can come against you or oppose you! Including your habits!
So, if you have received a new direction and a new destiny and a new dynamic don't you think you should develop new habits?
Only God can change your heart but only you can change your habits!



Wednesday, June 21, 2017

June 22, 2017

"Follow God’s example in everything you do just as a much loved child imitates his father. Be full of love for others, following the example of Christ who loved you and gave himself to God as a sacrifice to take away your sins. And God was pleased, for Christ’s love for you was like sweet perfume to him. Let there be no sex sin, impurity or greed among you. Let no one be able to accuse you of any such things. Dirty stories, foul talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, remind each other of God’s goodness, and be thankful.You can be sure of this: The Kingdom of Christ and of God will never belong to anyone who is impure or greedy, for a greedy person is really an idol worshiper—he loves and worships the good things of this life more than God. Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the terrible wrath of God is upon all those who do them. Don’t even associate with such people. For though once your heart was full of darkness, now it is full of light from the Lord, and your behavior should show it! Because of this light within you, you should do only what is good and right and true." Ephesians 5:1-9
Although Ben is a close relative of mine our stories couldn't be more different.
I made a decision to follow Christ at seven years old, surrendered to His Lordship at fourteen and answered the call to full-time ministry at 18. By the age of 22 I was leading a Wesleyan Church in Princeton, Illinois.
Did I have lapses in my spiritual walk?
Sure.
Did I make some unwise decisions in my teen years?
Of course I did.
But did I develop harmful sinful habits?
No, I didn't.
Unlike Ben, I resisted temptations to try smoking or get involved with drinking alcohol. Those were habits I never developed. I have never smoked and never started drinking. 
I had some unstable people in my life who were alcoholics and I got an up close look at the futility brought on by that addiction and the pain it inflicts on others. That cured me of any desire to get involved with alcohol.
God gave me the wisdom to surround myself with like-minded godly people. I stayed active in church, youth group, youth camps, youth rallies and a Campus Life group in my high school. Playing high school baseball and basketball helped keep me busy, physically fit and personally disciplined. And being accepted by the "in crowd" at high school was not a high priority for me. I liked everyone and most people liked me.
In college I was a spiritual leader on campus, a leader in student government, a leader in my class, played soccer in the Fall, basketball in the Winter and baseball in the Spring.
I know what you are thinking, "You were one boring kid."
Pretty much.
It's a solid resume' but not the spectacular testimony people clamor to hear. No one will want to write a book or make a movie about my story.
But, unlike Ben, I came through high school and college without harmful habits I had to overcome. So, overcoming harmful habits was not much of a struggle for me. I'm thankful for that!
Don't get me wrong, I have some bad habits. I bite my fingernails. I don't get enough sleep. I tend to drive too fast. I don't call my mother often enough.
My struggle has been consistently developing helpful and holy habits. It is a daily challenge to carve out a quiet time in the Word and prayer. It requires daily discipline to walk in the Spirit. Making time to read a good book each week is not always easy. Its a struggle to get into the gym several times a week to stay fit. Developing friendships with men who don't know Jesus is an ongoing challenge. Scheduling time to visit or meet regularly with other Christians requires constant attention. For many years I blocked out a day each month to go away somewhere and spend a day with God. I am finding that hard to maintain recently.
So defeating harmful habits is essential for every believer who is devoted to following God. If God has changed your heart your habits need to reflect that!
A holy heart must be demonstrated by holy habits.
God can change your heart but only you can change your habits.
Are you still battling a harmful habit?
What is your plan for overcoming that habit?
Who is helping you and who is holding you accountable?
We're in this battle together SO LET'S WIN IT!
We must repeal our harmful habits and replace them with holy habits - beginning today!