Send to God

When we look at sending praise to God, it most focus around our worship.  We are created for this very purpose.  When we worship we have the opportunity to encounter a God that is worthy of our praise.  When we worship, we send our emotions and our love towards heaven.  If we ever expect to receive all that God has for us we must send our up our praise and have an open line of communication with him.

 So in order for us to worship the creator we must understand what true worship is.  It is not an act that we may do on a Sunday morning after the fast songs, it is not saying I love you Lord on Sunday mornings and then living every day in the opposite, it is however a lifestyle.  True worship is an outward expression of the heart.  Not only does every person have a desire to worship, but every person does worship something.  God created us to be people of worship, and until he becomes the true focus of our worship, our lives will remain meaningless.  As we “delight ourselves in the Lord” we will discover the desires of our heart (Psalms 34: 4). 

In Luke 7:36-50, we look closely at a woman who had the send part of her life down pat.  She had a burning desire to send all that she had to him in hopes that he would then give her something far greater than she had ever received and in the end connecting with Him deeper than she ever had before.  Our story begins as the woman finds out that Jesus is at a house and she drops everything and goes to this house.  In verse 38 we see her begin the sending part towards him, it says that she stood at His feet and then we find her kneeling at His feet.  She took steps to get to were she ended up: 

She heard about him being there. 

She dropped what she was doing and went to the house.

She stood besides Him.

She knelt at His feet.

We see her progression beginning at her burning desire to worship.  She had a true love for Jesus.  True love for something or someone will cause hindrances or pride to fade away.  She didn’t care what others thought of her. 

As the story moves on we see her continue in this act of worship as brings something of great importance with her to purposely use as a sacrifice of love towards Jesus. She knew that true worship would always require great sacrifice.  She knew that with her true worship that true rewards would come, and she received all that they were.  She received forgiveness, salvation, and peace (Luke 7:49-50). 

Today we have to prepare our hearts to give worship to God:  From this story we have the outline to how we should prepare our hearts to send up towards God. 

1. We must separate ourselves from others so that we can find out were Jesus will be. 
2. When we find out where he is we must put all things aside and get to that point. 
3. We must humble ourselves before the lord in all that we do. 
4. In our prayers and worship we must be willing to sacrifice some things in our life that are very important to us. 
5. After the sacrifice we must thank Him for the forgiveness, the peace, and the salvation.

God help me to always give you all that is within me.  Let me get to the point that nothing else matters, and lay everything else aside to get into your presence.  Lord help me to listen for your voice, and to know Your will.  

 

 

Fire

“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot: I wish you were one or the other. So then because you are lukewarm, that you are neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16) 

Does this verse challenge you? Bother you? Identify you? Scare you? Do you remember a time where you had finally rid yourself of whatever killed your fellowship with God? Where you had strength over temptation, joy to spread around, and love for prayer? You felt like you had finally discovered what being a Child of God was all about, and your peace was unmatched. Somehow, sin, disbelief or complacency nursed their way back in and interrupted your fellowship with the Lord. Now all your joy is forgotten, and when you look at scriptures that mention God’s peace and happiness, you wonder if you can ever get back to that place, or even remember what it was like. Then in today’s verse, you see what Jesus had to say about lukewarm life, and you feel even worse! 

So what is the solution? Jesus said he would have us either hot or cold, and we certainly don’t want to become cold, so there is only one choice. We must get to a point where we are spiritually hotter than ever. But how? When Jesus mentioned spewing us out of his mouth because we are lukewarm, we get the image of a beverage that is either served hot or cold. What beverage do you know of heats itself? No drink - coffee, tea, hot chocolate, anything - becomes hot without flame or heat from an external source acting on it to make its temperature rise. 

It’s the same with spiritually. While many people seek to fit the term on fire, the truth is we cannot heat ourselves. Even if we devote hours to reading scripture, promise not to sin, and fight with all our heart to avoid tempting situations. We may get discipline from it, but we still won’t have that spiritual hotness that we and God both desire. We cannot heat ourselves! But we CAN make the decision to change, restore our fellowship by confessing and repenting of sins, and ASK God to put the flame to us. As soon as we acknowledge that it’s not about what we do, but about what God does for us, then we will experience grace. True zeal for God is caused when he affects our lives, when he stokes the fire, and when he gives us the grace to be all he desires. 

Then with grateful and joyous hearts, we have no choice but to be zealous for Him. And it is done this way so He gets all the glory. So, cold or hot? How about on fire!? It can be yours if you simply repent, believe, and ask. And keep asking.  He rewards faith, and faith doesn’t give up. Your Fathers good pleasure is to give you the Kingdom. He wants to be pleased by you just as much as you want to be pleasing to him. So pray, and wait for His answer. The word promises that if we ask, and believe, we have what we asked for. And when God answers, when he stokes your faith up again - you will be able to identify yourself without hesitation as one of the few and happy who are on fire for God.  

God, in the many decisions that we face daily in our lives, let us always trust you in all that we do.  Let me always look forward to the future and who holds it!  I thank you lord for giving us hope and I cannot wait to see what You have in store for us!  Help me to always be on fire for You!  

Prayer

Why pray? 

      That’s a key question on know many people have asked me throughout the years.  In fact, its a question I have even asked myself. How we answer it will inform our entire prayer life.  Most people would say that we pray to make things happen. One theologian says, “Prayer is God granting man the dignity of causality.” I think that means prayer gets things done. People pray; God moves; things happen. It makes sense.

     

        But other people say that prayer isn’t so much about making things happen as getting in touch with God. It’s not to change God or change the world, but to change us. The ultimate purpose of prayer is to bring our hearts into line with God’s, so that we think his thoughts and feel his feelings.

      

       Is prayer for the personal man or the community of faith? Is prayer a way of doing or a way of being? Or is it both? The Bible doesn’t seem to see this as an “either/or” dilemma but a “both/and” reality. Sure, prayer gets things done, but it works because the hearts of the pray-ers are synchronized with the heart of God. Prayer gets things done when it’s practiced “in the name of Jesus.” To pray in Jesus’ name is not to use a magical potion, but to pray with the vision and values of the Son of God. It’s to pray what Jesus would pray if he were in your shoes and on your knees.

      

      A great example of praying with God’s heart took place 2,000 years before Christ. In Genesis 18:17-21, God told Abraham what he intended to do to Sodom and Gomorrah, which was burn them to the ground. This revelation moved Abraham to intercede on their behalf. In one of the most famous bargaining session of all time, Abraham haggles for the lives of the entire population. He finally gets God down to ten righteous people—if just ten good people can be found in Sodom and Gomorrah, God will spare both cities. 

       Of course, the ten righteous people don’t exist. So God executes his judgment, although he does spare four righteous people, Lot and his family. So prayer got something done as Abraham aligned his heart with God’s. Moved by God to prayer in the first place, Abraham appealed to God’s justice, entreating him not to punish the righteous along with the wicked. God responded by sparing the lives of those who were still faithful to him. That’s godly, effective prayer in a nutshell.

       Lord help me to be a man of prayer.  Don't ever let my life get so busy that I forget that time with you is the most important thing.  I pray for our lives now, and ask for your guidance, direction, and will to be done.  Bless my family, our church, and help us bless those around us.  Thank you for hearing us when we pray! 

 

Reaching out

It seems pretty obvious that God’s main plan for the church is to connect them with one another. The is the model of the church that we read about in Acts 2.  One sign of a healthy church or in my case student ministry is when many different groups (groups of students who normally wouldn’t hang out together at school) connect.  The church is designed to bring people together and to get the word of God out to the lost.   We see Jesus reaching out to people that others would not even associate with. 

As Easter approaches, I have a feeling of overwhelming responsibility to get the gospel to all generations and regardless of race, background, financial status, or any other thing the world may choose to label people with.  We know that we have to become more like Him, in order to make this plan work, but how can we do just that?  

It is by no surprise that none of us are perfect.  No one has it all together.  Everyone has disappointments, bad attitudes, and imperfections.  The good news is that we can have a new beginning when we accept God, and our relationships can become more important to us than they were before.  Jesus knew about the power of love, and showed it throughout His ministry.  He went about His Father's business often times against the grain of the norm. He didn't care what others thought, just as long as he could show love to those that needed it.  

We see in 1 John 4:7-12 that John has acquired this attitude of becoming more like Christ with his intentions and wants to share the love of God with everyone he meets.  Take a look:

 7-10My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can't know him if you don't love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God.

 11-12My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love! 

I do know that I still have a lot of imperfections, and I can hear Christina saying Amen, but I know I am trying to live the life that God has created me for.   

It is my prayer that we don't run through this important season, and forget the reason that Christ died for us, we must remember that the reason He died was because he LOVED us.  We must in turn share this love with everyone we meet.  

God, help me to be love to those that need it most.  Open the doors of opportunity that I may share your love with all.  Never let me back down from the challenge of sharing your perfect love with others.  Thank you for saving me and giving me hope for tomorrow.  Amen.  

The Image of God

 The Image of God.  What does it mean to be in made in His image?  Does it require a commitment on our part or was it just a one time thing?  Do we live in His image?  Are we living the life that God has for us?  Are we at the level where God wants us to be?  These are questions that we must ask our self when we think about the image of God. 

Are we taking His image and using it to take our spiritual man to the next level.  The level where God wants us to be.  The level where we show God through our actions, our thoughts, and our prayers.

The Image of God.  What does it mean to be in His image?  Are we the only person that can stop our self in becoming the man or woman He wants us to become?  The answer is yes.  It should make us feel good that our past can’t stop is, our problems can’t stop us, our circumstances can’t stop us, other people cant stop us.  Only me myself and I can stop me from becoming who God intends for me to be, and that is in His image. 

How many times do we look at this as an opportunity to bathe in self-pity?  Or make excuses that start with the word if,  if I had more money, if I went to a better school, if I wasn’t so tired or busy I could do more for God. 

When I think about this in relation to my marriage, no matter how wonderful it is, it could still be better.  You can move to the next level even in your marriage.  What about our jobs, our relationships, our finances, our relationship with God?

 Are we really satisfied with where we are or do we really want to walk in His Image? 

 If we are truly hungry for God it requires us to do several things:

 1.    Have a greater responsibility: everyone must be responsible for themselves.  We must take the blame ourselves and be responsible for our actions. I must make a conscience decision to follow Him and not merely rely on others to get me through it.  

2.    We must have a greater commitment:  There will be plenty of opportunities to quit! But when you make a commitment, quitting is not an option.  It may seem hard to keep commitments but God always honors His!  

3.    We must have greater discipline: Discipline is a must.  Discipline helps us say yes to the important things and keeps us from becoming lazy. Discipline in life allows us to stay focused on the task at hand. 

4.    We must have a greater sacrifice.  No great thing is ever accomplished without sacrifice.  Jesus said to find your life you must be willing to lose it.  Jesus did just that!  

5.    We must be accountable to one another.  Everyone must be accountable to someone.  Tom move to the next level in anything, the accountability becomes greater.  Jesus said to whom much is given much is required. 

6.    We must take risks: Life Is full of risks.  The greatest hazard is to risk nothing.  Because the person who risks nothing, has nothing and is nothing. No matter what image we may resemble today, we will always be striving to walk in the Image of Christ.  

Lord help me to be molded into your Image.  Help me not to get too busy to stop what I am doing and listen to what you are saying.  Help me not to hear just hear your voice, but help me to respond to it!  Thank you for keeping us, and help us to move closer to you! 

The Dreaded flu

I know that this may seem like a horrible topic write on, but I have to give thanks to God in advance for getting us through it.  It is times like these that we all fall on our knees to God and beg for His mercy.  But the thing that really stirs me up inside is why is it that we always feel like we have to wait to get His attention.  Only in the desperate times do we feel we can call on Him.  As I have laid in bed the past few days, I know that God has had to had his laughs at my expense, as I can remember sleeping for longer than I have ever slept.   Even since my teenage years. But then I wonder does God know when we have just had enough and forces us to stop and be thankful for what we have been given.  In my case, I know the answer is yes.   He did.  And it made me realize how great our God is.  

I have found out that I never want to be in the middle of a storm or trial or in this case sickness, where I haven't called upon the name of God in a long time.  It is in these times that we need God to answer right now.  Today one of the hardest things hit me, I was the one that made my son sick.  Peyton is right now sick with the same flu I have had for the past few days.   It bothered me, it worries me, but the God thing that I stand on is doesn't surprise my God.  It doesn't even worry Him in the least little bit.  This past week has been a very busy one, so much to the point I feel like I have barely seen my sons, but I know that I have a Father who has been with them every second of every day.  

After reading this morning in the word, I see Moses getting specific instructions from God to give to the people.  They are supposed to set aside time to honor God and to give Him the due respects.  But then I find it even more interesting when one person asks him, what do we do if we are unclean?  God then responds with they can still celebrate the passover, but they must do so at the appointed time.  

Isn't there a need for an appointed time for us to meet with the Master.   I feel like we are all so unworthy of celebrating and worshipping Him for who He is but I know that He cares about even the small things in our lives.  He cares about each one of us so very very much.  We all nee dour appointed times so that we can stop and just listen and give back to Him a little of what He has given to us.  So even if sickness does come, and it might, just no that you have God's full attention and maybe now He has yours too!  

The past week has caused me to realize that without Him, I am definitely nothing.  When I am weak, He is strong.  He has been there to hold my family together when I haven't been around, and has protected my baby and my wife from this!  I plead the blood of Jesus of them so that they do not get this sickness, and that Peyton will be restored to health asap.  

God I thank you for allowing me to have access to You at all times.  We no longer need the sacrifices as of old, but we must never forget that all of us are unclean. The good news is that you can wash us white as snow, and nothing can ever separate us from your love.  I pray for the health of my family, and my extended family, as they have been a great help in the time of need. I thank you for the love and support of a church family that knows how to pray, and ask that You be with each of them.  Be with us and wash this house free of germs.   AMEN. 

Brayden Josiah

I have to say that today has been one of the greatest days of my life.  My wedding day being the first and the birth of my first son Peyton is right there with this one.  I can't explain to you How great our God is.  When you see the birth process and see the end result, I don't see how anyone can ever say there isn't a God.  I thank God for allowing us to be a part of His creation.  

Brayden Josiah was born at 1:11PM  and weighed 7.5lbs and 20 3/4 inches long.  I have always said there was no way to ever love another like I love Peyton, well I definitely know now that isn't true.  There is nothing like the feeling of your own flesh in blood in your arms.  These babies are totally dependant on us to provide for them.  It just reminds me of how much we have to depend on God for everything.  Without Him, we are nothing.  

Just remember today, as God brought a new baby into the world, yet again, the greatness of our God.  It is never too late to come home to a Father who has His arms open wide.  I thank each of you for the many prayers, and ask that God watch over each of you.  I couldn't be more proud of my wife Christina, my son Peyton, and now my son Brayden Josiah!  

The Big Day

Well as I sit here in the hospital room, waiting for our son to make his grand entrance into the world, my heart is overwhelmed with responsibility, with joy, with emotion.  I can't even begin to express what Peyton has meant to us.  He is the joy of our life.   There isn't a day goes by that he doesn't make me smile and just to think in just a few hours, I will have a new bundle of joy.  I have often times stopped to think why would God choose me.  Why would He choose us to be parents of such an awesome creations.  The more I begin to think that God loves us so much that He trust us with His creations just proves the kind of creator we serve.  

God chooses us to be a part of His creation.  Then we have to choose to serve Him or do our own thing.  There is nothing that is more rewarding than serving Him.  I know that I have failed many times, but God has always been faithful to be there when I have not.  Today, I can't imagine the love that it had to take for God to send His son into this world.  A world full of sin.  There are many parts of me that wishes we could totally surround our children from the filth of this world, but then that is why we serve such an awesome God.  

In just a few hours, Brayden Josiah will join our family.  I know that it will impossible to love Him like our creator loves us, but I will do my very best to be the best Dad I can to him and to by little buddy, the big brother, Peyton.  I can only sit here and Thank God for the gift of life, and can only imagine what this new bundle of joy will mean to our lives.  

We have definitely had a whirlwind of days the last few weeks, and I am sure this will be no exception, but I am ready to see all of the new challenges that another gift from God will bring. I can't close this post without saying to all of my family and friends thank you for all your love and prayers.  I pray that each of you renews your relationship with our creator and know that no matter what it is you are going through, God will be here.  I know He is with us now in this room, and He will be with us always.  Nothing we do can ever separate us from the love of God. 

Lord, I thank you on this awesome day in You.  I thank you for the gift of life.  I thank you for guiding us this far, and know that in the next few hours, days, weeks, and months that You will be our strength.  I pray for the delivery, for Christina, for Brayden, for the doctors and nurses.  I know Your hand will be with them.  I thank you for a peace and strength for Christina and that you will help her to endure to the end.  I thank you for this new addition to our family, and pray that You watch over his grand entrance into the world. I pray for the new big brother Peyton, so that he will be able to understand that Brayden will never take his place, but rather have a place just like his.  I pray for family and friends that are traveling here, and pray that you guide them all the way.  Lord, most of all I thank you for saving me so that on a day like today, I know where our strength comes from, our Help comes from You!  Be with us.  I love you Lord.  Amen 

The Source of the Problem

Today as I was reading in Mark chapter 7, I found a very interesting passage of scripture that made me begin to look at my own life. For many years I have heard of talk about the Pharisees of the Bible, and how they were religious, but yet did not follow the full commands of God. Often times they can be seen directly questioning Christ himself. But it wasn't until this morning that I realized have we not at times been Pharisees of sorts? I mean the biggest thing that is known of the Pharisees was there taking their scriptures and applying it to their lives as they saw fit. This passage in Mark really stirred me up though when Jesus in fact responded this to the Pharisees:

Isaiah was right about frauds like you, hit the bulls eye in fact:

These people make a big show of saying the right thing,

but their heart isn't in it.

They act like they are worshipping me,

but they don't mean it.

They just use me as cover

for teaching whatever suits their fancy,

Ditching God's commands,

and taking up the latest fads."

That looks to me like a picture of churches today. How many times have we been guilty of coming to church and did just that, put on a show. Deep down inside knowing it was just that. There was no act of obedience to God, no desire to truly enter into His presence, no heart of worship, just a mere act that was put on to satisfy the people around us. Wow, I can say that I have been guilty as charged. I have had those days where nothing was true and pure and made worship something that God never intended it to be. I have been in churches and heard messages that simply touch the simple things of life that only are pleasing to the ear and never truly deal with the commands of God. I have seen it time and time again how the so called Christians of the world are so far from the ways of God, that others choose never to come to our churches because they see how so called Christians act.

So how then can we say that the Pharisees were wrong and just act like we are OK. I think this scripture should make us look at our own life and make sure that are worship always revolves around Him. If we cannot obey the ways of God, it will be impossible for us to ever truly hear His voice, or for us to even be in His will. I am reminded of the children of Israel when God made a covenant with them, but they refused to follow His commands. It was because of the their disobedience to the covenant that God made with them that they had to go through battles and trials without God's cover. If they would have just listened the first time, God would have been with them always. The same thing is true for us. God has made promises to us and to our families, and we must be willing to follow his commands, and worship Him for who He is, not just act like we are doing so. God desires the praises of His children, and he deserves every second of it. As the children of God, we must be careful not to fall into routines, or try to do things our way, and we must be careful to listen for the voice of God.

God it is my prayer that I never get in a hurry or worship or prayer with You. I pray that I will always remember that worship is not about me at all, it is all about you. May everything that comes out of my mouth glorify you and let bit of pride fall before you. May I do everything in your Name, and never let me fall into the trap of the world in my teachings, my lifestyle, or my worship. Search me, clean me, use me. I thank you for loving us in such a way that you have never given up on us, even when we have tried our own thing. May you be with us this week, as the new life that you have given to us comes into this world. May I be the husband, father, son, brother, and friend you have called me to be. Thank you for the blessings you have shown to me and my family, and may we always remember who the Blesser is and where the blessings come from.

Back to business

Over the past few weeks I have seen God show up in more ways than one.  Without going into extreme detail I can say that the past few weeks have been well crazy.  The key to it all for me is knowing that God still sees and cares about everything going on in our lives.  I think about how many hours that I spend doing this and that and then realize that when the end of the day comes, I am just worn out and feel like doing nothing.  But then I think about the God that we serve.  What if God was like that?   I mean compared to God, our lives our simple.  We deal with work, family, friends, and then whatever extra we can squeeze into to our already busy lives, but God never stops to even take a break.  I mean right now as I write this and spend some quiet time with God, I have His undivided attention.  But what is amazing is that if someone all across the world is doing the very same thing, they also have His undivided attention.  Thankfully, we serve a God that is everything to everyone.  He is whatever we are searching for, He is whatever we are in need of, and He is always there.  In comparison to some of us, what an breath of fresh air.  

As the past few weeks have unfolded, my life and my families have been a whirlwind.  We have somehow managed to move the from a school building to a church (finally after about 3 years), I have managed to enroll myself in more classes ( not sure how that will go), we found out that our son (Brayden Josiah) will be born next Friday (unless God has different plans), and with the help of others, got through our first youth service with only minor scratches.  Even though it seemed as if there was no stopping to what has been a whirlwind of weeks, I find comfort in the fact that I have a God that has been with me every step of the way.  Nothing about this crazy time in my life surprised God.  He knew it all.  He wasn't searching for the how to book or scratching His head on what which way was up, He already knew everything about me.  The awesome thing is my God is past, present, and future all in one.  He knew me and my life before I was even born.  He has plans for me.  

Nothing surprises God.  I have found that whatever I have asked God for over the past few weeks, He has answered.  It hasn't always been like I would have like, but it has been with the loving arms of a parent.  I just wonder, what would happen if all that I did, was in sync with all that He wanted me to do.  What would happen if I truly lived every day like it was my last, and gave God all that He wanted of me?  

Lord, I pray that these thoughts would not be just that.  I pray that I would begin to live everyday in your will.  Let me hear your voice through all the chaos that life will bring.  Always help me to keep you at the center of whatever I am doing, and never let me forget who gave me life in the first place.  Lord I love you and thank you for the past few days and cannot wait to see what You have in store for my future, and the future with my new family!  Amen.   

God Is

Over the past week, I have seen God move in many different ways. I find it very interesting that wherever we go, whatever we do, whatever the need, God is. It isn't really a hard concept to grasp, but many people find this hard to believe. How can God be everywhere, always. Well without going into extreme theology, the best I can expalin it is He just is. We have to realize that God is. Whatever that means to us.

As I study the scriptures I find many pasaages throughout the Bible where God is obviosuly around, and present but the writers and mostly, us, the readers forget that He is there. After studying today, I was reading through several passages, and I know that often times we take several books in the Bible as history, and don't look at them theologically. Or I guess I should say with a purpose in mind.

I have seen God move in to many ways to just forget that He is. But why is it so hard for us to grasp. Why is it that we feel like we have to explain to God all of our needs, instead of approaching Him with the knowledge that He already is everything we need. What is it about our thoughts or misconceptions of Him that makes us think that some things we can hide from God and that if we miss simple things that He won't care. I have been drawn back to worship many times over the past month and I can't help but thinking that God just desires us to be as much in to Him as He is to us. If we could just get a glimpse of how much He truly loves and cares about all of our needs, then we would know that whatever it is, God is.

As one songwriter wrote, God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. What that means to me is there will be times when we just don't feel like worshipping. When we don't feel like praying. When we don't feel like doing what he desires. But we have to remember He will be our guide and our strength because of the simple thought God is. If we could only grasp this simple but complex thought, our lives could be so much easier. We have to realize that God is in the middle of everything and we cannot push Him out of our lives. His only desire is for us to be with Him as much as He is with us.

Lord, I pray today, that I learn to trust the simple fact that You are. If I can learn to lean on that and know that no matter what the circumstance, problem or trial, you have the answer. Let me learn to trust You in all things, and let me have a desire to spend more time with you daily. Take all of me and make me into who you want me to be. Open up doors that no man can open and help me to see all that you have for me and my family. Be with all of my family and friends and

Knowing Him means knowing the Word.

There is no doubt it is impossible to truly know someone without spending time with them. In fact, I can say without confidence to truly know someone, you must spend a lot of time and a lot of listening to find out who that person really is. The thing that concerns me the most is that we know a lot of people, TV shows, sports teams, and everything there is to know about them, but when it comes to knowing God, we don't even know where to begin. Our priorities point to everything except Him. If we would spend half as much time with Him as we do with the things of this world, then we could really know God. But why is it that we all seem to fall short of truly knowing God. I think that is has to begin with spending time in His Word.

I have struggled for years trying to hear the clear voice of God, only to find out that it is right in front of me. I have found myself praying and praying, almost like no one was there, and felt like God wasn't even listening. But the truth was right in from of me was His word, His voice, His promises. I think for us it is very hard to understand God because we can often times view God as just a source of something. A source of strength, a source of finances, a source of hope, love, etc. But He is so much more than that. Yes, He is all of those things and more, but most importantly He is our Heavenly father. His Love for us is so great, that He would go to great lengths just to prove how much he truly cares for us.

Proverbs 4 tells us that our life is at stake. We must listen to the voice of God. We must know it by heart. We must keep it in front of us always. We must ignore the distractions all around us and we must focus on Him. We must leave evil in the past. We must pursue Him. Those are strong words to us. God has a perfect plan for us but we must be willing to put the time required to hear this awesome plan. Time for us in today's busy world is a great sacrifice. But thinking to how much God gave us is it really that much for Him to ask? David once prayed, "I will not sacrifice that which costs me nothing." Wow think about that. This is so true. Why is it that we are willing to give everything that doesn't cost us, but when it really matters, if it costs us something we back away. We must get to the point to where God becomes our only priority, and the rest of life just falls in place.

God has so much for His children. I see us as a fish in a small bowl, living the same boring, ordinary life day after day. We only have allowed ourselves to view the small surroundings that we have come accustomed to. However, the problem is God has so much more for us. It reminds me of the movie Finding Nemo. When Nemo gets out of his surroundings he finds out there is a whole other worlds out there. When he puts his mind to it there is nothing that can stop him of his dream. The same is true with us. We must move out of the bowl that we live in, and move into the mighty depths of the endless ocean God has created us to live in.

God help me to stop being so shallow with You and find what it means to truly be in the relationship with the Father. Forgive me for not using all of the resources You have given to us. Help me learn to understand Your Word better as I continue my pursuit of You. Always help me remember, that there is more out there, and that I must always be looking to expand my often times narrow view of reality. Teach me your ways, and search me. Cleanse me. Help me to be ready to meet you should you come today. Always let me continue the pursuit until You come. Thank you for loving me so much. Amen.

A Meeting with God

I began to wonder this morning as I was reading through my devotion, what would be our response if God said to us that he was going to meet with us. I'm not talking about just listening and hearing our cries, but how would we respond if we had a chance to meet face to face with God. Would there be things that we would do differently? Would we be excited, anxious, or nervous and fearful?

In Exodus Chapter 19 we see Moses getting specific instructions from God to prepare the people for a encounter with God. He tells them to be prepared. He tells them to even scrub their clothes down so that they will be ready to meet God. Then the third day comes and God appears as he promised. He appeared with power and might. Smoke surrounded the people as God came down as fire. And then Moses gets a special in vitiation to come back up the mountain to come yet again face to face with God. How must that have felt for Moses? A man that had a close personal relationship with the God that created Him. God then went on and gave him the instructions on how the people were to live. What we know as the ten commandments.

After God gives the commandments to Moses he goes on to give specific instructions about worshipping Him. He says every place you go and choose to worship, I will be there and bless you. One of the major points of this promise was the sacrifice that was involved. Today, we don't have to sacrifice as they used to, however God is calling each of us to sacrifice things in our lives to get close to Him. We must be willing to give, to sacrifice, in order to draw near to God.

The thing that the sacrifice did for the people, was that it allowed them to become pure. It allowed the cloudy, dark, muddy things of their lives to be cleaned and filtered by God. When we think about what it means to be purified, we can often think of water. Water in its original form has many things that would make the taste, and even appearance be less than desired. The people were told to reverence God and not to get near the mountain. This was to create reverence towards Him. We also must learn to reverence God. We must strip away all uncleanness, all impurities in order for us to come face to face with God. The creates in us a heart of worship that God desires. It is when we get to this clean, pure state, that we will encounter the God that we seek. We must be like the water filter, we must create a pure heart daily. We must give Him all that is within us, we must scrub our clothes, and always be ready to meet God.

God, I know that I have failed you many times. Too many to count, but I thank you that even through my failures, you have allowed me to still come close to You. All I have to do is purify my heart daily. I must decrease, so that You may increase. Help me and others around me daily prepare ourselves to encounter You. To see the power that You have and also the love you have for each of us. Please help me with scheduling time with You daily. I must be a priority in all that I do. It must become more than just a time with You, let me walk in your steps daily, and keep me in your arms, your wings. Help me continue to draw near to You.

Jethro

How many times do we need someone who will just push us back into focus? Have you ever lost focused of something and needed to stop and take some time to re-focus. As I was reading today I came across a man in the Bible that served just that purpose. His name was Jethro.

Moses had a father-in-law that made him stay focused that gave him the push every one of us needs now and then. Moses had been faithfully serving Jethro and watching over the sheep, until one day Jethro said enough is enough, and pushed Moses towards the call that God had placed on his life. We may never know if Moses would have went on to do this on his own, but it was because Jethro said now is the time that we saw Moses go out an accomplish what he was called to do.

In the book 11, by Leonard Sweet, He says this about Jethro: We all need a Jethro; someone who boots you awake so you look at rather than look away, and blesses you forward with, "Go in vigor and strength in what you are going to do." Another wards, it is nice to have someone who believes in us that we can get the job done. There are times in each of our lives that we must find this kind of person that will push us to do the work we are called to do.

We all are looking to that peace in life and it is our Jethro's that push us towards it. Jethro's as Sweet says are blessers, not a flatterer. I know that from experience, I would rather someone get me focused towards the main thing and not just agree with what I was doing, because in the long run that is where I will be at peace. It is getting there that may be the problem. Jethro's push us out the door while telling us, Trust God. The way will open."

I know that there are time in my life where may people have played this role for me. I have been often times to comfortable and was not seeing the fullness of God. It wasn't until I got out of this comfortable place that I began to see the gifts of God and find the peace I was supposed to live in.

God please help me never to get comfortable in what I doing. Please help me value the relationships you have given me, and to never take for granted one that encourages me to move forward towards what God has for me. The future in You is bright, but often times can cause us to be comfortable where we are especially in a spiritual sense. I pray that I move forward spiritually this year more than ever before. Help me not to ever become comfortable in anything I do. Let everything that I do bring glory to your name. I pray for my family, my wife, my boys, and my other members of my family. I thank you for all that you have done already and pray that you continue to watch over Peyton and continue to move in his life. Be with us and let us love you with all that is within. Amen.

My God Doesn't Wear Pajamas

Have you ever just stopped to think about what kind of God we serve?  I mean, our God is a God who knows all, formed all, and has never taken His eye off of one of us.  I heard the phrase my God doesn't wear pajamas and thought about how much God truly cares for us.  He never takes a break from the action.  He never takes a vacation from the stress.  He always watches over us 24 hours a day.  He has our best interests at heart.  This is far more than we can say about us.  

I'm afraid that in the world we live in, we serve a God that desires for us to spend as much time with Him as we possibly can and yet we only can find just a few spare moments to squeeze in a memorized prayer.  Nothing we do is with much passion anymore.  It seems as our only real communication with an awesome God is rehearsed, and often times out of duty or obligation.  But why is this?  We know God created us, but why then didn't he wire us to want to spend time Him.  It is simply out of His amazing, unconditional love for us that He didn't.  It is true God does desire for us to become more intimate with Him, but he would rather have 5 minutes that we choose to give Him, than an hour he wired us to give Him.  

So why should this matter to us and what will we gain by spending this time with God.  The answer is very simple.  We have a chance of being close to the Father.  We have someone who will go before us and fight our battles.  We have one that will listen we are in need.  We can have life and have it to the fullest.  We can talk to Him anytime of the day, in any situation, good or bad.  The fact that He never rest means, no matter what, when, or where, we can get to our Father.  I know for me that is an answered prayer in itself, because there are times in which I just need someone to listen and desperately need the touch of the master.  I know from experience, that God never fails.  He never lets me down.  I have had to realize that praying His will be done, may be His timing, and His answers, but we always must remember, to get out of the way of what He may be doing!  

God I thank you for always being available to me and my family.  You are always there to hear me, and through it all you have shown your never ending love.  Love that I never deserved.  Please forgive me of the times I have failed You and help me have a desire to get to the place where I can daily hear your voice.  I thank you for the already answered prayers in Peyton and ask that you continue to bless Christina and Brayden until he arrives.  Let your light shine through me and give me guidance and direction in all that I do.  Amen.  

Right or Wrong

How is it that we can justify some things and others we cannot? I am overwhelmed with a responsibility to tell everyone about Christ, to live for Him with all that is within me, and to be child of Him the best that I can. But where does it stop for a Christian, how much can we actually do? How far must we be willing to stand our ground. It seems as if the world today has a major problem with right and wrong.

Take this for example. Today, less than one week in office, I get an email saying that President Obama has lifted a ban on federal funding for international groups that promote or perform abortions, reversing a policy of his predecessor, George W. Bush.Obama's actions mean that hundreds of millions of your tax dollars will go to help groups like Planned Parenthood perform abortions around the world. His actions came one day after the 36th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion in all 50 states.

So where does this leave us as Christians? What can we do about this or is this just another sign of the times. I can only pray that we will stand up for what is right in the eyes of the Lord until the day He returns. Having another child on the way, I cannot imagine the possibility of aborting such a precious gift from God. I have heard fro years arguments of rape or unwilling mother, but I still stand firm to the belief that life is life at conception. Without God, creation would not be possible. I know many would argue different, but the fact and the truth is only God gives life. Without His hand in all of it, from the good to the bad, life would not begin. No one can stand up for the children but us. We must continue to share our thoughts on all things and not allow the worlds thought to warp what we know as truth.

Today, as I am writing this, across America in clinics everywhere there are over 115,00 of babies that will not get a chance to breathe. My only prayer is that the people of God would not back down from what we believe and stand up for Christ in the last days. If you are one that does not think this is the last days, then let me be the first to tell you, Christ is coming soon. Don't wait for a government bailout to save you. There is only one Savior, and His name is Jesus. We all must know Him for ourselves, and soon those that know Him will meet Him face to face.

God, it is my prayer today that I will never back down from the truths you have given us. When we don't know what to say or how to respond, give us the wisdom beyond our time. Help me to be the husband, father, son, and friend that you have called me to be. I thank you for the gifts of life that you have given Christina and I. You have chosen to bless us with two children and I am excited to meet our second. The awesome thing about that is you already know what he looks like. You know how many little hairs are on his head. Before doctors or machine could even see it you know the exact numbers. Thank you for putting so much time into each of our lives. May we be a true reflection of You in our daily lives. May the gospel be shared to all! Help us to live every day like it is our last. Forgive me, of any wicked way. I love you lord. Amen.

Alone

Alone. It can be one of the most loneliest places ever for us on this earth. No one likes to always be alone. It can leave you feeling hopeless, helpless, and insecure. However, being alone with God, is when we get God's full attention. Wow, think about that. When we feel like we are not wanted, loved, or even cared about, it is then we have the full attention of God. There is nothing more comforting to have the full attention of the master. To be held in His arms. To hear His voice.

God desires for us to get alone with Him. The problem is many of us have problems doing just this. We are so insecure with who we are alone, that we never want to get there. If we always have to have a choir, preaching, or even others, then we can never truly just be with God. One of the most awesome times that I have everyday is when I get to spend my time alone. It is because I can forget everything that is going on in life, and get to spend time with the One who cares about me more than I could ever imagine. It is then that I can sing my praises, cry out of a broken spirit, sit in the masters arms. The awesome thing about it is, we can be ourselves. We don't have to always be strong, we can be exposed with Him. After all He knows everything anyway. There are no secrets in the secret place. We don't have to be ashamed of anything in our lives. We can truly just be who we are.

The secret place. What is it? Is it a place where we have to hide from others. Absolutely not. It is the only place that we can come and be who we really are. It is the place where we can come face to face with a God that loves us. We can hear the voice of one who does not condemn us, but loves us in ways that we cannot imagine. It is in this place that we can find our purpose in life. It is in this place we can find answers we are looking for. It is in this place that we can stop hiding from whatever has been holding us back or pushing us down. The awesome thing is being exposed means that we can be pliable, and then we can be shaped into the image of God. We must get beyond the veil of God, and then he will reveal all, he will uncover all. It is only then can we bless the blesser. It is only then can we truly worship. True worship has to come when no one is around, because that means we have an audience of just one. No one to impress with big words, emotions, but we can truly just give all that we have inside.

Oh, to dwell in the secret place, His presence! What will this presence do? It will dare us to believe all God says; it will make us believe all that he has promised. It is in this place that we can create a clean heart for God to come in and dwell in. Then we will have the power that is offered to us. Psalm 91:1 says, "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. " This is the only place where I can truly find safety and protection from the storms of life. Lord help me to get to this place daily.

Lord I am nothing without you. Please help me to learn that being alone doesn't mean being without. Help me know that the most comfortable place is with You, alone. It is then and only then can I hear your voice. I can see your purpose and I can be myself. I pray that you be with Peyton today, he is your child, and only you can help. Help us to have patience, and give us wisdom to help him. I pray that you bless our church, our ministry, and our family. Be with us, let us know you are near. I know something great is about to happen, and I am ready to see all that you have for us. Thanks for hearing my cries. I love You.

A World of Change

Today is a day that will go down in the history books. We have seen an election come and go and the constant theme through the campaign was Change you can believe in. No matter what your thoughts on the matter what your thoughts are on this, the truth is we have a first in the History of America, an African American President. I know that many different sets of emotions have ran through many minds, but no matter how you voted, we must get behind the leadership of our country. Why, because this is what God has asked each of us to do. We must pray for guidance and we must pray that God get put back into the center of our nation. God has always been the center and will always be there, but the world tries its best to take Him out. We must however realize that true change doesn't come from the promises of man, but from an Unchanging God.

At this change today, we saw many different views discussed, and even prayers. As a whole our country is grasping for truth and I can say that truth can only be found in Christ. I find it very interesting that we saw that TD Jakes was asked to be apart of the morning chapel service, and that Rick Warren was asked to pray. I can only hope the the nation will see in the coming days the power of Christ. He has to become the center again. I know many think that this cannot happen, but if you are one of those people, then you are limiting God's power. God will restore His nation, but no one ever said it would be easy. Thank the Lord we serve a big God. So today I pray for our nation as a whole, our newly elected President, and the future of our country.

As I was riding in the car this morning with Peyton, I could only laugh as he asked for me to play a scene in a movie over, and over, and over again. He knows the movie by heart. But then I asked myself, how many of us get used to the same routine, the same lifestyles, the same food, and we go back again, and again because it is what we have become comfortable with. Just like Peyton, knows what scenes he like to see again, we do the same things with our relationship with God. We often go to what is comfortable. What is easy. What requires little effort or thought. We just do enough to get by. This is where change must begin.

How many of our prayer routines, and Bible reading plans are unchanged? Simply a checklist for the day. How much thought do we actually put into this time? In order for us to see change in our lives, as we have seen change in our country, we must be willing to get outside of the comfortable and move into a place where things are fresh a new. One person once said, "if we do things the same we have always done, then we will always get what we always have." I don't want to always get the same results. As a matter of fact I know God has more for each of us and I want to get as much as I can before He comes back. I want the power that comes from God when we simply ask. I want to see signs and wonders instead of just reading about them.

In order for us to be able to see change in our lives, we must be willing to put the effort in. I can honestly say one thing about our President, he undoubtedly gave a lot of time, effort, and money in his campaign, and was rewarded for this. I also know that if we give the same to God, we will also be rewarded generously, more than we an ever imagine.

So today, as change has happened, why can't we make a commitment to make a change for our spiritual health as well. I pray today Lord for the well being of our country. I pray for the leadership that is now in place and for guidance that can only come from above. I pray that in my own personal life, that I am willing to get outside of the norm, and see things as You see them. Do not allow me to put Limits or boundaries in prayers, but teach me the ways to receive all that you have for me and my family. Help me hear Your voice, and never to get into the routine of prayer or study that make me miss the personal things you have just for me. Search me and keep me in your will. I love you Lord.