The Absolute Leader

Really?

2009-03-27T17:29:00Z

Quick Take - We cannot let the pressures of this world break us. If we cling to the person of Christ, He will help us through it. How, you ask? By His power and His love for you and me. There is nothing in this world that can take away your salvation. God is there for us when times are hard .

… we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;
2 Cor 4:8-9 (NASB)

     Digging Deeper – Curiosity about God and your faith will never be enough to carry you through the hard times. When we are negotiating our commitment to God, we are not going the find the kind of peace we need in this world. We need to learn that trusting God comes first, before we see the blessings of it. We cannot have the blessings of salvation until we place our full faith in Christ. We cannot have the blessings of serving Him until we have the faith to start serving Him.
     More often than not, people want to see the results of believing God before they will actually do it. Sometimes God does demonstrate His power to unbelieving people as He did in scripture, but that is different from His daily provision and care. We spend so much of our life and service to God waiting for Him to prove Himself before we let go of all our safety nets. We think we believe God, but we do not act on it.
     That was exactly what James was talking about when he said that faith without works is dead. In other words, if we are not willing to act on our faith, then we really do not have it. Too many Christians serve the god of circumstances. They are more apt to act on what they see in front of them than on what God has promised to do for those He has called. We sit by passively waiting for God to prove Himself and then congratulate ourselves for our caution.
     Read scripture again. See the many men and women of God who acted on bold faith instead of timid fleshly caution. Those who erred to the flesh were the ones God condemned as unbelieving and wicked. What would happen if Christians really believed God? I don’t mean like the health wealth and prosperity teachers talk about believing Him. I mean believing Him and His calling in our lives. I mean believing that life is best for us when we put Him, His call, His worship, and our service to Him first. I mean when we believe that there is nothing in this world that can compare to following His will. What would happen if we all believed that? Oh, I don’t know … maybe the world would start believing our testimony.
     I am sorry I missed you all yesterday, the blizzard knocked out our ISP and we could not access our site.
Blessings, and have a God glorifying day!
Tim

Another Politician

2009-03-25T16:48:00Z

I hope you took the time as a good citizen (a.k.a. a Christian fulfilling their responsibilities) to listen to the President’s news conference last night. I don’t know if we should be surprised or not that he answers the hard questions just like any politician. Specifically, he ducks and dodges them and talks about everything else. It seems that being a politician means you have an answer for everything except the question you were asked. Those who ignored this great demonstration of avoiding the issues are the people who still think he is the ultimate answer to the problems that have plagued our country for decades. Hello! The problem happens to be the politicians in Washington regardless of their party affiliation. That is why you and I must pray faithfully for our country and its leaders every day.

President Obama started out with the usual plea for his programs as the answer to all our problems. What strikes me is that these were the same programs he was espousing on the campaign trail a year before the economic problems surfaced. Now, miraculously, the agenda and programs he was pushing are the very ones that will fix our economy. What are the odds? Only now, we need to spend a lot more money on those programs and right now!

I am wondering how much longer everything will be the fault of the Bush Administration? I believe that leaders need to get up and take the helm without looking back and blaming someone else for the work they have ahead of them. He knew exactly what was going on and yet he still wanted to be the President of the United States. So why is does he keep complaining about the work he asked to take over? Did Bush make some mistakes? Sure he did, and so will every other administration that lands in the White House. It is impossible not to make the monumental mistakes we see the politicians making, but I will come back to this later.

One of the things that really scared me was the issue of the Government taking over non-banking businesses when they “threaten the economy.” I hope you recognized this as the incredible slippery slope it is. I could not believe I was listening to our government talk about nationalizing businesses at will. The plan calls for oversight by the Federal Reserve Board (http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE52N49J20090325?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews), but we all know how easily regulation changes with the partisan winds of Washington. I don’t want the government running the firm who holds my 403b. I have seen what they have done with my social security and I am not impressed.

The market and the law of the invisible hand still works, but we avoid their workings by intervening and helping people escape their consequences. Instead of wrestling with the executives of AIG over bonuses, we should have allowed them to fail and those executives lose their jobs. The government could have then salvaged the mess by finding responsible companies to take the assets over and we might have spent less money than we did. Instead, the government wants to do what they do the worst, conduct business. I hope you mention to your senators and representatives that the government does not need to be taking over businesses in the market. Let them succeed or fail by their work and not our tax dollar funded bailouts. If the government wants to increase regulation on these businesses, then do it because we all know they are really good at that. It’s bad enough that you regulate them, but don’t make it worse by trying to nationalize them.

It would have been nice tonight if we had the change President Obama talked about so much. One nice change would be honesty and not treating the American people like they are stupid. He was asked point blank if he would sign the budget if it did not have the tax cut for middle class Americans. He never answered the question - never. It would have been nice to have had some refreshing honesty, but we did not. When pressed, he said he had not seen the final budget from congress. That was not the question. If he did not want to answer then he should have said so. What has changed?

So why do our politicians make such bad decisions? Well, this is exactly what we have been talking about. The mistakes are made because the politicians who become president do not take the job to meet the needs of the people, but to have a platform for their agenda. Remember, the very things we need to fix all our economic problems are the very things President Obama wanted to do all along. God was right about a national leader when He spoke to the nation of Israel in 1 Samuel 8:10-22. God basically said, the king will be all about himself, and not you.

Mr. President, I fear you are becoming our king.

Listen

2009-03-24T16:49:00Z

Quick Take - I hear people share their opinions of God and what He is trying to do all the time. I find it amazing that mere men can know what God is really like in contradiction of His Word. Many people who are not Christians, and some people who are, would rather have their own opinion than believe that the Word of God is true. We need to start taking God’s Word to heart and listening to ourselves less.

A fool does not delight in understanding, But only in revealing his own mind. Prov 18:2 (NASB)

     Digging Deeper – Without realizing it, we do a lot of thinking for God either by commission or omission. In other words, we decide for ourselves what we think God would want us to do or we just ignore thinking about what God would want so we do not feel accountable. Either way, we are thinking for God and it is not what He wants.
     If we really delight in understanding, we will seek God’s way first. I see believers all the time that put God in the back seat of their lives because they are afraid He will cramp their style if they listen to Him. They desire to have their own way and do what they want. They basically want to live out and reveal their own mind and not the mind of God. It is just another form of narcissism and idolatry.
     Don’t you really want to have understanding in your life? You cannot play games with the will of God if you want to really understand it. It takes a mind and heart that is willing to place God first in all things. It is the life that is built around God’s desires and not their own. It rests safely in the knowledge that God can and will bring about the best in their life.
     Oh how the church and our nation would heal and rise up if we had men and women who really desired understanding instead of pursuing their own curiosities of pleasure. How God would reveal Himself in a fresh and new way if we would just be quiet in our mind and listen to Him. If we would just turn off all the noise of our own voice and what we want to do and start listening to His holy voice and what He wants done. What sound do you hear today? Are you listening to yourself more than to God? Stop what you are doing for a moment and listen to Him.
Blessings, and have a God honoring day!
Tim

Masquerade

2009-03-23T20:19:00Z

Quick Take - People think they can keep playing games with faith. Arrogance makes us think we can skirt the issue of giving up our life in faith. We are arrogant about what we can do, our need for God, and how much time we have to make a decision about Christ. It does not matter if we are dealing with salvation or Lordship; arrogance gets in the way of us surrendering our life to Christ.

A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, But a fool is arrogant and careless. Prov 14:16 (NASB)

     Digging Deeper – Arrogance is a master of disguise. It can masquerade as the most noble of looking things. It can look like responsibility and self reliance. It can look like diligence and hard work. It can even fool us by looking like a strong sense of direction or keen ability to make up one’s mind. All of these traits can be admired by others and, yet, be little more than arrogance.
     We tend to admire the strong and independent person in this world. We like a take charge attitude and encourage it in others. God, on the other hand, likes someone who is pliable and teachable. He wants us to be men and women who are willing to surrender our will and have a humble attitude, which is the exact opposite of arrogance. Everything the world admires is usually in opposition to what God wants to develop in us.
     Today, I want to encourage you to take the masks off of your actions and attitudes. See if there is something masquerading underneath the things the world admires. Don’t let self use the admiration of others to fool you. Learn to see arrogance in all its various forms and shapes. Root it out of your life because God tells us that it will lead to carelessness. You will become careless in your devotion, your commitment, and your faithfulness to God. Fight back and seek the things God wants you to have first in your life.
Blessings, and have a great day!
Tim

p.s. I won’t be posting a sermon Mp3 this week due to a technical issue. Basically, Windows Vista ate it.

Over Your Head

2009-03-19T12:43:00Z

Quick Take - Do you want to be considered a very wise person? Then agree with God and admit you are not wise or powerful enough to control the future. You cannot control anything today; only God can. We often do not spend the time we should WITH God because we are too buy trying to BE God. Start your day by admitting to God He is in control.

O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty ; Nor do I involve myself in great matters, Or in things too difficult for me. Psalms 131:1 (NASB)

     Digging Deeper – We all have trouble feeling sorry for someone who gets in over their head when they should know better. Many Americans are upset that tax dollars are being used to help home owners who knew they were buying more house than they could afford. Now that their home is being foreclosed on, we see no reason to help them.
      It is also hard to feel sorry for the banks who loaned all that money to people who either had no income or were not required to give any proof of their income. Now we are using trillions of our tax dollars to buy those worthless loans and the bankers do not have to accept any responsibility or consequences. Many of us would not feel bad if the federal government fired those people for their sloppy business dealings. We just don’t feel sorry for people who knowingly get in over their heads.
     So that means you need to be careful that you don’t get in over your head today. If you try to take control of things around you then you are going to be in over your head. You are but a mere man or woman and you have no special powers to control the future. Many times we try to and then things collapse around us and we want God to bail us out. Often He does, but He could be like us and have no sympathy for those who knowingly get in over their heads. Aren’t you glad you have a compassionate God?
     The best thing would be to keep your place under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Don’t try to do a job you are not qualified for. Start your day confessing to God His sovereignty and right to rule over you and your life. Take your rightful place at His feet and He will guide and determine your steps today. Remember Whose you are and you won’t get in over your head today.
Blessings, and have a great day!
Tim

Real Power

2009-03-18T15:56:00Z

Quick Take - We have to understand that we will never find any lasting strength in our life until we are humbled under the hand of the Lord. I would rather God defend and provide for me than do it for myself. Is your attitude the same as the psalmist’s? God listens to us WHEN we show we are willing to follow Him. The first step is humbling yourself.

O LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble ; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear Psalms 10:17 (NASB)

     Digging Deeper – As we have talked before, humility is not something that comes easy to us. The flesh does not like to yield to anyone. The world teaches us to be our own person and not be subservient to anyone; especially God. Everything around us preaches pride and God call us to humility.
     God wants to lead us and as we submit to Him and humble ourselves, He fills us with a strength this world does not know. It is not a false prideful strength of the flesh, but real power that overcomes the greatest of obstacles. God promises to protect and provide for those who will humble themselves before Him.
     Just look at our world today. The United States has the most powerful economy in the world and people are losing their life savings. We could do nothing to prevent the continual slide of the economy despite throwing trillions of dollars into it. People now are without jobs, college educations are on hold, and people have had to postpone or forego retirement. All of this is happening while the most powerful man in the world, the President of the United States, if vowing to fix the problem. He could not even stop AIG from wasting millions of tax dollars in bonuses to the very people who are responsible for the collapse of the company.
     So, do you really want to trust the flesh and this world for power and strength? Are you willing to trust your future to them? I wouldn’t and I won’t. But, if I am going to place my trust in God, then I have to humble and submit my life and my future to Him. Today, I want to ask you to search your life for false pride. Bow before God in prayer and admit your pride and ask Him to heal your spirit and help you to learn how to humbly walk before Him. Don’t trust yourself, your riches, your talent, or your position in this world for anything. Trust God to care for you as you humble yourself before Him.
Blessings, and have a great day!
Tim

Just Liker Grass

2009-03-17T17:32:00Z

Quick Take - There is nothing lasting about the flesh and the sooner we get over the gratification of the flesh the sooner we will give our life over to Him. This life is fleeting and the only value we keep are those things which are hidden in Christ Jesus.

For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust. As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, And its place acknowledges it no longer. Psalms 103:14-16 (NASB)

     Digging Deeper – I don’t know about you, but I find this verse in Psalms very humbling. To think we are like the grass and once we are gone the world does not even remember we were here. This world is like a bucket of water and our life like sticking your hand into that water. Once you take your hand out, the water fills the gap as though you never placed your hand in it. That is what our life is like in this world – fleeting.
     If we can comprehend and accept this description of our brief life here on earth, then maybe we can start to understand why we have no influence on the future. If we cannot even leave a lasting impression on this world in the present, how are we going to ever influence it in the future? We can’t. So why do we worry and fret like we can actually do anything about it?
     God wants us to start taking our place behind Him and quit trying to usurp the lead. We have to admit to ourselves that we are finite men that should be subjecting ourselves to our infinite God. God should not have to follow our life; but instead, we should follow Him. Walking in His footsteps is the surest way we will have a future that will glorify Him.
     It is going to take a lot for most people to start doing this. Believers today are so wrapped up in the world that they cannot see the compromises they have made. Our first prayer needs to be that God would open our eyes. I don’t care how successful you are in business or ministry; you have blind spots when it comes to looking at yourself as God does. We all have areas of our life shrouded in delusions of grandeur. We need to pray that God will open our eyes and help us see clearly. Let that be your prayer today- and then start looking for how you have taken over and pushed God aside.
Blessings, and have a great St. Patrick’s Day!
Tim

The Uncertainty of the Future

2009-03-16T15:14:00Z

Listen as we learn from James 4 the lessons of the future. Find out how to enter into the future with peace and security rather than fear.
Blessings,
Tim

Get Consumed

2009-03-16T15:01:00Z

Quick Take - God does not just want part of our life, He wants our whole life. He makes no apology for being jealous of anything that takes us away from Him. He wants to totally consume our life. We need more Christians who are sold out completely to God. Is there something in your life that God is jealous of? Are you arousing the jealousy of God by keeping some part of your life to yourself? Give it up.

"For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. Deut 4:24 (NASB)

     Digging Deeper – We cannot give only the convenient parts of our life to God. Those are the parts of our life that are easy to give up and don’t really cost us a lot. There is often no sacrifice in what we give Him. As a result, many believers gain no more value from their life in Christ than they do from any other activity of convenience. That is why so many believers are marginal in their commitment and faithfulness to the Lord.
     Those things in life that cost us little are of little value to us. That is why Christians do not find great value in their life with Christ. They give up only that which is convenient and cheap to them and that determines the value of their relationship with God. If you want to find a deeper and more meaningful relationship, then you have to give up more.
     It is not a case of getting and then giving up. You have to surrender to the authority of God in your life first and then you will begin to see the great value. We should all examine our lives every day and see if we are sacrificing anything for Him or not. Can we be honest with ourselves about the convenience of our faith? Taking up a cross to follow Him is not a very easy thing to do and it takes a sacrifice on your part.
     Know that your God is jealous and does want to consume your life. Don’t keep anything back from Him. Look at your day, the one you have all planned out, and find where you have planned to make any sacrifice for God in your time, talents, or money. Don’t look at what you did yesterday or last week; look at what you are willing to do today.
Blessings, and have a great day!
Tim

Unlimited Time

2009-03-12T15:55:00Z

Quick Take - My mother has a refrigerator magnet that says: “God never panics.” If we would trust God and His timing, we would never panic either. So often, we worry because we do not trust God for doing things at exactly the right (our) time. If He saved us at the right time, then He will meet all of our other needs at the right time, too. Let God worry about timing and you concentrate on trusting Him.

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Romans 5:6 (NASB)

     Digging Deeper – Time is a frustrating thing for the flesh. We all know that our days are numbered on this earth and we often feel the pressure. We are in a hurry to grow up, to get a job, to make a lot of money, to get married, to get promoted, etc. We want fast food, fast internet, and fast refunds. Time is getting away from all of us and we worry about how much we have left.
     God, on the other hand, has unlimited time. He has no beginning and no end. There are absolutely no time constraints on Him at all because He is eternal. I’ll bet a lot of things would change in your life if you had unlimited time like God. I mean, if you were going to know you would live a thousand years, you would probably take more time off and pace your career and education. You would spend more time with the kids and play more golf. But, you don’t have that long so you have to hurry.
     The only way we will know peace in this life is if we start looking at things from God’s time perspective instead of our own. We can have a peace about time if we realize that we are only a part of God’s plan and not the end all. It also helps if we understand that we have all of eternity ahead of us through Christ so we do not have to feel so driven by temporal time lines. No matter how much money you make now or how many hours you spend at work, you still will have a mansion in glory; bought and paid for with the blood of Christ.
     It is OK to be diligent and manage your time well. It is OK to work hard and try to save some money for the future. Just remember that the problem comes when you misuse time and your priorities get out of balance. Take a few minutes today in prayer and meditation and see if your time is prioritized like God would have you do it. Remember, if you don’t have enough time, just pray to Him because He has all the time in the world, literally.
Blessings, and have a great day!
Tim

Another Lie

2009-03-11T17:05:00Z

Quick Take - So often we place limits on what God can do by our lack of faith. The blind men were healed “according to their faith.” If God took care of you according to your faith, how well would you be cared for? We need to believe that God can do anything according to His will. Believe He has your best in mind even when the outcome looks bad.

And looking at them Jesus said to them, "With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matt 19:26 (NASB)

     Digging Deeper – The word “impossible” has nothing to do with God. In fact, sin is the author of applying that word to God. The only thing that is impossible for God is for Him to sin. Now, stay with me because it is going to get deep. The word impossible was never needed until sin demonstrated itself in Satan as he rebelled against God. Then, sin entered the world through Adam. Prior to that, no one needed the word impossible because there was no sin and no lie.
     Once the lie existed, then it began to spread. All lies are aimed at God; either in His person or His law. Every lie attacks something about God and Who He is or how He wants us to live. That is why lies are the native tongue of Satan; because everything he does is in direct opposition to God. What better way to oppose God than to speak of Him and His work as impossibilities. Satan does not say he doubts God’s ability to do certain things, he says it is impossible.
     Anytime we think something is impossible for God we are speaking the language of sin. It is a sin for us to doubt God, His love, His power, or His will. Yet, Satan influences our thinking and we speak and think in impossibilities. We think it is impossible for God to do something in the world. We think it is impossible for God to do something in another person or to save them. We think it is impossible for God to change us. NOTHING is impossible for God! Say it until you believe it.
     Today, I want you to start listing all the things you have categorized in your mind as impossibilities and start confessing your doubt to God. He can do all things. Will He do them all? That is up to Him and His will, but you have to quit speaking against the almighty living God and say yes, He can do anything.
Blessings, and have a great day!
Tim

He Can

2009-03-10T16:39:00Z

Quick Take - Why would we ever doubt what Jesus can do? He was present at the creation and nothing was created without Him. He is the all powerful God in the flesh and we never need to doubt what He can do. Trust Him with your cares.

For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.
Col 1:16 (NASB)

     Digging Deeper – It is amazing how dismissive we can be of the power of our Lord. We read the miracles of the New Testament and acknowledge He is all powerful and can do anything. That is, until it comes to our life and then we run into trouble. So often when we are in trouble we believe He can perform a miracle, but the question is IF He will do it for us. We degrade our worthiness rather than deny He can do it. The excuse for Him not healing us or taking away our problems is that we have not been good enough to deserve it.
     Romans 8:1 clearly dispels that excuse because there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. So what is the problem? Often, this is where we quit believing in the power of Christ. Sure, He can make all the bad stuff go away if He wants to, but can He still make something good out of the apparent bad? The crucifixion was where the disciples quit believing. They knew Jesus could overcome the Romans, but they never imagined He could overcome the grave.
     Real belief starts when He does not perform the miracle and take away all the bad. That is when we cling to the belief that He can be glorified through us no matter how bad something is. We believe that He not only has unlimited power over the good stuff but also the bad. He can work with anything and create something wonderful that glorifies Him and the Father.
     Remember, Daniel was saved “through” the lion’s den not “out” of it. He believed God could create a miracle on the other side of the calamity. Do you? Whatever your lion’s den looks like today, trust that God can save you on the other side of it.
Blessings, and have a great day!
Tim

The Uncertainties of Life

2009-03-09T19:54:00Z

No matter how well we take care of ourselves, we sometimes are the victim of sickness and disease. Life and health can be very uncertain. Listen as we turn to God's Word and learn how to deal with these uncertainties of life.
Blessings.
Tim

He Cares

2009-03-09T16:31:00Z

Quick Take -We belong to Jesus Christ. How often do you think about that? We are a possession that He loves and cares for. When we fear or worry about our life, we are saying that God does not care about the lives He has purchased with the blood of His Son. If you paid a fortune for something, wouldn’t you take good care of it? Think about that today!

Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Col 3:2-3 (NASB)

     Digging Deeper – In our society, things are cheap and we place little value on them. I remember when purchasing a VCR was a big deal and people repaired them when they broke. Now, VCRs are disposable and we just buy a new one when the old one breaks. Noticed the astounding rate at which people get a new cell phone? Things are cheap and sadly people have become cheap and disposable, too. Look at the skyrocketing unemployment rate. Rather than the executives and stockholders taking a cut, they just ax some disposable workers and move on.
     Sometimes, we can start to wonder if God feels this way about us. If anyone had a right to throw something away - it is God. And, if anything deserved throwing away, it would be sinful man. Yet God bought us at an incredible price because He values us so much. He never thinks of us as worthless or disposable.
     When uncertain things happen in our life, God cares. He wants to take care of us and has promised that we will spend eternity with Him in indescribable joy. We will be united with Him one day and never be parted through all eternity. That is how much He values you so don’t ever let the world or Satan tell you any different.
     Today you can face life and all its trials knowing that God cares for you. You might go through some tough times, but you will never be separated from the love of God. There is nothing in this life that can come between you and the love of God. I know times are tough for a lot of people, but what would you rather have: good times without the love of God or bad times with the love of God? Think about it and then take a moment to thank God for His great love. Knowing this will bring hope to any kind of day you are having.
Blessings, and have a great day!
Tim

Are You Ready?

2009-03-06T16:33:00Z

Quick Take - You are going to do battle with the evil one today. Have you considered your ability to stand and win? If you do consider it, you will realize that you will only win through a committed and surrendered life to Christ. Do you have it?

"Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Luke 14:31 (NASB)

     Digging Deeper – In many parts of the world today, people get up every morning knowing that their life is in danger. Their countries are filled with terrorists and murderers. There is no guarantee they will make it to work and back without coming under attack. I cannot imagine living in a place where I had to worry about someone shooting or bombing innocent people. If we lived under these circumstances, I think we would be a lot more cautious and prepared in our daily life.
     Yet, we do live in a spiritual environment much like the one I just described. God’s Word assures us that we are constantly under spiritual attack. Yet, we live our lives as though we are perfectly safe and the threat is not real. The threat is real and so many believers walk right into the traps set for them. Our naivety is costing us our testimony and our joy.
     Did you count the spiritual cost today before you left the house? Did you arm yourself with the Word of God and did you spend time in prayer? Do you look to God for wisdom and protection or do you just go about your business trusting yourself. We have to be soldiers who are ready and alert. We never know when or from where the attacks will come. Guard yourself.
     Many might think this is being an alarmist. Others may think it is crying wolf. Few realize it is a reality of being servants of Christ. Please be ready today and every day to stand firm against the flaming arrows of the evil one (Ephesians 6:16).   God does not want His children to be victims. God wants you to be able to stand for Him no matter what comes your way. You can do it IF you are ready.
Blessings, and have a great day!
Tim

Walk Don't Run

2009-03-05T16:16:00Z

Quick Take - We are to know God’s direction and care in our life and not be like an animal who has no understanding. God wants us to be aware and understand all the ways He is leading us in our lives. He wants us to know His teaching and His counsel. Only His children can see this, so look hard.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, Psalms 32:8-9 (NASB)

     Digging Deeper – Those who do not know Christ go through life like a herd. They just follow the leader no matter where they are going. They do not have any real understanding of life or eternity because they are just passing through. This is not what God intended for man. He has separated us from the animals by giving us an eternal soul. We have the ability to be so much more aware of life and eternity if we will just acknowledge God.
     Even Christians forget that God is walking with us through this life. He has not
left us on our own like many think. He is not too busy to be involved in your life because He is God and His time is limitless. It is not a matter of God getting involved in our lives but rather of us letting Him.
     First of all, in uncertainty God wants to teach us how to handle it. As a loving Father, He is always trying to teach and mature us so we will have the strength we need for this life. He knows exactly what we are up against both physically and spiritually and He alone has the wisdom to deal with it. We cannot exclude God from the education we need in this life. His Spirit and His Word have so much to say to us if we will just make the time and sit still long enough for Him to teach us.
     God also wants to counsel us in the decisions of our life, work, and career. He will work with us to come to the right decisions. I love the picture described by the psalmist. God is not just barking orders to us from a distant place like many envision. He has His eye on us and is closely watching our lives. He is instructing us based on what He sees happening at every moment of our life. He is right here with us and holding our hand if we need it. We have to understand that He is intimately aware of what is going on so we should listen carefully to His counsel.
     If we fail to learn and take counsel from God, then we are just running with the herd. I don’t know about you, but I would rather walk with God than run with the crowd. Step out of the rat race today and start training yourself to be led by God as we go through these uncertain times.
Blessings, and have a great day!
Tim

The Memos

2009-03-04T16:26:00Z

     I want to point out why it is so important to pray for our President. I am afraid he may have hurt us badly while trying to serve a personal and special interest agenda. Remember, he is not the first to do so on either side of the aisle. The other day, President Obama released 9 secret memos from the Bush administration which viewed outside the context of their writing are very damaging. Few people remember the fear, shock, and outrage our nation felt in the days and weeks following 9/11. We were at war with a sinister new kind of enemy who preyed on innocent civilians without remorse. These animals had taken advantage of our generous immigration laws and turned them on us.
     There were no rules for fighting an enemy who had infiltrated our land. These murderers had used our own commercial facilities to train and satisfy the animal desires they were enslaved to under the cover of false religion. No one in our government had any idea how to combat this because we had never fought a war like this. The Bush administration was exploring every avenue. They were trying to do as much as they could as fast as they could and mistakes were inevitable - much like the present administration’s struggle to deal with our present economic crisis.
     With the desire for revenge and payback leading the way, the new administration has given our enemies ammunition to hate us. I am sure the Arab media will eat up the release of the memos and post them everywhere they can as propaganda. Did the Bush administration make some mistakes? Sure they did. Should the whole country be thrown under a bus because the Obama Administration wants to trumpet these mistakes for personal political gain? Never.
     Gerald Ford was one of the greatest presidents we ever had and a true patriot. Rather than follow the reigning political agenda, and at the risk of destroying his own political career (rather than self-promoting it) he pardoned Richard Nixon to preserve the dignity of the office of the presidency. We need to pray very hard that the new generation of leadership in Washington can quickly learn that payback and revenge hurts everyone involved and that the office of the presidency is to be upheld for the sake of the country. We need to change some things, but not at the expense of true patriotism and loyalty to the institutions of this great nation. If there were mistakes made, in time we will all figure it out. No one needs to trumpet it from the steps of the White House.
     Please pray that our new president will quickly realize that he does not have enough time or resources to play out his liberal supporter’s private agendas of political pay back and still fix the crisis facing this nation. To fix our economy and get our country back on track will take focus and not cheap shots at a former administration facing a crisis. Mr. President, you said if you got in office it would not be politics as usual in Washington -we all want to know just exactly when that will start. We are praying it will be soon.

Our Witness

2009-03-04T16:20:00Z

Note - This is the first of two entries today.

Quick Take - Not only do we need to have faith in God, but we also need to realize that He is pleased by our faith and will never forget us. Even when we feel forgotten, we are not. There will not be one thing happen to you today that God does not know and care about. Don’t act forsaken today or the world may doubt your God. Live showing them He cares.

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. Psalms 9:10 (NASB)

     Digging Deeper – A large part of our gospel message is that God loves people.   John 3:16 starts by telling us that “God so loved the world.” Romans 5:8 tells us how ‘God demonstrated His love.” Telling people about the love and care of God is central to our message.
     The biggest way we tell people about our message is through the testimony of our life. What we do and how we act will always trump what we say. I know many believers who proclaim the love of God, but they do not live like they believe it because they worry about everything all the time. They fret over the world, politics, the economy, and their own personal wealth. Their life shows that they do not feel God really cares about them.
     The same is true in your life. How you act in troubled times shows how much you REALLY believe God cares for you. You can talk about the love and provision of God all you want, but how you react to adversity will be your real testimony. People may not listen to Christians, but I can guarantee you they are watching us all the time.
     The world is used to a lot of rhetoric, but it is a rarity to find someone who actually lives what they believe. This is one of the greatest times for us to reach others for Christ.   It is in times like this that people hope for God to be real. We have to be aware of our responsibility to live a life of faith in uncertain times. We do this not just for ourselves, but for the lost and dying.
     As you go through your day today, what will your testimony be? As people bemoan the economy and the continuing slide of the stock market, will faith or worry show on your face? Will the comments you make be ones of hope or despair? All of this will be your testimony to others. We serve a God who never fails us and we need to let the world see that, not just hear it.
Blessings, and have a great day!
Tim

Safe With Him

2009-03-03T19:37:00Z

Quick Take - The world wants us to think we are all powerful, but we are not. Each time we think of ourselves as all powerful, we are trying to play God. We serve an all powerful God and we accept by faith that each step and minute of our lives are in His hands. Don’t waste your time today trying to be God; the job is already taken. Trust Him to do His job.

My days are like a lengthened shadow, And I wither away like grass . But You, O LORD, abide forever, And Your name to all generations. Psalms 102:11-12

     Digging Deeper – We sometimes think that God does not care for us. We know this is wrong theologically, but emotionally we feel this way sometimes. That is when we think we have to take matters into our own hands. But who are we to control and direct our lives? Compared to the Eternal God, the psalmist says we are just grass. How can grass take control of its world and direct its outcome?
     We need to spend more time focusing on how much our heavenly Father really cares for us. There is not one thing that happens to us that He does not care about. He is a doting Father and we often act like orphans. If we think about the lengths He went to for our salvation, then we would begin to understand how He loves us.
     Start living like someone who is watched after. Don’t let fear or discouragement take away your joy. Those who do not know Christ really do have something to worry about, but you do not. I know in my own life this is hard to do when I am faced with trials that seem insurmountable and I do not know how God is going to provide. Like any child, I just cling to my Father and hide my face in Him knowing that I am forever safe in His arms. So are you.
Blessings, and have a great day!
Tim

The Uncertainty of Provision

2009-03-02T18:26:00Z

In these tough economic times, things can be very uncertain. Listen as I share a familiar passage from Matthew and learn what we are really lacking in our life.
Blessings,
Tim