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Go Up!

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Deuteronomy 1:21

Behold, the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.

In one of our teen camp sermons this week the teens where taught from the life story of David on the giants in our lives. At the end of the session I passed out index cards and ask them to list some of the giants in their lives so that we might pray over them and work on defeating them. One of the giants that was repeated was that of “discouragement.” I loved their honesty. I understood their giant, because I had been up against it too. He has so many tools, but I’m not sure that discouragement is not Satan’s best because it tears at the very heart of your enthusiasm for life; and bit by bit you find yourself struggling to move forward. You can’t get past this valley, it’s an uphill battle all the way.  But God said Go up! I love it in Deuteronomy 1:6 when Moses says the children of Israel “The Lord our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:”

I hear that this morning. “Shari, you’ve been in this place long enough, it’s time to move forward. Why is it that once we get in the valley of discouragement it’s so doggone hard to get out of it? I have great attitude toward life. I’m not one that discourages easy. But it happens. Usually when I take eyes off God, and turn my ears toward people. Listen to Israel’s reply…

Deuteronomy 1:28

Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.

I guess David wasn’t the only ones with giants in his life was he? And neither are we. Which is what I discovered when those cards came back from the teens. And my first thought was “discouragement? Really? You’re so young and fun with opportunity galore before you, how can you be discouraged?”

For the same reason I’m discouraged. We’re letting people define our purpose. God said “fear not, neither be discouraged.”  Man said “People discourage us.” I’ve come to the conclusion that not everyone wants out of the valley and they sure don’t want to walk it alone. So they share their point of view, and point to the giants as if we hadn’t already noticed them. Some people are satisfied with the valley. The problem for me is I’ve had the mountain top experience before! I’m not satisfied in the valley. People still discourage me, and I still see the giants, but as Preacher Ed pointed out (he’s quite the encourager) we’re looking at the giants from earth, God views them from Heaven. When David went up against the giant in his life he didn’t talk about the giant, he talked about God. All of Israel talked about Goliath. David talked about God. We spend so much time talking about the things that are going on in our life, we forget about what God can do.

When we begin to talk about what God can do, something begins to happen. Our attitude changes, our point of view changes. We begin to think of what can be rather than what is. We see behind the giant. David looked right through him to victory. He heard the people, but he seen God.

Turn the people off. God said “Go up!”

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Cross Examination

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Haggai 1:7 ~  Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.

For many years I worked for the Magistrate Court of Calhoun County, West Virginia. You wouldn’t believe the Christians I ran in to in that setting. I say that somewhat facetious and somewhat serious. It was during those years that I got saved and people witnessed for the first time in me that faith mattered. I had a bible on my desk, I talked about Jesus… a lot. I still do; and because of that the people who came into my office, no matter which side of the law they were on had a tendency to turn to me for a prayer or encouragement. It was such a blessing to stand in a government building and have the freedom to pray. That blessing is at risk of extinction if our leadership has anything to do with it.

But yesterday as a young man stood in our teen church camp and preached the gospel with the wisdom of a much older man I was so blessed to see young people serving and responding to the Word of God. Just in passing he mentioned “cross examination,” and my thoughts did not turn to the courtroom, they turned to the cross of Christ and I wondered. How would I fare if I examined the cross in my life?

Is it the old rugged cross that matters most or the pretty shiny gold one? They both represent the blood our Savior shed for our redemption; but the difference in my mind is the gold one is worn around the neck as symbol of my royal state in the family of God because of what my Savior did for me. But the rugged, blood stained cross is to be carried on my back.  It’s not pretty, it’s real and it’s the one that Jesus said to carry, He never mentioned the gold one. Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 16:24 “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

This week’s teen camp is around the curriculum “not a fan,” meaning completely committed follower. A fan wears the pretty gold cross, a follower picks up the rugged blood stained one. A fan would carry it through a parade as symbolic of their position in the church, but they wouldn’t carry it on the job. The gold one is looked upon with fond affection and often times may be worn as a status symbol because of the financial cost of the gold, the rugged blood stained cross bears the blood of the Savior which reminds us of the cost of our sin, and the fact that we couldn’t buy it. This teen retreat was as much for me as it is the youth. It’s a reminder that daily I need to examine the cross and what it means in my life. I don’t want to be just a fan. I want to pick up the cross and follow Him. When I get to the end of this journey and I stand before the God of all creation and I’m cross examined, I want to be found still carrying it. Amen.

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Crazy like that!

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ministry begin

Mark 3:20-22 ~ And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.  And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.

Let the ministry begin…

Jesus had just ordained the twelve disciples that He might send them forth to preach and the ministry explodes. The people had just seen Him heal the man with the withered hand, they’d heard the wisdom by which He spoke that even awed the religious leaders, although they’d have never said as much. And now they’ve gathered themselves in such great multitude around Him that they couldn’t even get a bite to eat. Crazy times!

And then I read that verse, and re-read that verse thinking surely it did not say what I thought it said. His friends thought He had lost His mind? I resorted to commentaries. They thought it said the same thing. Why on earth would His friend think that He was “beside Himself” in the midst of great things happening in the work of the Lord. What kind of friends of the faith do that? Many of them then and many of them now. Ministry growth scares people. It’s as if it’s a car plummeting down a steep grade without brakes. When God’s doing a great work people are excited, religious leaders lose control, crazy things are happening, people are getting healed, nasty people are getting nice, undesirables are hanging around to see if it’s true, and when  they discover the Lord they are still undesirable people to many. The religious leaders say that He’s of the devil. They’re totally freaked out by the whole thing. They just don’t “get” God.

But I go back to the friends… why would His friends think He was crazy? I guess it’s because crazy things are happening that made them uncomfortable. New people were pushing in as close as they could get to Him, there was a flurry of excitement around Him, people were getting healed, religious people were getting upset and Jesus, well, I guess He was enjoying it so much that He didn’t even care if He got a bite to eat. And His friends think, “He’s crazy.”

I want to get crazy like that! I want my church to be so exciting that it makes the religious uncomfortable, and those with a pre-conceived notion of how church people ought to behave to question it. I want our church to attract the undesirables, who are only undesirable to the religious, Jesus can’t wait until they get to church. I would rather have church in a house because Jesus shows up, than in a church where He’s not welcome. I want a radical reaction from people who hear the gospel, not “reverend religion” that makes Jesus nauseous. Maybe that is why He didn’t eat. I want to be crazy like that!

It’s Sunday morning, I have one hundred things that need done for church camp, but I’m excited about Sunday morning services. Are you crazy like that?  Let’s go to church today and wait for the radicals to show up, or better still let’s lead them in!

Mark 3:20-22 was the first day of official ministry for the disciples and it just got crazier from there. Hallelujah! Let the ministry begin…

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In the Audience of God

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1 Chronicles 28:8

Now therefore in the sight of all Israel the congregation of the Lord, and in the audience of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the Lord your God: that ye may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you for ever.

As I read the words in 1 Chronicles 28:8 and the commentary, I said to the Lord, “I cannot tell anyone anything new about this verse, but please help me tell them something relevant to the day.” And He is faithful.

Earlier in the day I was blessed to receive a call from Dewey Moede, Pastor, Evangelist, man of God and friend from New Mexico, and during our conversation mention was made of his desire to someday hear me play the fiddle. It might be short lived if he were to actually hear me play, but I was humbled none the less. You see, my fiddle playing skills are not concert worthy by any stretch of the imagination, I play because I love the music and the fellowship involved.

When a group of bluegrass musicians congregate together on the streets of a festival or the Bearfork Trading Post Bluegrass venue it’s a sweet time of camaraderie. Even an amateur fiddler such as I is permitted the opportunity to take the break (play the melody solo) as the audience gathers around to enjoy the music. It’s both enjoyable to be in the audience and in the congregation of musicians yet the pressure on the performer can be in degrees higher from none to extreme, depending upon their ability to play. You can guess which end of the spectrum I’m on. But when you stand in the audience of God… wow. Then the pressure’s on.

I think the judgment of the church is taking place while we are here, but we alone will one day be in the audience of God to stand accountable for how we lived our lives before our family, and they may or may not inherit the Kingdom of God because of our testimony. Scary thought…

While in a congregation of musicians I can miss an occasional note and the audience may not even notice, but when I stand across from my music instructor and expert musician, he knows. And while as a congregation we may appear as if we’ve got it all together, our Instructor knows the truth. While God does not expect perfection He expects us to at least be practicing for it. If we lived every day with the idea that we were performing life in the “Audience of God,” what would change?

I know for certain I’d have read the manual more. Evidently I’m not alone. According to a recent study

  • More than 60 percent of Americans can’t name either half of the Ten Commandments or the four Gospels of the New Testament.
  • Some 80 percent including “born again” Christians believe that “God helps those who help themselves” is a direct quote from the Bible.
  • And 31 percent believe a good person can earn his/her way into heaven.

I think we need to do a little more seeking so that we may be found also keeping those commandments.

There’s a couple of life lessons you can learn from a fiddler.

  1. If you don’t practice you’ll never get any better. And practicing requires picking up the fiddle and playing.
    1. If you never read your bible, you’ll never understand it. It too requires picking it up.
    2. There’s a need to be in the congregation. If a fiddler never plays music with anyone else, their timing gets off and it becomes harder to hear if you’re playing in tune.
      1. The same hold true if you’re not a part of a congregation of the Lord. If you’re not in a body of believers who can walk with you and encourage you, you’ll have a hard time staying in tune. Your heart will stray.

God said to keep and seek all the commandments. Well… I have yet to play a fiddle tune to perfection, nor have I lived a life of keeping all the commandments. Some days I feel like I’ve broken all ten. But I keep practicing. So that one day when I stand in the audience of God I will hear Him say “Well done!”

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Bear Hunting With a Switch

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I can

There are days of discouragement (yes even the Jesus Chick) where the world thumps on me and I just don’t think I can do it, or they will get it, or it will pass, or it can happen. When Satan points out my flaws with a laser pin point to make sure that I know what an utter failure I am. As if he needs too, I’m pretty good at that myself. And then God points out to me who I once was and what we’ve been through using my grandsons who at the ages of 3, 5 and 6 really do believe that you can go bear hunting with a switch. Because that switch is not a stick it’s the biggest and baddest (I know it’s not a word) rifle that anyone on earth owns. And they are the greatest of all hunters having never missed a shot. If you want to get similar guns to these, then check out this 9mm Semi Automatic Rifle or the Hunting Rifles for Sale. 

As I reflect on the boundless energy and fierce determination of my grandsons, I remember how a proper tool can make all the difference. Their confidence in their make-believe hunts reminds me of the importance of using the right equipment when the stakes are high.

In the world of firearms, selecting the right ammunition is just as crucial as choosing the right rifle. For example, many hunters and shooters opt for subsonic ammunition, especially when they need quiet, controlled shots. Subsonic rounds travel at speeds below the speed of sound, which makes them ideal for hunting or target practice where stealth is essential. With this type of ammo, you can hunt with precision and discretion, all while maintaining the integrity of the experience.

I asked my friend and retired schoolteacher, Gloria Jones, “At what point do kids decide they don’t like school?” Her response is seared into my mind “When they have their first bad teacher.” When I speak to youth leaders or at leadership events I remind them of an experience I had as a nine or ten year old child at a church Christmas play rehearsal, when as I read the script for the first time I read a word in my part which was “deny”; for which I pronounced “denny.” One of the youth leaders laughed me to scorn for my mispronunciation and as a child I thought, “When I grow up, I’ll never be like you.” And praise God! because that incident has stayed so fresh in my mind, I’m very careful when dealing with youth to never shatter their “bear hunting experience.” I don’t ever want to be remembered as “that leader” because I do remember it, and her as if it were yesterday.

When Jesus said to the disciples in Mark 10:14-16 ~  …Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.

The disciples had forgotten about their bear hunting days. They’d read the story of David killing the bear (1 Samuel 17:36), but now they were a part of the ministry team, there was no time for crazy things like bear hunting with a switch. But Christ reminded them that it was that childlike faith that believed that God could do anything and so can we that was necessary for salvation. And as I was reminded by Luke, Noah and Nicolis, it is needful for everyday living. There are many days in life when the bears I fight with aren’t bears, they’re people or circumstances. It is during that battle that I need to remind myself that a ruddy little boy like David didn’t even stop to think about what he was doing when he killed the lion and bear, he just did it. I need to stop thinking about the people and the circumstances in my life and just do it. What about you? Has someone smashed your bear hunting dreams? Pick up your stick and fight!

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The Last Day….. GLORY!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Micah 4:1-4 ~  But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.  And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it.

I do not know about the condition of your heart this morning, but I know the condition of mine… tired. Every newscast, headline and conversation anymore seems to be filled with sadness and despair. From a national front to the living rooms of America there is war. Family quarrels and dysfunction, broken promises and abuse. It literally wears me out. And then… I come across verses like those in Micah. Praise God for glee! And not the television show. The glee within my soul when I think about that day. That day that you don’t want to miss out on.

  • The last day of sadness
  • The last day of sorrow
  • The last day of sickness
  • The last day of lies
  • The last day of broken promises
  • The last day of separation
  • The last day of abuse
  • The last day of fighting
  • The last day of war
  • The last day of substance abuse
  • The last day of insert yours here.

GLOOOOORRRRRAAAAAAAY!!!!!

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for church this morning! And if you’re not ready for the last day, if you do not know for certain you’d be in Heaven if Jesus returned this morning, then I’d find me the closest Bible preaching church I could find and be among them today. Because the days described in Micah 4 are coming when there will be no fight, fear or fallacy. You need to be ready. But the greatest part about getting ready is that you don’t have wait until Jesus returns to get the peace that knowing Him affords. It comes into you the second you accept Him. Hallelujah. Let’s go to church!

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Unity of Community

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welcome home candle

I have lived in small communities for all but two years of my fifty years of life. And with little complaint… other than occasional inconvenience, lack of privacy and choices with regards to shopping. But overall the blessings of living in a small West Virginia community outweighs the city any day of the week for this girl. But one thing I’ve noticed as I’ve been blessed with an opportunity to travel to other places in the United States and across the sea is the church community is the same regardless of location, and where ever I’ve gone I’ve been home!

The word “community” is derived from the  communité which is derived from the Latin communitas (com, “with/together” + munus, “gift”).

The church community is ever on the decline in America because of lack of priority in families and a failure on the church to live in a manner that differs from the world, but it’s still the best thing going!  It’s a gift indeed to walk into a congregation of people that you’ve never met before and within five minutes feel like you’ve been there a life time.

Philippians 2:1-5 ~ If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Paul wrote to the Philippian Church with a few small, cost free requests. Get along. Help each other out. Have mercy. Perhaps that’s a part of the reason the church is on the decline we’ve stopped taking the time to live out Paul’s instructions.

To follow Paul’s example you must first be “in Christ”, having accepted His salvation and having the Holy Spirit dwell inside of you. That is how those people that I had never met before felt like old friends. Because the Spirit of Christ within us bore witness to one another. It’s an exciting thing! It was to Christian friends that Paul speaks to and I in turn am sharing his message in hopes of seeing at work in our churches today the unity of the community of believers. There were three things Paul mentioned that was necessary for unity.

  • Consolation – relief or support. A feeling of hope! The gospel of Christ is a full service gospel. The same words that convict the soul of a need for salvation, soothes the soul with a feeling of hope. But it is of little effect without legs to walk beside someone or arms to hug them tight in a time of trouble. That’s why the church was established so we could help one another through the hard times of life.
  • Comfort – security or relaxation. A feeling of home! When I walk into the sanctuary of Victory Baptist Church there is a joy that leaps within me. It’s my Father’s house, and as His child I feel as much at home there as I do in my living room at the house. That’s how it should be for every believer that walks through the door, whether or not it is their home church. There should be a feeling of belonging.
  • Mercy – forgiveness or compassion. A feeling of humanity! We’ve all been in need of forgiveness; and essential for a feeling of unity in the believers is mercy. As someone once said “The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.” Everyone who walks in the door should feel the acceptance of the Lord to come “just as I am.

Philippians 4:1-5 is a church that understands the J.O.Y. of the Lord.  ~ Jesus first, others second, and yourself last.

When you walk into your church on Sunday morning, I hope you walk in looking for that soul who needs to link with yours for consolation, comfort and mercy and a feeling that they’ve just arrived home.

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Mining for Grace

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Colossians 4:1-5 Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven. Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

To think of Apostle Paul penning this letter, or having it written for him, while sitting in prison humbles my heart immensely. He pleads with this Colossian friends to pray that God will open a door for him to share the gospel and speak of the mystery of Christ. And here I sit today on a comfortable couch, not penning but composing the words on a computer, thinking about the day that Christ was no longer a mystery to me and wondering why I cannot muster the yearning within me that was within Paul. I may not want the answer to that question, because the answer may come in very hard place. But like I Paul I do desire your prayers that God would open up doors for me in the ministry. Key words being that “God would open” them, lest at any time Shari gets in the way.

There is a constant awareness in my soul that I am not redeeming the time, a time that grows shorter and shorter. And my speech is not always a seasoned grace. Just as salt season’s food, making it more palatable, and preserving the food; so does grace. Matthew Henry explained it well in his commentary when he said “Grace is the salt which seasons our discourse, makes it savoury, and keeps it from corrupting.” It is the grace of God that speaks to the heart of those we witness to and it is the Holy Spirit that imparts wisdom through us, enabling us to share the gospel of Christ.

But someone has to mine the salt. It doesn’t just magically appear on the table. It requires hard labor, deep digging and refining it into the savory seasoning that makes our food delicious. The same is true about the Word of God. God will gladly give us a taste of His glory, but not without us digging deep into His word and allowing it to season our soul with wisdom. It has to be absorbed into our bodies that we might have it ready to dish out to those we are given the opportunity to witness too. If you read my blog yesterday you know that I’m inclined to shortcuts. There’s not short cut on the wisdom of God either. He gives it to those willing to read and study His word.

Once you’ve had salt on your food and developed a taste for it, it’s hard to go back. It enhances the flavor. The same is true when you’ve tasted the Word of God. You want more! And the awesome thing about the Word of God is every time you taste of it, it has a new flavor and an endless supply. It enhances your life, strengthening your soul for the day to day battles. That’s why it’s so important to share it at every opportunity.

God’s blessed me with a platform to share the gospel from comfy couch in my living room. But I need to walk in the freedom that God has given me and get off the couch while there’s still time. I thank you in advance for your prayers, and I’m praying that God burdens your heart as He did mine this morning to be more like the Apostle Paul and pray that doors open to share the wonderful thing called grace.

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Abbreviated Faith

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I am forever looking for a shorter way to get from point ‘a’ to point ‘b’, whether it be in a car trip or on a project, there has to be a shorter method. This has often lead to disappointing results. A well-intended GPS route ended at a cow path in the middle of Marshall County, West Virginia and a four hour delay; craft project short cuts have ended in disaster; and my mandolin playing skills have suffered because I’ve found an abbreviated version of chording using only two fingers instead of four. What can I say? I’m good at finding shortcuts! But there is one regard for which I do not want to fall short on and that is my service to the Lord.

Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

We all fall short, I’m not expecting perfection; nor should you. But there are some expectations we should have.

We should expect Glorification of the Father

Philippians 1:20

According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death

As I said, I know I’ll fail. I’ve barely started the day and my thoughts went places they shouldn’t have gone, I’ve been frustrated about circumstance that I know God has control over, and yet, I’m still expecting God to receive glory from me today. I expect it because I’ve seen God use me time and time again undeservedly all because I’m willing. Not worthy, just willing. So today you and I should both expect with great anticipation that God is going to open up a door that will allow Him to receive glory because we’re willing to walk through it. Amen? Amen!

We should expect Grace of the Father

Acts 12:11

And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.

I’ve lost count of enemies and friend-imies. Satan will use people that you would have never expected to come against you to tear you down, and often time in the church! I’ll be shocked one minute and then in my heart I have to say “yep, I should have seen that coming.” And sometimes I’m my own worst enemy. But the great thing is, I serve the God of all grace! I’ve been delivered so many times that I, like Peter, can say, “Yep! The Lord did that!” Otherwise I’d have been in a pickle! Don’t be shocked by grace, expect it! Not in arrogance but in the humility that if we stay on Faith Road, we’ll get to the destination that God intended. Which brings me to my final point.

We should expect Guidance of the Father

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Nothing in our life catches God off guard, as a matter of fact He may have put something in our life that we think is going to be our destruction and it ends up being a great blessing. Take a look at the life of Job. God set him up! Satan did not come up with the idea to attack Job; no, it was the other way around!  “And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job.” (Job 1:8) So what do you do when God is the one Who has you between the rock and the hard place? You trust that God is the Rock, and you’ve been guided to the hard place for a purpose. You expect what God expects, Peace.

I don’t know what exactly is in store for Shari. But I know Who knows.  So today I have some great expectations, because I serve a great God! Keep serving! child of God. There’s no short cut to God’s design for our life. Live with Expectation!

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Incapacitated Christianity – The Revolving Door

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The door of many if not most churches seems to be a revolving door; constantly moving with people disillusioned with spirituality. God created us in such a manner that we’re drawn there. Scripture says in John 12:32 “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” There is an innate desire for a relationship with God. Why some deny it and others embrace it I do not know, but I believe in my heart that everyone has it. I know personally, as far back as I can remember, there was a desire to know God and a fear of dying without Him. There was a hole in my heart, I knew something was missing. So in 1996 when that hole became whole I was excited, and I haven’t stopped being excited. But I am ever aware of the revolving door and that I too could be one step away.

Has it been a perfect seventeen years of utter bliss in our church? Of course not. My pastor always said “If you find the perfect church, don’t join it, you’ll mess it up!” But I remember the feeling of that hole of uncertainty and I have no desire to return to that life. So why do people leave the church?

They’re Wounded

I’ve seen my fair share of hurt feelings in the church. Sometimes it was an unintentional mishap, and other times it was stupidity at its finest. But it ended with someone leaving the church. And I discovered another hole in my heart. I understand the pain that Apostle Paul felt when he wrote to Timothy saying “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica.” 2 Timothy 4:10 It hurts when a brother or sister in Christ walks out on Christ.

I’m sure they would argue that they did not walk out on Christ, but instead would say they walked away from that place. And if indeed they left there and went to another body of Christ with a good heart toward their previous church then I would say “Amen. I’ll miss you, but I wish you well.” But they generally don’t go to another church they just stop and fall out on Christ. And the wound will not heal without the balm of Gilead. Jeremiah 8:22 wrote “Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?” When you walk away from Christ, there is no healing for that wound.

They’re Weak

A Christian who fails to read the Word of God, or attend church regularly is weak. It’s as if they’ve started on a long journey having passed up the eight course dinner, eating instead a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And they grow weary. And things that would not have upset them, has now been magnified; or they just gradually lose their appetite. Either way the end result is they no longer desire to be fed the Word of God.

I blame some of those on the body of believers who fail to disciple new converts. I was blessed with brothers and sisters who did not leave my side as a new child of God. They called me and encouraged me to stay faithful. We had breakfast and lunch and talked about the Word of God. There was multiple opportunities to come to the church for fellowship, revival and prayer. And day by day I grew in strength and had no desire to leave that banquet table where I feasted.

They’re Weighted

Probably one of the hardest to see walk out that door. They didn’t get upset with anyone, they may have been grounded in church for many years, but they just have too much of the world on their shoulders. Often times its family issues, finances or work. They just can’t drop it at the altar. Every day they carry this load of care on them and it keeps wearing them down. And it breaks them. And it breaks the heart of Jesus Who would have gladly taken that burden from them if only they would have allowed it. They’ve forgotten Matthew 11: 29-30 where Jesus said “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

I’m not casting a stone at any one of these incapacitated Christians, because I’ve been too near that revolving door myself when I could have just thrown my hands in the air and said, I can’t do this, I’ve been wounded, weak and weighted down with the sorrows of life. But HALLELUJAH!  I’ve always been made aware that in the worst of times it’s better to be with Jesus than alone.

I love ya today, and I’m praying that if you’re stepping toward that revolving door, you’ll step away. Don’t let Satan feed you the lie that walking out on God will fix anything. That’s God’s church you’re walking away from. If it is a Bible preaching church it belongs to no man. Stay in the game.