While reading the book of Mark, I am struck by the crowds that followed Jesus, desiring to see and hear him. They would even press in to the point they couldn't eat in the house that Jesus was in. Mark 3:20-21. Then I hear stories of churches in other countries where the people will stand nearly on top of each other to hear the gospel being preached, and hearing the stories of the power of God being openly demonstrated after the preaching. Then I look around the church, low attendance, powerless worship, and people who see this as a ritual and an interruption to their weekends.
Even at Christmas time, we are so busy with plays, presents, shopping and parties, that we rarely stop and thank God that HE sent His only Son to eventually would die to set us free. Believers who are simply living not actively seeking His return, or even expecting it. Like the Jewish believers who grew up hearing about the coming Messiah, many had simply given up hope, or created their own theories to make the prophecies fit their world. Yet, the fact remains that Jesus is coming soon, and He will collect His bride who is actively living and looking for Him.
Christmas for many has become a time of hopelessness and sadness, as they can't keep up with the Jones, or perhaps life has thrown so many punches it seems easier to stay down and await the count out. I understand this feeling better than most, in May I was released from the only profession I have ever known, trying to make a go in a profession that lives on commission only, proffered by people who make big promises, but join it with empty actions. I look as my wife is struggling to make her check and the little I make, to pay all that needs to be paid, and STILL give Christmas to family and friends. I can understand how some feel the need to give up, I can honestly say, I would rather just go home with Christ, than feel the way this makes me feel sometimes.
I have to focus on that my sustenance is not given to me by the job, but by the Hand of God who provides all my daily needs. I can say if you are going through a hard time, chin up, we serve a God who says He has good thoughts toward us, and He has plans for us, its just we aren't always privy to them. Yet He reminds us that He is faithful, and He doesn't change, and the promises in Christ are yes and amen. I'll make you a promise, you pray for me and I'll pray for you, that 2018 will be the year of yours and mine jubilee, that we will have a breakthrough into a time of blessing that will erase every sad thought we have had this year.
Feel free to let me know in the comments, or via email your thoughts, requests and answers and we will stand together believing that our miracle is on the way. As the song says, "He's an on time God" and Gold City added "In time, On Time, Everytime."
Grace and peace be multiplied to your.
Eric
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Friday, December 8, 2017
Who do you say I am?
Bells are ringing, and Christmas music is flooding the radio stations and shopping malls across the land. The stressed out hustle and bustle of people shopping and running through the malls, buying stuff that will probably only be appreciated for a month or two before taking up space somewhere in the house. Politicians fight and argue about Nativity Scenes, and whether we say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays. Yet all the while one simple truth is being missed! Who is this holiday truly about? Most people simply focus on the birth, then wait for Easter to consider the resurrection, if they stop to think about it all.
In Matthew 16:30 Jesus asks a very simple question. "When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” NKJV. This begs the question, who does the world at large say Jesus is? Some just see Him as a helpless baby lying in the manger, hanging out waiting for shepherds and wise men. Sadly, some never move Jesus from the manger, but leave Him there. The reason, I believe, is that if He's allowed to grow up, He might start wanting them to change how they live, on a daily basis.
Once Jesus asks the question, He gets the standard answers. Some people say He's a reincarnated person, in this case John the Baptist, never mind they lived at the same time. I have heard people say, that Jesus was in the long line of reincarnated masters, who show up from time to time to teach us the way to live. Hate to bust the bubble of that group, but Jesus died for our sins, ascended to the Father and sits at the right hand of the throne. Now He is coming back, but the next time as to establish His kingdom.
The next person they thought he was was a prophet like Elijah. These people recognize that Jesus has come from God, and has a specific ministry, but will stop short of truly recognizing Christ for who He truly is. Other religions will recognize Jesus as a great prophet, even Jesus' detractors were willing to give Him that, but like many today, to admit anything more might make them reevaluate their life choices and follow Christ.
Then Jesus turns the question personal, “But who do you say that I am?” (v. 15 NKJV) Now Jesus wants you to decide who He is. Peter declared "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (v.17 NKJV) Who do you believe that Jesus is? It is your personal belief and faith that creates your relationship with Him. Do you see your relationship with Christ as your elder brother through adoption, do you see Him as the only begotten son of the Father? Conversely, do you see Jesus as "Buddy Jesus", who is just your friend, and perhaps have treated Jesus flippantly, seeing His name more as a by-word expressing surprise, or worse!
Why bring this up now? Although, Christ wasn't born on December 25, and for sure wasn't visited by shepherds, wise men and Santa Claus, and I am pretty sure a tree wasn't involved. However, this is the way many "Christians" see Christmas and how its celebrated. I'm not worried about who says Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, because they are just words. I am more concerned about the state of your heart. Who do you say Christ is that we celebrate at CHRISTmas? Have you trapped Him in the Manger, made him the 12 year old at the Temple, the adult teacher, hanging on the cross, left in tomb, resurrected, or do you have Him as the risen King of Kings and Lord of Lords who has ALL AUTHORITY??
So as this season kicks off and you get lost in madness, stop each day and ask yourself, "Who do I say He is?", then celebrate accordingly.
Grace and Peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
In Matthew 16:30 Jesus asks a very simple question. "When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” NKJV. This begs the question, who does the world at large say Jesus is? Some just see Him as a helpless baby lying in the manger, hanging out waiting for shepherds and wise men. Sadly, some never move Jesus from the manger, but leave Him there. The reason, I believe, is that if He's allowed to grow up, He might start wanting them to change how they live, on a daily basis.
Once Jesus asks the question, He gets the standard answers. Some people say He's a reincarnated person, in this case John the Baptist, never mind they lived at the same time. I have heard people say, that Jesus was in the long line of reincarnated masters, who show up from time to time to teach us the way to live. Hate to bust the bubble of that group, but Jesus died for our sins, ascended to the Father and sits at the right hand of the throne. Now He is coming back, but the next time as to establish His kingdom.
The next person they thought he was was a prophet like Elijah. These people recognize that Jesus has come from God, and has a specific ministry, but will stop short of truly recognizing Christ for who He truly is. Other religions will recognize Jesus as a great prophet, even Jesus' detractors were willing to give Him that, but like many today, to admit anything more might make them reevaluate their life choices and follow Christ.
Then Jesus turns the question personal, “But who do you say that I am?” (v. 15 NKJV) Now Jesus wants you to decide who He is. Peter declared "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (v.17 NKJV) Who do you believe that Jesus is? It is your personal belief and faith that creates your relationship with Him. Do you see your relationship with Christ as your elder brother through adoption, do you see Him as the only begotten son of the Father? Conversely, do you see Jesus as "Buddy Jesus", who is just your friend, and perhaps have treated Jesus flippantly, seeing His name more as a by-word expressing surprise, or worse!
Why bring this up now? Although, Christ wasn't born on December 25, and for sure wasn't visited by shepherds, wise men and Santa Claus, and I am pretty sure a tree wasn't involved. However, this is the way many "Christians" see Christmas and how its celebrated. I'm not worried about who says Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, because they are just words. I am more concerned about the state of your heart. Who do you say Christ is that we celebrate at CHRISTmas? Have you trapped Him in the Manger, made him the 12 year old at the Temple, the adult teacher, hanging on the cross, left in tomb, resurrected, or do you have Him as the risen King of Kings and Lord of Lords who has ALL AUTHORITY??
So as this season kicks off and you get lost in madness, stop each day and ask yourself, "Who do I say He is?", then celebrate accordingly.
Grace and Peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
Tuesday, December 5, 2017
A blessing!!
Yesterday, I posted about passing the faith along from one generation to the next. Today I want to look out blessing your house by living in the Fear of the Lord. Again I want to say how grateful I am for the book by John Bevere that really got me thinking and meditating on the Fear of the Lord. Today I want to look at Psalms 112 to see how living in the fear and reverence of the Lord can impact our homes. Verse 1 starts with the words, “Hallelujah! Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by] is the man who fears the Lord [with awe inspired reverence and worship Him with obedience], who delights greatly in His commandments.” (AMP) Notice the first thing the psalmist says is how blessed this person in who lives in the Fear or awe inspired reverence and worship and then goes on in the remainder of the psalm to express how blessed they are. In today’s society where the home is under constant attack from all sides, this psalm should be alive and vibrant in every believer’s house but yet many Christian households are in worse shape than their non-Christian counterparts.
First, the Psalmist says their houses brim with wealth and generousity. I want to note it doesn’t say rich and living it up, I believe that as we live this lifestyle God will take care of our daily needs and make sure we have enough, not to hoarde up but to share with others who are in need. God doesn’t want to give to you for you to keep, He prefers to pour through you, to touch others.
Secondly, the text rendering in the Message, says “No shuffling or stumbling around for this one.” I believe this means that a home living this lifestyle, won’t be living in confusion, stumbling and fumbling trying to make things work. I can say, that in my past, my home life had lots of mis-fires, confusion and arguments that resulted from tying to figure out what to do next. The fear of the Lord means we ask Him before making decisions, follow His directions and watch Him direct our steps.
Thirdly, I notice the person living in the fear of the Lord, is “unfazed by rumor and gossip” (Msg) and “unperturbed, ever blessed, relaxed among enemies”. (MSG) Imagine, living in such a way, the rumors and gossip of others, doesn’t bother or even get your attention. A person living in the Fear of the Lord, worries more about what God thinks than they do about what others think. We see this in Daniel, the prophets, and Jesus, who simply lived lives of obedience to God, and wanted His approval not man’s.
The last thing I want to draw your attention to is the reaction of the world. The wicked sees the results and gets angry, or they “rage and bluster” (MSG). Why? A believer living contrary to the world system, will draw the ire of the prince of this world who only wants to steal, kill and destroy believers every chance he gets. So he has us chasing riches and wealth, living in a world ripe with gossip, and rumors, all the while treating the things of God with a flippancy that cheapens life as a whole. It is no wonder that so many believers are stressed beyond their max, and they are living beneath their privilege as children of the living God.
Today, I want to challenge you to live in the awe inspired reverence and worship of the Lord, put Him first in your life and live to please Him. Let Him handle the details. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.” (NLT), the fear of the Lord means we trust Him completely knowing He can do all things simply because of who He is!!!!
Grace and Peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
First, the Psalmist says their houses brim with wealth and generousity. I want to note it doesn’t say rich and living it up, I believe that as we live this lifestyle God will take care of our daily needs and make sure we have enough, not to hoarde up but to share with others who are in need. God doesn’t want to give to you for you to keep, He prefers to pour through you, to touch others.
Secondly, the text rendering in the Message, says “No shuffling or stumbling around for this one.” I believe this means that a home living this lifestyle, won’t be living in confusion, stumbling and fumbling trying to make things work. I can say, that in my past, my home life had lots of mis-fires, confusion and arguments that resulted from tying to figure out what to do next. The fear of the Lord means we ask Him before making decisions, follow His directions and watch Him direct our steps.
Thirdly, I notice the person living in the fear of the Lord, is “unfazed by rumor and gossip” (Msg) and “unperturbed, ever blessed, relaxed among enemies”. (MSG) Imagine, living in such a way, the rumors and gossip of others, doesn’t bother or even get your attention. A person living in the Fear of the Lord, worries more about what God thinks than they do about what others think. We see this in Daniel, the prophets, and Jesus, who simply lived lives of obedience to God, and wanted His approval not man’s.
The last thing I want to draw your attention to is the reaction of the world. The wicked sees the results and gets angry, or they “rage and bluster” (MSG). Why? A believer living contrary to the world system, will draw the ire of the prince of this world who only wants to steal, kill and destroy believers every chance he gets. So he has us chasing riches and wealth, living in a world ripe with gossip, and rumors, all the while treating the things of God with a flippancy that cheapens life as a whole. It is no wonder that so many believers are stressed beyond their max, and they are living beneath their privilege as children of the living God.
Today, I want to challenge you to live in the awe inspired reverence and worship of the Lord, put Him first in your life and live to please Him. Let Him handle the details. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.” (NLT), the fear of the Lord means we trust Him completely knowing He can do all things simply because of who He is!!!!
Grace and Peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
Monday, December 4, 2017
Passing the Faith Along!!
As I was reading Deuteronomy in my private time, I was struck by the amount of time Moses spends on the topic of the Fear of the Lord. In verses 2, 13, and 24. Notice what he says.
Do this so that you may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life by keeping all his statutes and commands I am giving you, your son, and your grandson, and so that you may have a long life.(CSB) The same text in the Message
This is so that you’ll live in deep reverence before God lifelong, observing all his rules and regulations that I’m commanding you, you and your children and your grandchildren, living good long lives.
In this text God wanted Israel to pass their reverence of God, their obedience to God, and His expectations from one generation to the next. This was to help pass along their experiences in following God and obeying God. God wants to move the teaching from experiential to being alive on the heart and being part of the thought process. How different from today, the way God is presented as my "buddy" and we don't respect Him as the creator of the universe. We have decided to make God into our image, rather than us being in the image of God.
I have been working in church all my life and recently I fell away, and part of the reason, I lost my respect for God, forsook worshiping Him. Along the way, God decided to let me have that time as a learning experience. What I saw was that people, who didn't serve God, but served other deities, but did so with respect and honor. When God called me back to Him through Jesus, I was acutely aware of the church's lack of fear of the Lord.
We start late most services, joking about C.S.T. (Christian Standard Time), people sit in the sanctuary and joke and play, and wonder why we don't see the power of God in our services. As I have been in my private time, God has dealt with my attitude, and has brought me into a new place of respect and awe of His power and His grace. I just heard a person say that we approach God as consumers, what we can get out of God, not as a people to worship God.
Moses warns people that they are moving into cities, and houses they didn't build, drink from wells they didn't dig, and eat from gardens they didn't plant, and they would be tempted to forget God. After this warning Moses restates to fear the Lord, he isn't talking about scared fear, but a reverential awe of who He is, that keeps us from living willy nilly, and grace balances so that we don't live in legalism.
Today as a 3rd generation Pentecostal, I have attended churches, I didn't build, and heard sermons, and read books, that I didn't study and allow God to speak to me directly, I just accepted their word and believed they were right. In my private time, He has had me reading the scriptures without my own "glasses" own, but allowing Him to teach me. He has also really made me more respectful and in awe of what He did in my life and what He is doing in me on a daily basis. Expand this out to the larger country, we haven't taught our children to respect God or anyone else, so should we be surprised at the lack of respect for others we are seeing today. The scary thing is one day they will be in charge, if our society makes it that far.
Today, as you reflect on your relationship to God, ask yourself how you view your heavenly Father, and be honest. Perhaps as you see Him as He is, you will find yourself in His presence more. I also recommend reading John Bevere's book on the Fear of the Lord for a more detailed discussion on the topic as a whole.
Grace and Peace be multiplied to you.
Do this so that you may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life by keeping all his statutes and commands I am giving you, your son, and your grandson, and so that you may have a long life.(CSB) The same text in the Message
This is so that you’ll live in deep reverence before God lifelong, observing all his rules and regulations that I’m commanding you, you and your children and your grandchildren, living good long lives.
In this text God wanted Israel to pass their reverence of God, their obedience to God, and His expectations from one generation to the next. This was to help pass along their experiences in following God and obeying God. God wants to move the teaching from experiential to being alive on the heart and being part of the thought process. How different from today, the way God is presented as my "buddy" and we don't respect Him as the creator of the universe. We have decided to make God into our image, rather than us being in the image of God.
I have been working in church all my life and recently I fell away, and part of the reason, I lost my respect for God, forsook worshiping Him. Along the way, God decided to let me have that time as a learning experience. What I saw was that people, who didn't serve God, but served other deities, but did so with respect and honor. When God called me back to Him through Jesus, I was acutely aware of the church's lack of fear of the Lord.
We start late most services, joking about C.S.T. (Christian Standard Time), people sit in the sanctuary and joke and play, and wonder why we don't see the power of God in our services. As I have been in my private time, God has dealt with my attitude, and has brought me into a new place of respect and awe of His power and His grace. I just heard a person say that we approach God as consumers, what we can get out of God, not as a people to worship God.
Moses warns people that they are moving into cities, and houses they didn't build, drink from wells they didn't dig, and eat from gardens they didn't plant, and they would be tempted to forget God. After this warning Moses restates to fear the Lord, he isn't talking about scared fear, but a reverential awe of who He is, that keeps us from living willy nilly, and grace balances so that we don't live in legalism.
Today as a 3rd generation Pentecostal, I have attended churches, I didn't build, and heard sermons, and read books, that I didn't study and allow God to speak to me directly, I just accepted their word and believed they were right. In my private time, He has had me reading the scriptures without my own "glasses" own, but allowing Him to teach me. He has also really made me more respectful and in awe of what He did in my life and what He is doing in me on a daily basis. Expand this out to the larger country, we haven't taught our children to respect God or anyone else, so should we be surprised at the lack of respect for others we are seeing today. The scary thing is one day they will be in charge, if our society makes it that far.
Today, as you reflect on your relationship to God, ask yourself how you view your heavenly Father, and be honest. Perhaps as you see Him as He is, you will find yourself in His presence more. I also recommend reading John Bevere's book on the Fear of the Lord for a more detailed discussion on the topic as a whole.
Grace and Peace be multiplied to you.
Friday, November 17, 2017
Can't see a thing!
In Luke's Gospel we are given a story of a blind man who can see more clearly than those with sight! You know the story in Luke 18:35-43. The blind man heard that Jesus was passing by. The people who were around Jesus only knew Him as Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph the local carpenter. They were aware of the miracles, and teaching but still only "saw" Him as the local preacher.
The blind man asked who was causing the commotion, and they told him "Jesus of Nazareth was passing by." and he cried "JESUS, SON OF DAVID have MERCY on me!" (v. 38) The term Son of David is a Messianic reference to the person of Christ. Blind though he was in the physical, his spiritual eyes recognized Jesus for who He was and is. Now the religious people who wanted to everything to stay as it was tried to shush him. He simply cried all the louder again using the term Son of David, and again asking for mercy. I want you to notice that Jesus was there as the Messiah, and could have healed and ministered to everyone in attendance, but only one blind man saw Jesus as the ONLY ONE who could give him mercy in the very midst of his need.
Jesus heard his cry, aren't you glad He always hears our cries to him?? Jesus heard him and asked him to be brought to Him. Jesus then asked the very question that we long to hear Him ask us. "What do you want Me to do for you?" Do you see the blank check Christ was offering, "What do YOU want me to do for you?" I realize that this man could have asked for anything, some in the prosperity gospel being preached today would have asked for riches that they would never need to work again. Some would have asked for things that in the grand scale of eternity may or may not have made a difference. This man, said simply, "Master, I want to see again!" He asked for healing, and in the eyes of man, this was impossible, probably improbable, YET he asked Christ for what his heart desired.
Notice Christ's response, "Receive your sight, your FAITH has made you well." Notice its faith in the person and power of Jesus Christ that activated the miracle in his life. Faith is believing that Christ as the Son of God, can do exactly what He says He can do in every situation, in spite of what our eyes tell us.
Jesus could have healed and met the need of every person in that crowd, yet only one person gets his miracle, and the key here is faith. He believed that Jesus was/is the Messiah, and was there to heal, save, deliver, and establish the Kingdom of God. He accepted that and received a miracle. Now the people around began praising God, because you can't help but get happy when you see the power of God manifested!!
What is your need today? If Jesus came down to you physically and asked you that same question, what would you say? Before you answer, can I just say, that as His child, He is asking you that question, I guess the think to ask yourself is do you have the faith of a blind man to receive? Jesus wants to minister in your life in this same way today. Just cry out to Him in faith, believing that He is the Messiah, and King of Kings, and let Him work in you today.
He is asking you today, "What do you want Me to do for you?" Don't ask as a slave but ask as a child and see what He does in and through your life today!
Grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
The blind man asked who was causing the commotion, and they told him "Jesus of Nazareth was passing by." and he cried "JESUS, SON OF DAVID have MERCY on me!" (v. 38) The term Son of David is a Messianic reference to the person of Christ. Blind though he was in the physical, his spiritual eyes recognized Jesus for who He was and is. Now the religious people who wanted to everything to stay as it was tried to shush him. He simply cried all the louder again using the term Son of David, and again asking for mercy. I want you to notice that Jesus was there as the Messiah, and could have healed and ministered to everyone in attendance, but only one blind man saw Jesus as the ONLY ONE who could give him mercy in the very midst of his need.
Jesus heard his cry, aren't you glad He always hears our cries to him?? Jesus heard him and asked him to be brought to Him. Jesus then asked the very question that we long to hear Him ask us. "What do you want Me to do for you?" Do you see the blank check Christ was offering, "What do YOU want me to do for you?" I realize that this man could have asked for anything, some in the prosperity gospel being preached today would have asked for riches that they would never need to work again. Some would have asked for things that in the grand scale of eternity may or may not have made a difference. This man, said simply, "Master, I want to see again!" He asked for healing, and in the eyes of man, this was impossible, probably improbable, YET he asked Christ for what his heart desired.
Notice Christ's response, "Receive your sight, your FAITH has made you well." Notice its faith in the person and power of Jesus Christ that activated the miracle in his life. Faith is believing that Christ as the Son of God, can do exactly what He says He can do in every situation, in spite of what our eyes tell us.
Jesus could have healed and met the need of every person in that crowd, yet only one person gets his miracle, and the key here is faith. He believed that Jesus was/is the Messiah, and was there to heal, save, deliver, and establish the Kingdom of God. He accepted that and received a miracle. Now the people around began praising God, because you can't help but get happy when you see the power of God manifested!!
What is your need today? If Jesus came down to you physically and asked you that same question, what would you say? Before you answer, can I just say, that as His child, He is asking you that question, I guess the think to ask yourself is do you have the faith of a blind man to receive? Jesus wants to minister in your life in this same way today. Just cry out to Him in faith, believing that He is the Messiah, and King of Kings, and let Him work in you today.
He is asking you today, "What do you want Me to do for you?" Don't ask as a slave but ask as a child and see what He does in and through your life today!
Grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
Taking Prayer Seriously!!!
The disciples made a very important request of Jesus in Luke 11. They asked Jesus to teach them to pray! Why did they want Him to teach them to pray? They had seen the power Jesus demonstrated in each and every miracle and they knew about His prayer life, so the request seems natural.
In our hustle, dog eat dog world, people often forget to pray or see it as a simple religious exercise, and the enemy has absolutely no desire to change that perspective. However, as we live in this world we need a connection to the power of God like never before. Any military force depends on communication with the Commanders to be successful, and victorious in the battle. 2 Corinthians 10 tells us that "We are human, but we don't wage war as humans do. We use God's might weapons, not worldly weapons." (NLT) We need instructions on their use, the plans of our leaders, and daily "briefings" from the Home Office. This is accomplished in prayer. Not just muttering the same words we use as a matter of habit, but really opening up our hearts, and allowing the Holy Spirit to help us pray as we need to.
Prayer is serious business, not convinced, in Daniel they passed a law against it, our society frowns on or wants it scrubbed of mention of Jesus. The least attended things in church after Sunday School or Bible Study, is prayer meetings. I heard a pastor jokingly say once that we have went from the "Sweet Hour of Prayer" to "Just a little Talk with Jesus" as a matter of prayer. When Jesus was teaching the disciples he gave three things he expected believers to do as a matter of lifestyle. One was fasting, the other was giving, and the third was praying. Many believers are living lives beneath the place God wants for them as they never pray, or even have regular conversations with their Father.
As I struggled with the loss of my earthly father a year ago, I made mention to my wife that I missed being able to call and just talk, and get his advice on things. Later that night the Spirit reminded me that I can still do that with my Heavenly Father on a daily basis, just like I did my dad! Suddenly I saw prayer in a new light, I'm not talking just to the most powerful person in the universe, I'm talking to my DAD! He wants to talk, listen to my problems, offer advice and solutions, and most importantly be a part of my life in a real and daily basis. My prayer time, is a conversation I keep everyday, and in the process, I can tell you that I have had spiritual healing in areas I struggled with my entire life, He has been opening the word to me in new ways, and I feel closer to Him that I ever have in my entire life.
These things happened when I learned to pray, and had a better understanding of who I was praying to. I feel as if I am now really apart of His Kingdom, and I'm praying to see His Glory in my life, so that others will come to know Him, and He will help me do this through His power that is at work in my life.
Today why don't you take a moment and focus on WHO God is to you. Have you been adopted into His family, and can you call Him "Dad"? Are you ashamed to come to Him because of your past, there is forgiveness, are you scared because you have failed in areas, there is strength to be given. Do you feel unworthy because of things in your life you wanted to clean up before going to God? Just ask Him for forgiveness, ask Him to help you walk in His power, and let Him do the cleaning. He can do things if you will let Him in your life that will simply amaze you, I'm a witness.
If you need help growing or in finding Christ, email me at pastorstansberry@gmail.com
Grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
In our hustle, dog eat dog world, people often forget to pray or see it as a simple religious exercise, and the enemy has absolutely no desire to change that perspective. However, as we live in this world we need a connection to the power of God like never before. Any military force depends on communication with the Commanders to be successful, and victorious in the battle. 2 Corinthians 10 tells us that "We are human, but we don't wage war as humans do. We use God's might weapons, not worldly weapons." (NLT) We need instructions on their use, the plans of our leaders, and daily "briefings" from the Home Office. This is accomplished in prayer. Not just muttering the same words we use as a matter of habit, but really opening up our hearts, and allowing the Holy Spirit to help us pray as we need to.
Prayer is serious business, not convinced, in Daniel they passed a law against it, our society frowns on or wants it scrubbed of mention of Jesus. The least attended things in church after Sunday School or Bible Study, is prayer meetings. I heard a pastor jokingly say once that we have went from the "Sweet Hour of Prayer" to "Just a little Talk with Jesus" as a matter of prayer. When Jesus was teaching the disciples he gave three things he expected believers to do as a matter of lifestyle. One was fasting, the other was giving, and the third was praying. Many believers are living lives beneath the place God wants for them as they never pray, or even have regular conversations with their Father.
As I struggled with the loss of my earthly father a year ago, I made mention to my wife that I missed being able to call and just talk, and get his advice on things. Later that night the Spirit reminded me that I can still do that with my Heavenly Father on a daily basis, just like I did my dad! Suddenly I saw prayer in a new light, I'm not talking just to the most powerful person in the universe, I'm talking to my DAD! He wants to talk, listen to my problems, offer advice and solutions, and most importantly be a part of my life in a real and daily basis. My prayer time, is a conversation I keep everyday, and in the process, I can tell you that I have had spiritual healing in areas I struggled with my entire life, He has been opening the word to me in new ways, and I feel closer to Him that I ever have in my entire life.
These things happened when I learned to pray, and had a better understanding of who I was praying to. I feel as if I am now really apart of His Kingdom, and I'm praying to see His Glory in my life, so that others will come to know Him, and He will help me do this through His power that is at work in my life.
Today why don't you take a moment and focus on WHO God is to you. Have you been adopted into His family, and can you call Him "Dad"? Are you ashamed to come to Him because of your past, there is forgiveness, are you scared because you have failed in areas, there is strength to be given. Do you feel unworthy because of things in your life you wanted to clean up before going to God? Just ask Him for forgiveness, ask Him to help you walk in His power, and let Him do the cleaning. He can do things if you will let Him in your life that will simply amaze you, I'm a witness.
If you need help growing or in finding Christ, email me at pastorstansberry@gmail.com
Grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
Monday, November 13, 2017
Chosen?
Jeremiah 1:5
"Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you: A prophet to the nations-that's what I had in mind for you." (The Message)
Wow, God told Jeremiah, that he had a plan for him from the very moment of his conception. Imagine growing up and realizing that God had big plans for your life, a plan for you to be significant, and change the world you live in. Have you ever thought about your life, what God's plan for you is? I can honestly say that I have more than once, and I can honestly say, I don't feel like a Jeremiah, actually I don't feel like any Biblical hero, I feel inadequate on all counts.
I have made so many missteps, fallen, and not lived the way I should have earlier on in my life, and made decisions based on the stronghold that was in my life, that I can't see how God can still use me as broken as I am. Yet His word says He knew me before I was conceived, and knew all about me! Why am I saying all this? To let you know that none of us ever feel as if we are on a path to change the world, but we are on a path to change the corner of it we live in. Our families, friends and acquaintances, we can impact them, and by extension the world that they live and work in.
Don't let your past failures, dictate your current situation, give all that to God, and live for Him, and grow. I can say that the person I have been, God has healed, torn down the strongholds in my life and made me a different person, the best version of me I have ever been. I only wished I had had this version earlier, so that I would not have hurt the people in my past and in my family. I am grateful, for what God is doing in my life and I am going to reach those I can until my life on this earth comes to a close.
Grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
Friday, October 27, 2017
Be Cheerful!!!
In the book the "Greatest Salesman in the World", one of the scrolls tells the salesman to greet each day with joy. I recently spoke to a salesman who swears by that particular book to help them become a success. He was touting what great advice it is to meet the day with. Paul in his letters echoed the same sentiment, only he expanded it out by saying, "Be Cheerful no matter what, pray all the time; thank God, no matter what happens." MSG 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17. As I read those words my first fleshly thought was "wow, easy for a super apostle to say, but as I paused and let the Holy Spirit work, I realized that "That was a hard thing to say, based on what Paul had to go through in spreading the gospel." Prison, beatings, shipwrecks, being bitten by a snake, and all the other things that would normally cause a person to quit, he just kept going.
What caused him to be cheerful no matter what, the secret to this is found in where he looked during the entire ordeal. Throughout his ministry Paul would reference the cross as the centerpoint of his message. He would look at what Christ endured and thought this is nothing compared to that so, he remained cheerful. That being said, as we go through life with our disappointments, (the gap between our expectations and our reality), sickness, and the other curve balls life throws at us, we need simply to remind ourselves that Christ suffered that and much worse on our behalf, so cheer up, we aren't being publicly executed, for all the world to see!
Allow this truth to make its way into your spirit, God is watching over me, Christ lives in me, I am clothed in the Spirit, so no matter what happens I'm not alone, not powerless, and not without a companion to help me speak directly to the Father and the Father can speak directly back!!! So why not be cheerful, knowing to whom I belong and what He is capable of!
Grace and peace be multiplied to you. CHEER UP!!!
Eric
Thursday, October 26, 2017
What to do with the Bible?
The best selling book of all time, is probably also the most misused of all time. I'm not talking about the Tom Sawyer, or the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, I'm talking about the Bible. People use the Bible to justify so many things some are accurate and others well, not so much. Which leads me to today's question, what do I as a believer do with the Bible?
The first thing I recommend is to find a version you can read and understand, some are translations, meaning they strive to do a word for word understanding of the texts. Some are interpretations, meaning they put the text into an understandable format for you to grasp the concepts over the actual meaning of each word. When I study I have several versions of both out to compare, my reasoning is that I want to understand the words on the page as I depend on the Holy Spirit to make the meaning clear and applicable to my life. John 5:39 tells us that as we search or pore over the scriptures they point to Christ and His identity.
Secondly, as you read allow the Spirit to speak directly to your heart and teach you what and how to apply what you have read to your own life. Too many believers only read and believe what the pastor/teacher at their church tells them, or their tradition teaches without actually searching the scriptures for the actual teachings of the Word. It is the Word that helps us conform to the revealed image of Christ. Jesus told the Sadducees that "Your mistake is that you don't know the scriptures, and you don't know the power of God." (Matthew 22:29 NLT). They had asked Him a question hoping to trip Him up, and He called them on it.
So read the scriptures for yourself and ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand and apply them, seek out teachers that view scriptures the same way and depend on the Holy Spirit and not tradition to frame their understanding of the scriptures. Remember as you read three things should start to occur in your life.
1. As you study the Spirit will help you move beyond head knowledge but to a deeper comprehension of what the Word is saying to your life.
2. As you begin comprehending your life should start conforming to the Word, as the two images begin to match.
3. As your life begins to become more Christ-like and less religious, your life will begin to communicate the changes as the Spirit gets a deeper hold in your life the Spiritual Fruit will begin to manifest and suddenly being a Christian becomes a true lifestyle of joy and peace and not a religious drudgery that has infected the church today.
I hope this gives you food for thought, email me if you ever have any questions and I'll help anyway can.
Grace and Peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
The first thing I recommend is to find a version you can read and understand, some are translations, meaning they strive to do a word for word understanding of the texts. Some are interpretations, meaning they put the text into an understandable format for you to grasp the concepts over the actual meaning of each word. When I study I have several versions of both out to compare, my reasoning is that I want to understand the words on the page as I depend on the Holy Spirit to make the meaning clear and applicable to my life. John 5:39 tells us that as we search or pore over the scriptures they point to Christ and His identity.
Secondly, as you read allow the Spirit to speak directly to your heart and teach you what and how to apply what you have read to your own life. Too many believers only read and believe what the pastor/teacher at their church tells them, or their tradition teaches without actually searching the scriptures for the actual teachings of the Word. It is the Word that helps us conform to the revealed image of Christ. Jesus told the Sadducees that "Your mistake is that you don't know the scriptures, and you don't know the power of God." (Matthew 22:29 NLT). They had asked Him a question hoping to trip Him up, and He called them on it.
So read the scriptures for yourself and ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand and apply them, seek out teachers that view scriptures the same way and depend on the Holy Spirit and not tradition to frame their understanding of the scriptures. Remember as you read three things should start to occur in your life.
1. As you study the Spirit will help you move beyond head knowledge but to a deeper comprehension of what the Word is saying to your life.
2. As you begin comprehending your life should start conforming to the Word, as the two images begin to match.
3. As your life begins to become more Christ-like and less religious, your life will begin to communicate the changes as the Spirit gets a deeper hold in your life the Spiritual Fruit will begin to manifest and suddenly being a Christian becomes a true lifestyle of joy and peace and not a religious drudgery that has infected the church today.
I hope this gives you food for thought, email me if you ever have any questions and I'll help anyway can.
Grace and Peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Where do I go to give up?
When I was in undergraduate one of my professors always put a cartoon on the screen before beginning lecture. One day in the middle of the semester he put up a Peanuts cartoon. Seated behind her psychiatric desk Lucy waited to dispense her 5 cents worth of wisdom. Charlie Brown sat down depressed and asked her a question I would dare say we have all asked at one time. "Where do I go to give up?" Sound familiar, have you ever just plopped down in your chair, or on the ground or wherever you found yourself and asked that very question.
A few years ago, I tried bringing my dream to pass without checking the timing of my Father, can we say epic failure. I wasn't in the place I needed to be spiritually, nor was I surrounded by people who had the same vision I did, and the last piece missing was a support network for my own emotional and spiritual needs. The result FAILURE, and hurt people. Walking away from that failure I found myself like the men on the Emmaus road in Luke 24. They were hurt, confused, wondering if they had just missed the will of the Father, were they deceived by Christ, He was dead, and they were just depressed. I could so relate to that feeling.
Although their feelings lasted but a moment, mine lasted for 4 years, as I wandered around like a lost pup, hurt, dazed and confused thinking that I had destroyed that dream, hurt the Father and others beyond repair, so I settled into the feelings that this was all there was. Then God sent me a wake up call, and reminded me that like the Prodigal son, I was His, and that forgiveness was only a prayer away. I didn't need to hear that call twice, and I returned home and found His love and forgiveness was more than I had even preached about earlier. He healed issues in my life that I had struggled with for years, and I experienced His power in a way I had never known.
Then the issue of the dream came up again. My pastor preached on 1 Corinthians 7:23-24. He reminded me I was called by grace, I had been chosen. Secondly he said live in your calling. "Get hold of your unlikely dreams and go after them." I thought easy for you to say, you didn't fail to the degree I did, and as publicly.
That is until I read the text in Luke. Christ reminded the men that He had to suffer and die to bring about their salvation and enter into His glory. The Spirit, spoke softly to me and reminded me that the path I walked wasn't a surprise to the Father, and that the experiences I had gotten there was part of my education, so that I could truly do that I was called to do.
I know I spent a lot of time on my background, but I wonder if you can relate? Has God given you a dream, or put something special in you and the enemy has convinced you it will never happen. Can I be transparent with you, DON'T GIVE IN!!! Be reminded that if Christ started a work in you He will complete that work. We don't get to give up in this army, like the Marines, Christ won't leave a solider behind to be captured and tortured by the enemy, but He will bring us to Himself, and heal us and make us the soldiers He called us to be, until we get to go home and rest for all eternity.
I'll be praying for you and I hope you are praying for me. Please leave me comments to know if this has helped, or send me your prayer requests to pastorstansberry@gmail.com.
Grace and Peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
A few years ago, I tried bringing my dream to pass without checking the timing of my Father, can we say epic failure. I wasn't in the place I needed to be spiritually, nor was I surrounded by people who had the same vision I did, and the last piece missing was a support network for my own emotional and spiritual needs. The result FAILURE, and hurt people. Walking away from that failure I found myself like the men on the Emmaus road in Luke 24. They were hurt, confused, wondering if they had just missed the will of the Father, were they deceived by Christ, He was dead, and they were just depressed. I could so relate to that feeling.
Although their feelings lasted but a moment, mine lasted for 4 years, as I wandered around like a lost pup, hurt, dazed and confused thinking that I had destroyed that dream, hurt the Father and others beyond repair, so I settled into the feelings that this was all there was. Then God sent me a wake up call, and reminded me that like the Prodigal son, I was His, and that forgiveness was only a prayer away. I didn't need to hear that call twice, and I returned home and found His love and forgiveness was more than I had even preached about earlier. He healed issues in my life that I had struggled with for years, and I experienced His power in a way I had never known.
Then the issue of the dream came up again. My pastor preached on 1 Corinthians 7:23-24. He reminded me I was called by grace, I had been chosen. Secondly he said live in your calling. "Get hold of your unlikely dreams and go after them." I thought easy for you to say, you didn't fail to the degree I did, and as publicly.
That is until I read the text in Luke. Christ reminded the men that He had to suffer and die to bring about their salvation and enter into His glory. The Spirit, spoke softly to me and reminded me that the path I walked wasn't a surprise to the Father, and that the experiences I had gotten there was part of my education, so that I could truly do that I was called to do.
I know I spent a lot of time on my background, but I wonder if you can relate? Has God given you a dream, or put something special in you and the enemy has convinced you it will never happen. Can I be transparent with you, DON'T GIVE IN!!! Be reminded that if Christ started a work in you He will complete that work. We don't get to give up in this army, like the Marines, Christ won't leave a solider behind to be captured and tortured by the enemy, but He will bring us to Himself, and heal us and make us the soldiers He called us to be, until we get to go home and rest for all eternity.
I'll be praying for you and I hope you are praying for me. Please leave me comments to know if this has helped, or send me your prayer requests to pastorstansberry@gmail.com.
Grace and Peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
Monday, October 23, 2017
Adopted
In December of 1970, two unsuspecting parents adopted a premature, hyperactive baby because they wanted a son. I know you already have guessed it was me, but that I is why I can identify with the concepts that Paul looks at in Ephesians 1:4-5 "Even before He made the world, God LOVED us and CHOSE us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. God decided in advance to ADOPT us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Christ Jesus." (NLT) I put three words in all caps to "Shout" to get you to notice them.
First notice that God loved us. In this crazy world that we live in so many people have this idea that God is sitting in Heaven waiting on them to screw up so He can punish them. That He sees their problems and just looks away, however nothing can be farther from the truth. He loves us so much that even before creation, He had a plan to show us His love in a way that would forever prove that we matter. When I was in junior high (I know I'm old), I struggled with this idea of being loved, because I really didn't fit in, and the picture I had of God, growing up in the churches I was drug to, painted God that wanted everyone to be the same, and I couldn't make that happen. It has only been a recent revelation to me that God loves me just as I am, because of the second word CHOSE!
God CHOSE me to be His child!!! He saw everything I would ever do, say and be and in spite of that He still wanted me to be in His family. I have had many people come and go in my live and many I felt like were my family, only to find that they didn't see me the same way, I was convenient to them, and served their purpose at that moment. When I disappointed them, or in someway didn't please them, they simply cut me loose and wanted nothing else to do with me. NOT SO WITH MY FATHER, He kept His eye on me, He loved me, and was always right there, even when I was clearly in the wrong, but because He CHOSE me, He wouldn't let me get to far from Him, and when I thought I went to far, HE reached out and pulled me back to Himself and reminded me of the third word, ADOPT!
When a child is adopted their past is wiped out and they are given a new identity. It wasn't until I was 21 that I found out that my birth mother had given me a name, but when my parents adopted me they had that name changed and a legal document, made me their son, their heir, their family, not only to them, but to their entire family, it was if I was natural born. This is what excites me, when I came to Christ, through His blood I was adopted into His family. He is my brother, and the creator of the entire Universe, the Ancient of Days, is my Father. He loves me when I do good, and He corrects me when I mess up. I have had a real change and revelation in this area, that has changed my beliefs somewhat on things, but it has made my relationship stronger with the Father.
If you have days where you feel low, alone or just unworthy I want you to remind yourself of these words. Tell the enemy that I am Loved, I was Chosen and I am Adopted, by the Creator of the Universe through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, and because of that I am His child and He will take care of me, and hold me in my darkest hour. Remind the enemy to whom you belong and watch victory begin to manifest.
Let's join together in prayer for each other, and allow the Holy Spirit to make us into the family He wants us to be, not divided but united!
Grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
First notice that God loved us. In this crazy world that we live in so many people have this idea that God is sitting in Heaven waiting on them to screw up so He can punish them. That He sees their problems and just looks away, however nothing can be farther from the truth. He loves us so much that even before creation, He had a plan to show us His love in a way that would forever prove that we matter. When I was in junior high (I know I'm old), I struggled with this idea of being loved, because I really didn't fit in, and the picture I had of God, growing up in the churches I was drug to, painted God that wanted everyone to be the same, and I couldn't make that happen. It has only been a recent revelation to me that God loves me just as I am, because of the second word CHOSE!
God CHOSE me to be His child!!! He saw everything I would ever do, say and be and in spite of that He still wanted me to be in His family. I have had many people come and go in my live and many I felt like were my family, only to find that they didn't see me the same way, I was convenient to them, and served their purpose at that moment. When I disappointed them, or in someway didn't please them, they simply cut me loose and wanted nothing else to do with me. NOT SO WITH MY FATHER, He kept His eye on me, He loved me, and was always right there, even when I was clearly in the wrong, but because He CHOSE me, He wouldn't let me get to far from Him, and when I thought I went to far, HE reached out and pulled me back to Himself and reminded me of the third word, ADOPT!
When a child is adopted their past is wiped out and they are given a new identity. It wasn't until I was 21 that I found out that my birth mother had given me a name, but when my parents adopted me they had that name changed and a legal document, made me their son, their heir, their family, not only to them, but to their entire family, it was if I was natural born. This is what excites me, when I came to Christ, through His blood I was adopted into His family. He is my brother, and the creator of the entire Universe, the Ancient of Days, is my Father. He loves me when I do good, and He corrects me when I mess up. I have had a real change and revelation in this area, that has changed my beliefs somewhat on things, but it has made my relationship stronger with the Father.
If you have days where you feel low, alone or just unworthy I want you to remind yourself of these words. Tell the enemy that I am Loved, I was Chosen and I am Adopted, by the Creator of the Universe through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, and because of that I am His child and He will take care of me, and hold me in my darkest hour. Remind the enemy to whom you belong and watch victory begin to manifest.
Let's join together in prayer for each other, and allow the Holy Spirit to make us into the family He wants us to be, not divided but united!
Grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
Friday, October 20, 2017
A personal note
On May 24, I was relieved of a profession, I had been in for over 25 years in various places and positions. In September I accepted a position completely different from anything I have ever done before. It was the only open door, so I stepped through. Being honest here I am in October in worse financial shape than I have ever been, and to be honest I am pretty worried. I know that as a believer I'm not to be worried or scared, but I am human and I have all the human responsibilities. As I started pouring tea for my pity party, the Lord took me to the Sermon on the Mount to remind me of a couple of things. I want to share them with you.
"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope With less of you there is more of God and his rule. You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. " (Matthew 5:3-4 The Message)
I will admit that both these verses spoke directly to me, and my situation. Today I can freely admit I am at the end of my rope, I have tied a knot and I am holding on for dear life. When you are at the bottom there is only one way to look and that is up. Psalms 123 gives us three things to do in these situations. First when looking up, be Alert to the Father's voice. Secondly, when looking up, be Attending to the Father's presence. Thirdly, when looking up, be Awaiting the Father's move on your behalf.
Look at the next verse, it says I'm blessed when I lose what is most dear to me. Now to be fair, my job isn't my most dear possession, but it is physical need, and the absence of it creates stress not only on me but my family, both current and former. I know that each of these verses are for me and you during our most testing times, but I believe in being real, I'm scared and I guess I am asking all of you to join me in prayer for this situation, as I join in prayer for yours. I believe if we all join together in prayer, holding each other up we will see victories in every situation.
Grace and peace be multiplied to all of you.
Eric
"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope With less of you there is more of God and his rule. You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. " (Matthew 5:3-4 The Message)
I will admit that both these verses spoke directly to me, and my situation. Today I can freely admit I am at the end of my rope, I have tied a knot and I am holding on for dear life. When you are at the bottom there is only one way to look and that is up. Psalms 123 gives us three things to do in these situations. First when looking up, be Alert to the Father's voice. Secondly, when looking up, be Attending to the Father's presence. Thirdly, when looking up, be Awaiting the Father's move on your behalf.
Look at the next verse, it says I'm blessed when I lose what is most dear to me. Now to be fair, my job isn't my most dear possession, but it is physical need, and the absence of it creates stress not only on me but my family, both current and former. I know that each of these verses are for me and you during our most testing times, but I believe in being real, I'm scared and I guess I am asking all of you to join me in prayer for this situation, as I join in prayer for yours. I believe if we all join together in prayer, holding each other up we will see victories in every situation.
Grace and peace be multiplied to all of you.
Eric
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
The Calendar
Over the past few months people have been using the calendar and things happening as way to point to the return of Christ, like He is awaiting a further sign. That sign was given when Israel became a nation, and the majority of Bible scholars actually agree on that one sign. That being said, Paul had to address the same issues 2,000 years ago to a church in 1st Thessalonians.
"Times and dates are not important. God is not going to post is to a calendar" 5:1-3 (MSG) So why are we so interested in date setting and the like, well its our way of trying to be ready while not being ready.
If we had known when Kennedy was going to be killed, would we not have changed his route, or increased security. What about any other invasion, tragedy or other major event if we had foreknowledge of the event, would we not have prepared and done what was necessary to prevent the situation, the answer is YES of course!!!
So then, if we knew the exact date of the Lord's return might we all behave and live a little different, for some the answer is a resounding yes!!!!! That is why we should not attempt to figure out the date of the return of Christ, but live each moment as if it is today. Why because we would treat each other differently, saint and sinner, wanting everyone to be ready for the return. We would live closer to His teachings and refrain from silly controversies, and things that divide the church. We would live in a way to bring glory to His name, so that at any moment we can hear His voice.
Yet the church lives today in a manner that indicates we really don't believe He is coming back. Why do I say that? Well we are still fighting racism in the church, judging and condemning people based on things that aren't as important as their soul. Jesus came to save the world, not lead everyone into condemnation, yet our message today is more condemnation, than love and whosoever will may come.
Friends, let commit to live every moment as if its the last on this plane of living. Whether we go by rapture or grave, lets live in a way that would draw people to Christ and His kingdom, not turn them off to the love he offers all.
Grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
"Times and dates are not important. God is not going to post is to a calendar" 5:1-3 (MSG) So why are we so interested in date setting and the like, well its our way of trying to be ready while not being ready.
If we had known when Kennedy was going to be killed, would we not have changed his route, or increased security. What about any other invasion, tragedy or other major event if we had foreknowledge of the event, would we not have prepared and done what was necessary to prevent the situation, the answer is YES of course!!!
So then, if we knew the exact date of the Lord's return might we all behave and live a little different, for some the answer is a resounding yes!!!!! That is why we should not attempt to figure out the date of the return of Christ, but live each moment as if it is today. Why because we would treat each other differently, saint and sinner, wanting everyone to be ready for the return. We would live closer to His teachings and refrain from silly controversies, and things that divide the church. We would live in a way to bring glory to His name, so that at any moment we can hear His voice.
Yet the church lives today in a manner that indicates we really don't believe He is coming back. Why do I say that? Well we are still fighting racism in the church, judging and condemning people based on things that aren't as important as their soul. Jesus came to save the world, not lead everyone into condemnation, yet our message today is more condemnation, than love and whosoever will may come.
Friends, let commit to live every moment as if its the last on this plane of living. Whether we go by rapture or grave, lets live in a way that would draw people to Christ and His kingdom, not turn them off to the love he offers all.
Grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Get Prepared
Exodus 19:10-19 gives the story of Moses preparing Israel to receive the 10 Commandments from God. They were told to clean their garments, prepare their inner being for the meeting and told where they would meet God. Why? In an age where worship starts at 11ish, and we come to worship as if we are going to the beach, or ballpark, I am left to wonder where is the wonder and awe of our time with the Father.
Let me apply this to the natural, if you have a job, you are required to be on time, and yet in our meeting with the God of the universe keeping the appointment is a struggle to say the least. Secondly, most jobs have a sort of dress code, (I'm not saying coat and tie for men and LOOOOONNNGG dresses for the women, saw that enough growing up in legalism) but at least in a way that shows respect for our Savior and High Priest and His/Our Father.
Thirdly, we should come into worship prepared to hear from the Father, and ready to lift our hands in worship, yet sadly many see worship has a formality like let's sing so the preacher can preach and we can go get on about our Sunday! Is is any wonder so many are turning away from Christianity and looking at other religions.
How do we fix this, as with anything start at home with your private time. Every day I set an appointment to meet with God. I get dressed and start the appointment as sacred time, turn off the phone, and get ready to meet with my Father. That means I have a time and a place, doesn't have to be at home, can be anywhere you can get time with Him. Secondly, come with a spirit of worship. If that means singing, listening to worship music or just closing your eyes and speaking the psalms, just worship. Thirdly, pray as you read the word of God. He will open the scriptures up to you in a new way, teaching you and helping to conform you to the image of His Son. Then learn to listen to what the Spirit is saying to you. "Are your ears awake? Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches." (Revelation 2:11 MSG)
As this becomes your practice daily, it will spill over into public worship. What we do in private good or bad eventually makes it way into our public life in some form. God always comes to a prepared atmosphere! I can only speak for how it has changed my public worship, and deepened my understanding of the Word, I believe if it can work for a hard-headed screw-up the way I have been in the past, and change me, setting me free from things I had struggled with for years, I believe it will work for anyone!!!
Grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
Let me apply this to the natural, if you have a job, you are required to be on time, and yet in our meeting with the God of the universe keeping the appointment is a struggle to say the least. Secondly, most jobs have a sort of dress code, (I'm not saying coat and tie for men and LOOOOONNNGG dresses for the women, saw that enough growing up in legalism) but at least in a way that shows respect for our Savior and High Priest and His/Our Father.
Thirdly, we should come into worship prepared to hear from the Father, and ready to lift our hands in worship, yet sadly many see worship has a formality like let's sing so the preacher can preach and we can go get on about our Sunday! Is is any wonder so many are turning away from Christianity and looking at other religions.
How do we fix this, as with anything start at home with your private time. Every day I set an appointment to meet with God. I get dressed and start the appointment as sacred time, turn off the phone, and get ready to meet with my Father. That means I have a time and a place, doesn't have to be at home, can be anywhere you can get time with Him. Secondly, come with a spirit of worship. If that means singing, listening to worship music or just closing your eyes and speaking the psalms, just worship. Thirdly, pray as you read the word of God. He will open the scriptures up to you in a new way, teaching you and helping to conform you to the image of His Son. Then learn to listen to what the Spirit is saying to you. "Are your ears awake? Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches." (Revelation 2:11 MSG)
As this becomes your practice daily, it will spill over into public worship. What we do in private good or bad eventually makes it way into our public life in some form. God always comes to a prepared atmosphere! I can only speak for how it has changed my public worship, and deepened my understanding of the Word, I believe if it can work for a hard-headed screw-up the way I have been in the past, and change me, setting me free from things I had struggled with for years, I believe it will work for anyone!!!
Grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
Monday, October 16, 2017
Enter into
In the book of Hebrews the author focuses on the rebellion in the wilderness with the children of Israel. Particularly the reaction of the report of the spies in the land. Notice the report. "We went to the land to which you sent us and, Oh! It does flow with milk and honey. Just look at this fruit." Numbers 13:27 (The Message) They all had the same report, God had brought them to where He said He would and it had what He said it would have. All should have been, "Ok, lets do this." However, the largest word in the our language reared its ugly head. BUT look at the remainder of their report.
"The only thing is that the people who live there are fierce, their cities are huge and well fortified. Worse yet, we saw descendants of the giant Anak. Amalekites are spread out in the Negev, Hittities, Jebusites, and Amorites hold the hill country; and the Cannanites are established on the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan." Numbers 13:28-29 (The Message)
See what happened there? Rather than focusing on what God has already accomplished they focused on the problems set before them. When God brings us to a place He has prepared, He simply wants us to go in by faith and trust Him. Recently, I have had a MAJOR career shift and I can see the fingerprints of the divine all over it. I see what He has promised I can have and what He will do! Yet I could focus on all the challenges that I am faced with in this new endeavor. There are fortified cities (fear), giants (obstacles), and different enemies all ready to cut me down.
For the most part the 10 spies in this instance are well meaning family members, and friends who only see the negatives not only in this situation, but in the majority of life as a whole. There were 2 who saw things in a different light.
"Caleb interrupted, called for silence before Moses and said, "Let's go up and take the land-now. We can do it!" What a different attitude, let's do it now, we can do this! His faith will follow him well into his 80's when he gets to take the mountain promised to him by Moses. I need to focus on the mountains God has already helped me conquer, the enemies He has already vanquished, and the things He has already promised to me as His adopted son.
What about you, where has God brought you to in your journey and wants you to possess? What do you see? Are you focused on the obstacles, or are you looking at the Author and the Finisher of your faith? Let me encourage you today, you can do this. Ephesians 1:3-8 tells us who we are in Christ. We are chosen, adopted, favored, redeemed, forgiven, and blessed. Take that promise, step into the Jordan, and POSSES the promised land and let God fight the battles!
Grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
"The only thing is that the people who live there are fierce, their cities are huge and well fortified. Worse yet, we saw descendants of the giant Anak. Amalekites are spread out in the Negev, Hittities, Jebusites, and Amorites hold the hill country; and the Cannanites are established on the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan." Numbers 13:28-29 (The Message)
See what happened there? Rather than focusing on what God has already accomplished they focused on the problems set before them. When God brings us to a place He has prepared, He simply wants us to go in by faith and trust Him. Recently, I have had a MAJOR career shift and I can see the fingerprints of the divine all over it. I see what He has promised I can have and what He will do! Yet I could focus on all the challenges that I am faced with in this new endeavor. There are fortified cities (fear), giants (obstacles), and different enemies all ready to cut me down.
For the most part the 10 spies in this instance are well meaning family members, and friends who only see the negatives not only in this situation, but in the majority of life as a whole. There were 2 who saw things in a different light.
"Caleb interrupted, called for silence before Moses and said, "Let's go up and take the land-now. We can do it!" What a different attitude, let's do it now, we can do this! His faith will follow him well into his 80's when he gets to take the mountain promised to him by Moses. I need to focus on the mountains God has already helped me conquer, the enemies He has already vanquished, and the things He has already promised to me as His adopted son.
What about you, where has God brought you to in your journey and wants you to possess? What do you see? Are you focused on the obstacles, or are you looking at the Author and the Finisher of your faith? Let me encourage you today, you can do this. Ephesians 1:3-8 tells us who we are in Christ. We are chosen, adopted, favored, redeemed, forgiven, and blessed. Take that promise, step into the Jordan, and POSSES the promised land and let God fight the battles!
Grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
Thursday, October 5, 2017
Filled, Growing and Giving
Paul was always praying for the churches he helped found, and in his letters we can see his heart expressed to the believers as they navigated in this new faith. The letter to the Colossians is no exception. Look at verses 9-14 of chapter
"For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." (NKJV)
I want to look at a few things in this text that should be a great benefit to the believer. First he wants them filled with two important things. He wants them filled with the knowledge of His will and filled with wisdom and understanding. The word will in the Greek means desire, do it would be accurate to say that we should be filled with the knowledge of what God desires, both for the world and for us personally. Tie with that being filled with wisdom and understanding to know how to accomplish the things his will (desires) teach and ask of us.
Why does Paul want that? Notice the next few verses, the key is growth. He wants growth in three key areas, fruit, knowledge and strength. He wants the believers to bear much spiritual fruit so that others will see the hand of God in their lives. He wants their knowledge of scripture, the Christian Life and all other areas to show real growth. From this growth comes the ability to gain strength to fight the warfare we are involved in.
Lastly, he wants them to give thanks, the thanks comes from the filling and the growth. We are to give thanks that we share in the inheritance of the saints, give thanks for our transfer from death to life, and that we have been redeemed by Christ. In other words be thankful for ALL that God has done in our lives as He has moved us into a new place of living!!
There is so much more good stuff in these verses that this only scratches the surface, read and pray that the Holy Spirit will speak to you and help you be filled, grow, and give thanks.
Grace and Peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
"For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins." (NKJV)
I want to look at a few things in this text that should be a great benefit to the believer. First he wants them filled with two important things. He wants them filled with the knowledge of His will and filled with wisdom and understanding. The word will in the Greek means desire, do it would be accurate to say that we should be filled with the knowledge of what God desires, both for the world and for us personally. Tie with that being filled with wisdom and understanding to know how to accomplish the things his will (desires) teach and ask of us.
Why does Paul want that? Notice the next few verses, the key is growth. He wants growth in three key areas, fruit, knowledge and strength. He wants the believers to bear much spiritual fruit so that others will see the hand of God in their lives. He wants their knowledge of scripture, the Christian Life and all other areas to show real growth. From this growth comes the ability to gain strength to fight the warfare we are involved in.
Lastly, he wants them to give thanks, the thanks comes from the filling and the growth. We are to give thanks that we share in the inheritance of the saints, give thanks for our transfer from death to life, and that we have been redeemed by Christ. In other words be thankful for ALL that God has done in our lives as He has moved us into a new place of living!!
There is so much more good stuff in these verses that this only scratches the surface, read and pray that the Holy Spirit will speak to you and help you be filled, grow, and give thanks.
Grace and Peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Use you eyes.
In my high school years I was in Marching band, and our director was influenced by the Drum Corps of DCI, so that meant our shows were like treading water, blowing up an air mattress, while doing geometry in our heads. We depended on our eyes to keep us in our position throughout the 7 1/2 minute show. On another note, I was skinny in high school just saying. Today in my devotion, the Spirit reminded me of this concept while I was reading the book of Proverbs. In Proverbs 4:25 in the Message it reads like this, "Keep your eyes straight ahead, ignore all the sideshow distractions. Watch your step and the road will stretch out smooth before you." The Amplified adds the word "with fixed purpose" and I found this very applicable to the world I find myself in as God is growing me as a person.
I want to share with you the things I find in this text that applies across the board regardless of where we are in our walk, or even in our secular jobs. First, focus on where you are going, or fix your eyes on your target. As believers, our gaze should stay fixed on Jesus and who He is to us. Remember Peter could walk on the water as long as he looked at Christ, looks away and down he goes. My goal in life should be to live in a way that pleases and honors God, He will take care of the other stuff, remember Jesus promised us that.
Secondly, don't allow the enemy to get us distracted with his sideshow antics. This means don't allow circumstances, problems, or other things to get our eyes off the one who has all power. When the storm is howling, keep your eyes on Jesus, when the doctor says no hope, look at Jesus, when the world around you is shaking and falling apart, keep your eyes on Jesus, He is unshakable. Don't let the enemy tell you otherwise, or get your eyes looking elsewhere.
Lastly, let God be the director of the journey. We had to trust that our director had written the marching drill so we wouldn't collide with each other, and we would end up where we were supposed to by "marching to the form not the mark". We have a Savior, a Father and a Guide we can trust to get us through the storms, and eventually to Heaven itself, all we have to do is keep our eyes on Him, listen to the Spirit's voice to guide us, and trust God's promises. I know that sounds so easy, and I suppose it should be, but as we are all humans cursed since Eden, we struggle with allowing the world we cannot see control the world we can see. However, if we are keeping our eyes on the Cross of Christ as our road sign, looking for His soon return, it becomes easier as it becomes our habit.
Grace and peace be to all of you.
Father in the name of Jesus, help me to keep my eyes focused on you, no matter what the enemy throws at me. Let my life be like Paul's a testimony of your provision and power in all circumstance. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen
Eric
I want to share with you the things I find in this text that applies across the board regardless of where we are in our walk, or even in our secular jobs. First, focus on where you are going, or fix your eyes on your target. As believers, our gaze should stay fixed on Jesus and who He is to us. Remember Peter could walk on the water as long as he looked at Christ, looks away and down he goes. My goal in life should be to live in a way that pleases and honors God, He will take care of the other stuff, remember Jesus promised us that.
Secondly, don't allow the enemy to get us distracted with his sideshow antics. This means don't allow circumstances, problems, or other things to get our eyes off the one who has all power. When the storm is howling, keep your eyes on Jesus, when the doctor says no hope, look at Jesus, when the world around you is shaking and falling apart, keep your eyes on Jesus, He is unshakable. Don't let the enemy tell you otherwise, or get your eyes looking elsewhere.
Lastly, let God be the director of the journey. We had to trust that our director had written the marching drill so we wouldn't collide with each other, and we would end up where we were supposed to by "marching to the form not the mark". We have a Savior, a Father and a Guide we can trust to get us through the storms, and eventually to Heaven itself, all we have to do is keep our eyes on Him, listen to the Spirit's voice to guide us, and trust God's promises. I know that sounds so easy, and I suppose it should be, but as we are all humans cursed since Eden, we struggle with allowing the world we cannot see control the world we can see. However, if we are keeping our eyes on the Cross of Christ as our road sign, looking for His soon return, it becomes easier as it becomes our habit.
Grace and peace be to all of you.
Father in the name of Jesus, help me to keep my eyes focused on you, no matter what the enemy throws at me. Let my life be like Paul's a testimony of your provision and power in all circumstance. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen
Eric
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
There is power in the name!!
John 14:13-14
"Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it."
How many times have you read that scripture and never really thought about the privilege it grants us. We have access to all that God can do, through His Son, Jesus Christ. Notice what Jesus says specifically, "Whatever you ask in MY NAME," the amplified puts in parenthesis, [As presenting all that I AM.], that is the key, who do you say Jesus is. If you are using the name like an overused credit card, hoping to get what you want you miss the point. We need to realize that His name is what brings us into the throne room of God, its His name that demons fear, its His name that soon every knee will bow to and declare for all eternity to hear that He is Lord of All. I want to quickly examine the three areas His name should be operating in for optimum efficacy in our lives today.
1. Our preaching- While the move lately is to focus on more psychological, theological, slick sermons, where He is only mentioned as a galactic Santa Claus, our preaching should present the Christ of the Bible. You know, crucified, buried, resurrected, ascended, and soon returning, as the central point of our message. That is the message of salvation, the access to our deliverance, and key to overcoming the wiles of enemy.
2. Our warfare- We are in a battle, that isn't for land or ideology, but literally for the souls of humanity. Our enemy wants to grab as many souls as he can, keep the Christian defeated, and basically make life as hard as he can. As believers we have access through the name of Jesus, to the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and through that access to the weapons that are mighty and effective. As believers in Christ, we operate in the authority of Christ, so when the enemy starts telling you how powerful he is, remind him that Christ has the keys to his house, and his days are numbered.
3. Our asking- As we mature in Christ our asking changes, not for more stuff, but more of Him. We begin asking our prayers to line up with scripture, and the revealed will of God. We go from asking for "that job", for more of your presence. We begin to see Him in a different light, not just as an ATM machine, ready to dispense stuff, but instead ready to give us the power we need to live as more that conquerors!!!
Prayer: Father IN THE NAME OF JESUS, I come and I ask you to reveal Jesus to me in all His Glory that I might fully comprehend who He is and His love for me. Fill me to overflowing with your presence. In that name I ask AMEN
Grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
"Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it."
How many times have you read that scripture and never really thought about the privilege it grants us. We have access to all that God can do, through His Son, Jesus Christ. Notice what Jesus says specifically, "Whatever you ask in MY NAME," the amplified puts in parenthesis, [As presenting all that I AM.], that is the key, who do you say Jesus is. If you are using the name like an overused credit card, hoping to get what you want you miss the point. We need to realize that His name is what brings us into the throne room of God, its His name that demons fear, its His name that soon every knee will bow to and declare for all eternity to hear that He is Lord of All. I want to quickly examine the three areas His name should be operating in for optimum efficacy in our lives today.
1. Our preaching- While the move lately is to focus on more psychological, theological, slick sermons, where He is only mentioned as a galactic Santa Claus, our preaching should present the Christ of the Bible. You know, crucified, buried, resurrected, ascended, and soon returning, as the central point of our message. That is the message of salvation, the access to our deliverance, and key to overcoming the wiles of enemy.
2. Our warfare- We are in a battle, that isn't for land or ideology, but literally for the souls of humanity. Our enemy wants to grab as many souls as he can, keep the Christian defeated, and basically make life as hard as he can. As believers we have access through the name of Jesus, to the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and through that access to the weapons that are mighty and effective. As believers in Christ, we operate in the authority of Christ, so when the enemy starts telling you how powerful he is, remind him that Christ has the keys to his house, and his days are numbered.
3. Our asking- As we mature in Christ our asking changes, not for more stuff, but more of Him. We begin asking our prayers to line up with scripture, and the revealed will of God. We go from asking for "that job", for more of your presence. We begin to see Him in a different light, not just as an ATM machine, ready to dispense stuff, but instead ready to give us the power we need to live as more that conquerors!!!
Prayer: Father IN THE NAME OF JESUS, I come and I ask you to reveal Jesus to me in all His Glory that I might fully comprehend who He is and His love for me. Fill me to overflowing with your presence. In that name I ask AMEN
Grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
Monday, September 25, 2017
What happened??
Galatians 3:1
You foolish Galatians! Who has cast a spell on you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?
The Lord has really been dealing with my in my private prayer life as I have been seeking Him on what has changed with the church. Why do we not see the miracles, and power as we saw at the beginning of each movement in the Church. He has been directing me to the things the apostles preached, which was echoed by the early leaders of various movements, but you hear very little about today. We preach psychology, or even say that some of the doctrines we have held to are no longer relevant to the world we live in today. There are even some who believe that the crucifixion and resurrection story are too harsh for the people today. 1 Corinthians 1:18 says the "word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing", so we ignore this doctrine and then to add insult to injury, we no longer teach the return of Christ, but instead we preach a kingdom doctrine, saying we will bring heaven to earth! To mirror Paul's words "Who has cast a spell on you?"
Satan knows that he can not defeat the church as a whole, Christ promised that, BUT what he can do is attack the believer in such a way that they become powerless and in some cases, so far from God, they are no longer aware of His presence. I have been listening and reading sermons from early church movements, and the theme of redemption through the cross, and the soon return of Jesus, runs through every sermon, yet a sampling of today's menus in various churches reads more like Psychology Today, or Christianity Lite, that it stands to reason that Christ calls the current church age lukewarm, as we are neither on fire for God, or completely away from Him.
In the book of Exodus, the 10 spies completely forgot all that God had shown them in leaving Egypt, and failed to apply it to the current situation in the Promised Land. The disciples forgot the feeding of the multitude, when the storm came, forgetting that Jesus was their protector, and source. In both cases they had to be reminded of the power that they had access to. Today we have been told that the things that Christ did, we will do and more, yet as Elisha asked, where is the God of Elijah? He hasn't changed, we have like the church at Ephesus, we left our first love, and like other churches allowed false doctrine to reign, even giving voice to people we once thought as crack pots to have a national forum, that people follow without question!!
There are 3 spirits competing if you will for the church, the first two are evil incarnate, and the other was the one that birthed the church, brings believers into the fellowship, and has the power to STILL change lives today. The first two are the Spirit of Anti-Christ, the Spirit of Jezebel, and the third is of course the Holy Spirit. We choose as Joshua said, Whom we will serve.
Friend, today examine yourself and what you believe and have been taught. Do you believe that Christ was crucified and resurrected and is coming again, or do you instead believe that the stories are just to have a psychological meaning and that they are on the level with Grimm's Fairy Tales, only you know your answer. As for me I will believe the Lord and I look forward to His return.
Grace and Peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
You foolish Galatians! Who has cast a spell on you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?
The Lord has really been dealing with my in my private prayer life as I have been seeking Him on what has changed with the church. Why do we not see the miracles, and power as we saw at the beginning of each movement in the Church. He has been directing me to the things the apostles preached, which was echoed by the early leaders of various movements, but you hear very little about today. We preach psychology, or even say that some of the doctrines we have held to are no longer relevant to the world we live in today. There are even some who believe that the crucifixion and resurrection story are too harsh for the people today. 1 Corinthians 1:18 says the "word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing", so we ignore this doctrine and then to add insult to injury, we no longer teach the return of Christ, but instead we preach a kingdom doctrine, saying we will bring heaven to earth! To mirror Paul's words "Who has cast a spell on you?"
Satan knows that he can not defeat the church as a whole, Christ promised that, BUT what he can do is attack the believer in such a way that they become powerless and in some cases, so far from God, they are no longer aware of His presence. I have been listening and reading sermons from early church movements, and the theme of redemption through the cross, and the soon return of Jesus, runs through every sermon, yet a sampling of today's menus in various churches reads more like Psychology Today, or Christianity Lite, that it stands to reason that Christ calls the current church age lukewarm, as we are neither on fire for God, or completely away from Him.
In the book of Exodus, the 10 spies completely forgot all that God had shown them in leaving Egypt, and failed to apply it to the current situation in the Promised Land. The disciples forgot the feeding of the multitude, when the storm came, forgetting that Jesus was their protector, and source. In both cases they had to be reminded of the power that they had access to. Today we have been told that the things that Christ did, we will do and more, yet as Elisha asked, where is the God of Elijah? He hasn't changed, we have like the church at Ephesus, we left our first love, and like other churches allowed false doctrine to reign, even giving voice to people we once thought as crack pots to have a national forum, that people follow without question!!
There are 3 spirits competing if you will for the church, the first two are evil incarnate, and the other was the one that birthed the church, brings believers into the fellowship, and has the power to STILL change lives today. The first two are the Spirit of Anti-Christ, the Spirit of Jezebel, and the third is of course the Holy Spirit. We choose as Joshua said, Whom we will serve.
Friend, today examine yourself and what you believe and have been taught. Do you believe that Christ was crucified and resurrected and is coming again, or do you instead believe that the stories are just to have a psychological meaning and that they are on the level with Grimm's Fairy Tales, only you know your answer. As for me I will believe the Lord and I look forward to His return.
Grace and Peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
Friday, September 22, 2017
Where does your faith come from?
1 Corinthians 2:5
so that your faith might not be based on human wisdom but on God’s power.
Growing up in the church I have seen lots of changes over the years. From the Hell, fire, and brimstone messages as a kid, to the polished sermons of recent days. No place has this transition been more evident than in the Pentecostal movement. I notice less emphasis on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and His power and more reliance on the speaker's ability to move the congregation. This is a broad statement, and I realize that there are preachers, and churches we can still categorize as "Old time Pentecostal", but for the most part there aren't many. Why?? As I was reading and praying this morning I was reminded of the scripture above, that my faith should not be based on the sand of human wisdom, but on the power of a living God. This gave me three distinct thoughts I want to share with you.
1. Where does our faith come from? Does it come from fancy, well crafted sermons, meant to make us feel good about life and where we are right now? Does it come from well-reasoned theological discussions about God, or Bible Prophecy? Or does it come from men and women, preaching under the anointing of God, allowing Him to give them the word and then allowing the Spirit to confirm the Word. Hebrews tells us that "At the same time, God also testified by signs and wonders, various miracles, and distributions of gifts from the Holy Spirit according to his will." Notice the testimony! The early church saw these miracles, the early Pentecostal movement in the early 20th century saw these miracles. Where is the Lord God of Elijah???
2. What feeds our faith? Do we have a deep hunger for the word, or are we content with "fast food" sermons, that lack real content? Do we as believers remind ourselves daily that "God is who He says He is, and can do what He says He can do? Are we like Abraham are are fully convinced that God is able to keep His promises?
3. Who guides us in this walk?John 14:14-17 declares 2 things about the Holy Spirit. 1. He abides with us, and 2. He abides in us, why the distinction. He abides with us as our burden bearer, our advocate, or the one called along side. We can follow Him as Israel followed the cloud in the wilderness. He is also in us to help us walk and feed our faith. Jesus asked the Father to "Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.". The Holy Spirit makes the word come alive in our hearts, it brings it to our remembrance when it is needed, it allows the word to go forth with power and bring about the miracles, and demonstration of God's power to give us a real basis for our faith.
I don't know about you, but I long to see God moving in our land again, as he has before. This may mean a shake up in the house of God, and more of our ministers being in the ministry of Ezekiel, or Paul, and not __________. I'll let you decide who goes there.
Grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
so that your faith might not be based on human wisdom but on God’s power.
Growing up in the church I have seen lots of changes over the years. From the Hell, fire, and brimstone messages as a kid, to the polished sermons of recent days. No place has this transition been more evident than in the Pentecostal movement. I notice less emphasis on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and His power and more reliance on the speaker's ability to move the congregation. This is a broad statement, and I realize that there are preachers, and churches we can still categorize as "Old time Pentecostal", but for the most part there aren't many. Why?? As I was reading and praying this morning I was reminded of the scripture above, that my faith should not be based on the sand of human wisdom, but on the power of a living God. This gave me three distinct thoughts I want to share with you.
1. Where does our faith come from? Does it come from fancy, well crafted sermons, meant to make us feel good about life and where we are right now? Does it come from well-reasoned theological discussions about God, or Bible Prophecy? Or does it come from men and women, preaching under the anointing of God, allowing Him to give them the word and then allowing the Spirit to confirm the Word. Hebrews tells us that "At the same time, God also testified by signs and wonders, various miracles, and distributions of gifts from the Holy Spirit according to his will." Notice the testimony! The early church saw these miracles, the early Pentecostal movement in the early 20th century saw these miracles. Where is the Lord God of Elijah???
2. What feeds our faith? Do we have a deep hunger for the word, or are we content with "fast food" sermons, that lack real content? Do we as believers remind ourselves daily that "God is who He says He is, and can do what He says He can do? Are we like Abraham are are fully convinced that God is able to keep His promises?
3. Who guides us in this walk?John 14:14-17 declares 2 things about the Holy Spirit. 1. He abides with us, and 2. He abides in us, why the distinction. He abides with us as our burden bearer, our advocate, or the one called along side. We can follow Him as Israel followed the cloud in the wilderness. He is also in us to help us walk and feed our faith. Jesus asked the Father to "Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.". The Holy Spirit makes the word come alive in our hearts, it brings it to our remembrance when it is needed, it allows the word to go forth with power and bring about the miracles, and demonstration of God's power to give us a real basis for our faith.
I don't know about you, but I long to see God moving in our land again, as he has before. This may mean a shake up in the house of God, and more of our ministers being in the ministry of Ezekiel, or Paul, and not __________. I'll let you decide who goes there.
Grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
How to Get an Answer
Romans 4:21
because he was fully convinced that what God had promised, he was also able to do.
We live in the name it claim it world, the positive confession of faith to get what we want from God, but is that what the Word truly teaches? If we are using the scripture as a cafeteria plan to get what we want when we want it, and to define success as the world sees it. In my devotion time today as I listened to an old sermon, by a man I respect he brought to my remembrance on exactly how the promises of God work, and how we are to approach God. I want to share this with you, in hopes of building up your faith. Hebrews tells us to approach the throne with "Boldness", and for many that is going to God in prayer and demanding this and such, BUT I submit to you that this is arrogance and not boldness!! What is boldness, I believe it is coming before the throne of God, fully convinced of who God is, and holding the testimony of what He has already done. A lawyer will appear before a judge with past cases that apply to the situation he is there to defend or prosecute as the case may be. He doesn't walk in declaring the judge will rule this or that way, he holds the judge to the standard of the law be it civil or criminal.
Abraham was fully convinced that God would do what He had promised, that faith would bleed over into the children of Israel as they would remind the Father of who they were, and what He had promised to do for them. In Exodus chapter 32, God was very upset with the children of Israel, they had made a golden calf to worship as god, since Moses was late coming down the mountain. Moses reminded God of His divine promise. "Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel—you swore to them by yourself and declared, ‘I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and will give your offspring all this land that I have promised, and they will inherit it forever.’” (Ex. 32:14)
Did you see what Moses did, he didn't beg and plead as if God wasn't listening, he simply reminded God of His own promises, and God didn't kill them all. He still gave them a consequence to their disobedience, but He spared them as a group. In the same way, when I come before God in prayer, I need to know what promises I am holding to and be fully convinced that they are for me. I come before the throne bold knowing Who my God is and what He is capable of. I also knows he delights in His children and wants to meet our needs exceedingly and abundantly, more than I can even imagine, and those who know me know my imagination.
As we move into these days of problems and turmoil, hold tight to the promises of God and believe Him for ALL of your needs. Bring your requests with thanksgiving knowing what He has already done, should build up your faith to see what He is going to do.
Grace and peace.
Eric
because he was fully convinced that what God had promised, he was also able to do.
We live in the name it claim it world, the positive confession of faith to get what we want from God, but is that what the Word truly teaches? If we are using the scripture as a cafeteria plan to get what we want when we want it, and to define success as the world sees it. In my devotion time today as I listened to an old sermon, by a man I respect he brought to my remembrance on exactly how the promises of God work, and how we are to approach God. I want to share this with you, in hopes of building up your faith. Hebrews tells us to approach the throne with "Boldness", and for many that is going to God in prayer and demanding this and such, BUT I submit to you that this is arrogance and not boldness!! What is boldness, I believe it is coming before the throne of God, fully convinced of who God is, and holding the testimony of what He has already done. A lawyer will appear before a judge with past cases that apply to the situation he is there to defend or prosecute as the case may be. He doesn't walk in declaring the judge will rule this or that way, he holds the judge to the standard of the law be it civil or criminal.
Abraham was fully convinced that God would do what He had promised, that faith would bleed over into the children of Israel as they would remind the Father of who they were, and what He had promised to do for them. In Exodus chapter 32, God was very upset with the children of Israel, they had made a golden calf to worship as god, since Moses was late coming down the mountain. Moses reminded God of His divine promise. "Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel—you swore to them by yourself and declared, ‘I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and will give your offspring all this land that I have promised, and they will inherit it forever.’” (Ex. 32:14)
Did you see what Moses did, he didn't beg and plead as if God wasn't listening, he simply reminded God of His own promises, and God didn't kill them all. He still gave them a consequence to their disobedience, but He spared them as a group. In the same way, when I come before God in prayer, I need to know what promises I am holding to and be fully convinced that they are for me. I come before the throne bold knowing Who my God is and what He is capable of. I also knows he delights in His children and wants to meet our needs exceedingly and abundantly, more than I can even imagine, and those who know me know my imagination.
As we move into these days of problems and turmoil, hold tight to the promises of God and believe Him for ALL of your needs. Bring your requests with thanksgiving knowing what He has already done, should build up your faith to see what He is going to do.
Grace and peace.
Eric
Monday, September 18, 2017
All Things????????
Romans 8: 26-28
In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 We know that all things work together for the good[c] of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
One of the most quoted scriptures in Christianity is Romans 8:28, and I'll admit I have claimed it myself a time or two, especially when I don't see how this will be good for me. However, recently the Lord made me aware that there was more to that scripture than that verse. The key to that verse and its power is found in the two preceding verses. Spiritual prayer, the prayers not spoken in our own language, with our filters, and desires, but the prayer of the deep part of us that cries out to the Father. The psalmist said in Psalms 42:7 that "Deep calls to Deep." Lets go further, we are told to pray in the Spirit, why, because the Spirit of God, knows us better than we do, notice the verse in 27, "because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." We know that if we pray anything according to the will of God, we shall have it. The question is do we know the will of God?
Let's be honest we know what we want, and think we need. A particular job, spouse, or some other thing, and we will pray and beg and then get frustrated when we don't get what we ask for like children. How many times do you think Joseph was tempted to pray for deliverance from Egypt, only to find out later he was there to save his family. What about Paul, in prison, he had seen God deliver him before, but now he was awaiting his death, he still writes and encourages the church. Even me praying to go back into the classroom, teaching, living check to check, and not really seeking God and what His plan was. See a pattern, we most of the time know what we want, just not what we need, BUT God does. So again we are encouraged to Pray in the Spirit.
I can hear some of you already, "Brother, I don't believe in tongues and I'm not going to be some freak speaking in way that might embarrass me." He doesn't specify that he says with groanings that can't be uttered. Remember in Exodus God says he has heard them "crying out" in the CSB, these are not the organized prayers found in church, or in your corporate prayer structure, these are people crying out from their very hearts asking God to intervene. Pray in the Spirit, and watch what God will do.
Prayer: Father, fill me with the Spirit, so that I can pray in the Spirit. Change how I pray, so that I can pray according to your divine will. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen
Grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Eric
Friday, September 15, 2017
The Jonah Principle: Disobedience Hurts
Jonah 1:3-7
Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish from the Lord’s presence. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the Lord’s presence. 4 But the Lord threw a great wind onto the sea, and such a great storm arose on the sea that the ship threatened to break apart. 5 The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his god. They threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the load. Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel and had stretched out and fallen into a deep sleep.6 The captain approached him and said, “What are you doing sound asleep? Get up! Call to your god.[a] Maybe this god will consider us, and we won’t perish.” 7 “Come on!” the sailors said to each other. “Let’s cast lots. Then we’ll know who is to blame for this trouble we’re in.” So they cast lots, and the lot singled out Jonah.
This is the part of the story EVERYONE knows, Jonah blew it. He fled God's mission and went in a totally opposite direction. I don't know about you, but I can relate, I went in a totally opposite direction from God's call and I can tell you that stupid, disobedience hurts. Lets look at a few things.
1. Jonah CHOSE a path of disobedience. No one forced him, or kidnapped him, Jonah ran from the call on his life. 1 Samuel 12:15 we are told that if we "rebel against His commandment, then the hand of the Lord will be against us. " In an age of prosperity gospel preaching, and get all you can world, having the hand of the Lord against you is not a pleasant place to be. What causes disobedience you say? Several causes, disbelief, fear, or just a heart of rebellion. Notice in Numbers 13 when the spies come back from the promised land. Their fear and disbelief cause them to decide NOT to go over. John Maxwell once said, "Never let fear decide your future." and its true. Fear causes disbelief, disbelief causes either no action, or rebellion against God's plan, both have dire consequences.
2. God responds to our actions. Psalms 78:40 says "How often they defied and rebelled against Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert!" We love preaching that God sees us in our need, and in our despair, but usually not to keen on reminding ourselves He sees us in our rebellion. Notice he tried to hide, God found him, he tried to run, and God caught him. There is nowhere you can hide so why do we try so hard? Again fear, disbelief and rebellion are our culprits. We are afraid to admit we failed, or we don't believe He can forgive, or we think we have went too far.
3. His disobedience impacted ALL around him. They all paid the penalty of Jonah's disobedience. Why, because we don't live in a vacuum, we impact those around us for both good and bad. The Israel could not enter into the rest God wanted for them due to disobedience, many times our finances, families and relationships suffer as we reap the seeds of disobedience. Sometimes we blame God, our genetics, our family or anyone but ourselves. I can tell you from experience with unemployment, and frustration, it is a hard thing to realize that the valley you are walking through is self-created, and only the grace of God can bring you out. We will focus on that part of the story later I promise.
What about you, are there areas in your life where the seeds of disobedience have taken root, and perhaps have even began to bare fruit? Then today is a great day to pull them out by the roots and ask your Heavenly Father for forgiveness and allow you to get back on the right path.
Prayer: Father help me to always listen and be obedient to your word. Allow it to be active and alive in my life I pray. Amen
Grace and peace be multiplied to you
Eric
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