Sunday, June 2, 2019
Monday, May 6, 2019
Friday, April 12, 2019
What is missing in today's church!
I can hear all the comments you are thinking. Brother power is missing, or holiness, or commitment, or _____________, and on all of those levels you are correct. However, may I interject that perhaps the one thing that is preventing those things is as simple as 1 thing? I have been studying the book of Proverbs and want to share something that I feel is missing not only in the church but in society as a whole. Proverbs 13 starts with the idea that a wise son (child) accepts discipline, but a scoffer does not learn from his errors.
The first thing that is missing in all areas of society is discipline, not sit in the corner and think about what you have done, but the ability to control one's self and live according to a moral code. As a believer I should DESIRE God's Spirit to teach me through His word, correct when necessary, bless when appropriate, and teach me how to Walk as His child, not after my own flesh. If each believer found this place where we aren't living for ourselves, but living IN Him, how different would the world, the home, our government, and YES even the church be? I wish I could say I walk in this daily, but I can say I am learning to listen and grow, and He is ever ready to teach.
Secondly verse 20 tells us to keep company with others who are walking after wisdom. We should seek others who walk WITH God and have that testimony so we can grow and learn. Unfortunately the world at large glorifies and holds up people who revel in their lack of discipline and brag about being born this way, and I have heard some even say, "God knows I'll sin a little each day", rather than I want to know Him. Paul said "that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;" Philippians 3:10. Notice he doesn't say that I may know about Him, or have some distant idea about who He is, but that I might KNOW HIM! This should be my goal, and the goal of the people I choose to surround myself with as friends.
Thirdly, verse 24 lets me know that even when God is correcting me, and allowing me to walk through deserts, and valleys, its not to destroy but to help me grow. He desires to teach and give us EVERY opportunity to grow, and lets be honest, trials and valleys grow us more than sunshine and roses. :)So allow those opportunities to help you mature and become ALL God desires you to become, so you can be a light and a blessing to another person.
Grace and peace be multiplied to you!!!
Eric
The first thing that is missing in all areas of society is discipline, not sit in the corner and think about what you have done, but the ability to control one's self and live according to a moral code. As a believer I should DESIRE God's Spirit to teach me through His word, correct when necessary, bless when appropriate, and teach me how to Walk as His child, not after my own flesh. If each believer found this place where we aren't living for ourselves, but living IN Him, how different would the world, the home, our government, and YES even the church be? I wish I could say I walk in this daily, but I can say I am learning to listen and grow, and He is ever ready to teach.
Secondly verse 20 tells us to keep company with others who are walking after wisdom. We should seek others who walk WITH God and have that testimony so we can grow and learn. Unfortunately the world at large glorifies and holds up people who revel in their lack of discipline and brag about being born this way, and I have heard some even say, "God knows I'll sin a little each day", rather than I want to know Him. Paul said "that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;" Philippians 3:10. Notice he doesn't say that I may know about Him, or have some distant idea about who He is, but that I might KNOW HIM! This should be my goal, and the goal of the people I choose to surround myself with as friends.
Thirdly, verse 24 lets me know that even when God is correcting me, and allowing me to walk through deserts, and valleys, its not to destroy but to help me grow. He desires to teach and give us EVERY opportunity to grow, and lets be honest, trials and valleys grow us more than sunshine and roses. :)So allow those opportunities to help you mature and become ALL God desires you to become, so you can be a light and a blessing to another person.
Grace and peace be multiplied to you!!!
Eric
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
3 Simple Truths
Psalms 117:1-3 “Praise the Lord, all nations;Laud Him, all peoples! For His loving kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the Lord is everlasting. Praise the Lord!
Three simple verses, yet the truth they communicate is powerful, yet in our world filled with a cacophony of noise and confusion that prevents many people including those who say they are Christians to miss it.
First all people should praise the Lord! In our churches, our homes and our private times we should focus on praising Him. We are always in a hurry at church we zip through worship, rush the preacher so we can get back to our lives, or our homes have everything else going on but no time for praise. Heaven takes time to praise the Lord, creation takes time to praise the Lord and we should too. Slow down, tell your Heavenly Father thank you for all He has already done in and through your life. Be grateful and take the time to actually say it and in some cases sing it!
Secondly, the Psalmist says God’s loving kindness is always focused on His people. Everything God does in our lives including discipline is because He loves us and wants us to be what He has designed and destined us to be. If we haven’t been born again, we will never see that happen, again His love and kindness sent Christ to die on the Cross for us that we might find life and find it abundantly. Our culture can’t distinguish between discipline and punishment. When I was a child and my dad would spank me, (I can see the eye rolls now, you were spanked? Yes I was and looking back I am glad he did.) That being said, as a child I thought I was being punished for whatever rule or expectation I had broken, but looking back I can see he was steering me for my adult life to make better decisions. When I have gotten off the path God has set for me, He sometimes gently other times not, helps get me on the right path. Why does He do this? It’s because He loves me and wants nothing but the best for me here and in eternity. He just loves me and here’s something you need to understand, He loves you too!!!
Lastly the psalmist lays a BIG stone in the foundation of life, God’s truth never changes. In a world where right and wrong are now being redefined and what used to be black is now white and vice versa, we need a sure start to guide our lives by and God’s truth is that star. The enemy has done all he can to get us to redefine words to take the sting out of sin. He did this in the garden and even tried it on Jesus in the wilderness, and he is having a field day with it now. The Bible’s view on so many topics will never change despite what society says or thinks, He loves those held in the bondage of sin, but hates the sin that has marred their lives. Since God’s truth never changes we must focus on them and let them guide our decisions, our lives and the lives of those around us. Proverbs 12:3 tells us the wicked has no firm foundation, but the righteous have firm foundations. That foundation for the believer is Jesus Christ the Word of God made flesh, who gave us the Holy Spirit to keep us on the right track.
So what are we to do? The answer is simple, praise Him, and stand on His truth. The world may rage and get mad, but in the end God is still the victor and we are still more than conquerors. Grace and Peace be multiplied to you. Shalom
Eric
Three simple verses, yet the truth they communicate is powerful, yet in our world filled with a cacophony of noise and confusion that prevents many people including those who say they are Christians to miss it.
First all people should praise the Lord! In our churches, our homes and our private times we should focus on praising Him. We are always in a hurry at church we zip through worship, rush the preacher so we can get back to our lives, or our homes have everything else going on but no time for praise. Heaven takes time to praise the Lord, creation takes time to praise the Lord and we should too. Slow down, tell your Heavenly Father thank you for all He has already done in and through your life. Be grateful and take the time to actually say it and in some cases sing it!
Secondly, the Psalmist says God’s loving kindness is always focused on His people. Everything God does in our lives including discipline is because He loves us and wants us to be what He has designed and destined us to be. If we haven’t been born again, we will never see that happen, again His love and kindness sent Christ to die on the Cross for us that we might find life and find it abundantly. Our culture can’t distinguish between discipline and punishment. When I was a child and my dad would spank me, (I can see the eye rolls now, you were spanked? Yes I was and looking back I am glad he did.) That being said, as a child I thought I was being punished for whatever rule or expectation I had broken, but looking back I can see he was steering me for my adult life to make better decisions. When I have gotten off the path God has set for me, He sometimes gently other times not, helps get me on the right path. Why does He do this? It’s because He loves me and wants nothing but the best for me here and in eternity. He just loves me and here’s something you need to understand, He loves you too!!!
Lastly the psalmist lays a BIG stone in the foundation of life, God’s truth never changes. In a world where right and wrong are now being redefined and what used to be black is now white and vice versa, we need a sure start to guide our lives by and God’s truth is that star. The enemy has done all he can to get us to redefine words to take the sting out of sin. He did this in the garden and even tried it on Jesus in the wilderness, and he is having a field day with it now. The Bible’s view on so many topics will never change despite what society says or thinks, He loves those held in the bondage of sin, but hates the sin that has marred their lives. Since God’s truth never changes we must focus on them and let them guide our decisions, our lives and the lives of those around us. Proverbs 12:3 tells us the wicked has no firm foundation, but the righteous have firm foundations. That foundation for the believer is Jesus Christ the Word of God made flesh, who gave us the Holy Spirit to keep us on the right track.
So what are we to do? The answer is simple, praise Him, and stand on His truth. The world may rage and get mad, but in the end God is still the victor and we are still more than conquerors. Grace and Peace be multiplied to you. Shalom
Eric
Friday, February 15, 2019
Sitting by the river
This morning in my devotional time, I read the 137th Psalm. This Psalm was written by the Jews living in the Babylonian captivity, far from the temple and home. The Psalm opens with a scene familiar to any one who has lived anytime on this earth.
“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion” (NASB) Have you ever been in a situation that basically you just cried when you remembered the “good times” and now feel as if you are in a captivity of dark depression? To be walking in a deep valley and have the enemy of your soul taunt you to sing the songs of praise now! To remind you of the times you walked in great faith, and joy and felt the favor of Almighty God, only to now be in a place where victory doesn’t seem possible. It is in these “crying times” that we need to change our focus.
Stop focusing on where you have been, or even on all the battles fought won, or lost, and remember where our journey ends. We have so many examples in the Bible but my favorite is the story of Paul and Silas in prison. Talk about a crying time, there to help, cast out one little demon, now you are beaten, and put into a dark prison to await trial. Rather than crying, allowing the enemy to convince them that they are done, defeated, and forgotten, they begin to pray and sing. You know how the story ends with a “jailhouse rock” (forgive me there my Elvis nerdism is showing.) The lesson is to remember our captivity ends, our run on the earth is going to end for the believer with death and graduation to heaven, or rapture. Focus on the joy we have in Christ, for we are more than conquerors, and have the power to walk on top of our enemy.
The next thing to remember is God will turn it around. He has made us great and might promises and He will keep His word. He has defeated the enemy and one day according to the Book of Revelation we will stand, around and cheer as our enemy is bound and cast into torment forever. He will never again trouble God’s people and we shall live in the presence of God forever. If that don’t make you smile then nothing will.
So today take the time to praise God and remember your restoration is coming if you hold on to Christ and the power of Cross. As a friend of mine loves to sing, “Victory is mine, victory today is mine, I told Satan to Get thee behind VICTORY today is mine.” So keep singing. Grace and peace be multiplied to you and may you live today blessed and highly favored.
Eric
“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion” (NASB) Have you ever been in a situation that basically you just cried when you remembered the “good times” and now feel as if you are in a captivity of dark depression? To be walking in a deep valley and have the enemy of your soul taunt you to sing the songs of praise now! To remind you of the times you walked in great faith, and joy and felt the favor of Almighty God, only to now be in a place where victory doesn’t seem possible. It is in these “crying times” that we need to change our focus.
Stop focusing on where you have been, or even on all the battles fought won, or lost, and remember where our journey ends. We have so many examples in the Bible but my favorite is the story of Paul and Silas in prison. Talk about a crying time, there to help, cast out one little demon, now you are beaten, and put into a dark prison to await trial. Rather than crying, allowing the enemy to convince them that they are done, defeated, and forgotten, they begin to pray and sing. You know how the story ends with a “jailhouse rock” (forgive me there my Elvis nerdism is showing.) The lesson is to remember our captivity ends, our run on the earth is going to end for the believer with death and graduation to heaven, or rapture. Focus on the joy we have in Christ, for we are more than conquerors, and have the power to walk on top of our enemy.
The next thing to remember is God will turn it around. He has made us great and might promises and He will keep His word. He has defeated the enemy and one day according to the Book of Revelation we will stand, around and cheer as our enemy is bound and cast into torment forever. He will never again trouble God’s people and we shall live in the presence of God forever. If that don’t make you smile then nothing will.
So today take the time to praise God and remember your restoration is coming if you hold on to Christ and the power of Cross. As a friend of mine loves to sing, “Victory is mine, victory today is mine, I told Satan to Get thee behind VICTORY today is mine.” So keep singing. Grace and peace be multiplied to you and may you live today blessed and highly favored.
Eric
Monday, January 28, 2019
What is in your mouth?
Have you ever noticed that what comes out of our mouths determines the looks we carry and get. Negative people tend to look negative, positive people look generally happy, and so on you get the idea. We tend to look at the life of David and focus on he was a man after the heart of God, but have you ever stopped to think about what that may have looked like? Psalms 119:169-176 I believe offers a glimpse and instructions on how we as believers in 2019 become that person.
First verses 169-170 tells us that David asks for understanding and deliverance ACCORDING TO GOD'S WORD. He isn't asking through a formula, or name it claim it, he simply focuses on the promises of God and asks according to them. James 4:3 says "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.(NASB)" We ask according to what we want not what God wants for our lives. Asking according to the revealed will of God according to His Word will always have us praying in line with Him and in that we can never go wrong.
Secondly, David doesn't just pray God's word he sings it. Verses 171-172, David asks to let his lips utter praise and his tongue to sing God's Word. A lot of songs we sing in church as nice and even fun, but not all of them are based on scripture. Some are so neutral they can be sung at Karaoke night and many would never realize they are Christian songs. If we use God's word as our source material for worship, I feel we will always find ourselves standing in His presence. I don't want my worship to trigger a simple visitation of God but a true MANIFESTATION of His presence and power, for that is the only thing that will truly help and change me, and bring others to Him.
In verse 175 David asks for life for his soul so he can live a life praising God! You may be like me, how do we do that, and he gives us the key in the second part of the verse, he asks God to teach him how. Jesus told us the Holy Spirit would be our teacher, and He is, our problem is we don't really want to learn. He is always talking to us, we generally don't listen because we have allowed to many distractions to enter into our lives.
So today look for ways to just live God's word, sing it, pray it and then listen. You might be surprised and what you hear. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the mighty and wonderful name of Jesus.
Shalom!
First verses 169-170 tells us that David asks for understanding and deliverance ACCORDING TO GOD'S WORD. He isn't asking through a formula, or name it claim it, he simply focuses on the promises of God and asks according to them. James 4:3 says "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.(NASB)" We ask according to what we want not what God wants for our lives. Asking according to the revealed will of God according to His Word will always have us praying in line with Him and in that we can never go wrong.
Secondly, David doesn't just pray God's word he sings it. Verses 171-172, David asks to let his lips utter praise and his tongue to sing God's Word. A lot of songs we sing in church as nice and even fun, but not all of them are based on scripture. Some are so neutral they can be sung at Karaoke night and many would never realize they are Christian songs. If we use God's word as our source material for worship, I feel we will always find ourselves standing in His presence. I don't want my worship to trigger a simple visitation of God but a true MANIFESTATION of His presence and power, for that is the only thing that will truly help and change me, and bring others to Him.
In verse 175 David asks for life for his soul so he can live a life praising God! You may be like me, how do we do that, and he gives us the key in the second part of the verse, he asks God to teach him how. Jesus told us the Holy Spirit would be our teacher, and He is, our problem is we don't really want to learn. He is always talking to us, we generally don't listen because we have allowed to many distractions to enter into our lives.
So today look for ways to just live God's word, sing it, pray it and then listen. You might be surprised and what you hear. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the mighty and wonderful name of Jesus.
Shalom!
Sunday, December 16, 2018
What we have lost
This morning I was awakened by the Holy Spirit by a repeating message. He kept repeating it until I finally got up in obedience to share this message with all of you. As I look at the news, and being a student of history I see patterns that are being repeated and the church merrily bumps along, blissfully unaware of all we have lost. I am not talking about freedoms, money, or even political power, as it seems for now we have all of that in abundance. I AM talking about the power, and presence of the Living God manifesting in our services setting the captives free, healing the sick, and changing us to conform to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.
The first thing the Spirit kept ringing in my ears is the lack of reverence or respect for the presence of God. In the Psalms, repeatedly we read how all of creation trembles at His presence, yet in most churches today we treat coming before His presence with all the reverence of going to a sporting event or a concert. We come in with our minds on when will this service end, or on a myriad of other thoughts that distract us from the reason we are at a worship service. Many praise and worship teams put on wonderful concerts, that are devoid of anointing, to people with a voyeuristic view of worship, while some play on electronic devices COMPLETELY disconnected from the worship at all. Then we leave not feeling the presence of God at all because He had been welcomed or respected in that place or the lives of His people.
The second thing the Spirit said was there is not only a lack of the Presence of God, but a sore lack of the very word of God. In a time when we have access to more versions of the Bible than ever before, and when many of our preachers have been educated beyond what many of our predecessors, we have a real famine of hearing the word of God. From prosperity to self-help and other topics that make void the Word or add things to the Scriptures to fit our theology, or our desire not to offend people sitting in the pews, we have in effect told God that His word isn't good or powerful enough for the intellectual and social clientele that now make up the church. Yet when I read of the revivals of the past, it came not on the heels of intellectual preaching, but of men and women who took God at His Word, and preached His Word under His anointing, and it changed the lives of all who heard it. YET today, from the mega-church to the smallest store-front church many believers are being fed a gospel devoid of power, and devoid of love and devoid of the Holy Spirit's touch.
Thirdly, the mixing of Christianity with political thought which has created in the words of A.W. Tozer, "Churchianity", has made the church no longer salt and light but something much more insidious, a tool of the enemy to destroy the believers from the inside out. Some believers are being torn apart based on political party affiliation, while some churches openly espouse political views that are in stark opposition to the teachings of scripture, and will quickly attack anyone including other churches who are in disagreement with their stance.
All the while the souls find themselves in hell, many of them who have gone to church, prayed a prayer, and never experienced the new birth in the Spirit. The lack of conviction, and power in the church prevents them from truly experiencing Christ and His life changing power, GOD HELP US ALL!
Is there hope for the church, YES THERE IS, we must repent and seek God and His Spirit. Allow Him to have FIRST place in our services, and in our lives. We must get a hunger for His Word and desire an intimate walk with Him for He and He alone is our only source of salvation, and power.
Grace and Peace be multiplied to you as you walk daily in His grace.
AMEN
The first thing the Spirit kept ringing in my ears is the lack of reverence or respect for the presence of God. In the Psalms, repeatedly we read how all of creation trembles at His presence, yet in most churches today we treat coming before His presence with all the reverence of going to a sporting event or a concert. We come in with our minds on when will this service end, or on a myriad of other thoughts that distract us from the reason we are at a worship service. Many praise and worship teams put on wonderful concerts, that are devoid of anointing, to people with a voyeuristic view of worship, while some play on electronic devices COMPLETELY disconnected from the worship at all. Then we leave not feeling the presence of God at all because He had been welcomed or respected in that place or the lives of His people.
The second thing the Spirit said was there is not only a lack of the Presence of God, but a sore lack of the very word of God. In a time when we have access to more versions of the Bible than ever before, and when many of our preachers have been educated beyond what many of our predecessors, we have a real famine of hearing the word of God. From prosperity to self-help and other topics that make void the Word or add things to the Scriptures to fit our theology, or our desire not to offend people sitting in the pews, we have in effect told God that His word isn't good or powerful enough for the intellectual and social clientele that now make up the church. Yet when I read of the revivals of the past, it came not on the heels of intellectual preaching, but of men and women who took God at His Word, and preached His Word under His anointing, and it changed the lives of all who heard it. YET today, from the mega-church to the smallest store-front church many believers are being fed a gospel devoid of power, and devoid of love and devoid of the Holy Spirit's touch.
Thirdly, the mixing of Christianity with political thought which has created in the words of A.W. Tozer, "Churchianity", has made the church no longer salt and light but something much more insidious, a tool of the enemy to destroy the believers from the inside out. Some believers are being torn apart based on political party affiliation, while some churches openly espouse political views that are in stark opposition to the teachings of scripture, and will quickly attack anyone including other churches who are in disagreement with their stance.
All the while the souls find themselves in hell, many of them who have gone to church, prayed a prayer, and never experienced the new birth in the Spirit. The lack of conviction, and power in the church prevents them from truly experiencing Christ and His life changing power, GOD HELP US ALL!
Is there hope for the church, YES THERE IS, we must repent and seek God and His Spirit. Allow Him to have FIRST place in our services, and in our lives. We must get a hunger for His Word and desire an intimate walk with Him for He and He alone is our only source of salvation, and power.
Grace and Peace be multiplied to you as you walk daily in His grace.
AMEN
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