Your name came up.
That was the title of the message given by Elder Spence in my church on Sunday. He was speaking from the book of Job where satan and God were conversing and Job's name just happen to come up. From that point, Job was to be forever enshrined in the hearts and minds of God's people as representing endurance in the time of trouble.
There is a powerful message being presented here; the notion that one that was doing so good, could still have bad things happen to them. Another view however, is to see how envious the adversary was over the protection that God had over Job. His words to God seemed to indicate that he had already tried to come at Job but because of the protection of God his attempts to disrupt Job's life were unsuccessful.
We are "troubled on every side" but protected from destruction by the hand of God. Our good works attract more that just the approval of our Heavenly Father, as they also bring us to the attention of those that seek to do us harm. Like an insect that is called to the light in the middle of the darkness so to are the enemies of God's people attracted by the successes of them that worship God in spirit and in truth. It is because of that worship that the Lord watches over us and keeps the enemy at bay.
Great is they faithfulness, oh Lord!
So I have a question...Was Job's faith the source of the story, or was it God's love? To clarify, i want to know which one came first. Was God's Love the reason for the faith and worship that he gave to the Lord, or was it the other way around? Let me know what you think.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
3 Steps of Highly Blessed People - Intro part 2
If we define blessed as
Before we get into what it takes to be a highly blessed individual, lets do something else with that definition that I gave you earlier. If we can use it to define blessed people, guess what else we can do with it? That's right, use it to determine who is NOT so blessed. Why is this important? You are trying to provide direction about becoming something that you may not be right now and although you may know what it is you are aiming for, you may not be clear on the path. If you can identify that you are headed in the wrong direction, it will make it easier for you to right yourself and your situation. And becoming a highly blessed person doesn't mean that you can not loose your way at some point and time. Take King David for example, a man after God's own heart and a warrior for God all his life. Overcome with infatuation and lust, he begins a deathly decent into the abyss of selfishness that causes him to become out of step with God and consequently out of the favor of God. This series of events shows us that even at the height of our existence with God, we must still dedicate ourselves to the relationship of God that has brought us to this point.
So knowing that you are headed in the right direction sometimes is knowing that you are not going in the wrong direction. Finding yourself out of favor with God will cause you to stop, take inventory of where you are, and make the needed corrections to what and why you are doing. It is here that we earn and use the greatest favor that God can provide. Favor can present itself in many forms, but one of it most common forms is forgiveness. He has forgiven you, so you have a chance to improve, a chance to change, a chance to do better.
So whats next? Step 1, prayer.
- divinely or supremely favored; fortunate
Before we get into what it takes to be a highly blessed individual, lets do something else with that definition that I gave you earlier. If we can use it to define blessed people, guess what else we can do with it? That's right, use it to determine who is NOT so blessed. Why is this important? You are trying to provide direction about becoming something that you may not be right now and although you may know what it is you are aiming for, you may not be clear on the path. If you can identify that you are headed in the wrong direction, it will make it easier for you to right yourself and your situation. And becoming a highly blessed person doesn't mean that you can not loose your way at some point and time. Take King David for example, a man after God's own heart and a warrior for God all his life. Overcome with infatuation and lust, he begins a deathly decent into the abyss of selfishness that causes him to become out of step with God and consequently out of the favor of God. This series of events shows us that even at the height of our existence with God, we must still dedicate ourselves to the relationship of God that has brought us to this point.
So knowing that you are headed in the right direction sometimes is knowing that you are not going in the wrong direction. Finding yourself out of favor with God will cause you to stop, take inventory of where you are, and make the needed corrections to what and why you are doing. It is here that we earn and use the greatest favor that God can provide. Favor can present itself in many forms, but one of it most common forms is forgiveness. He has forgiven you, so you have a chance to improve, a chance to change, a chance to do better.
So whats next? Step 1, prayer.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
3 Steps of Highly Blessed People - Intro
Pray, Read your Bible, Go to church
This is a blog, that I hope to make into a book because the world is never tired of simple steps to improvement. But because it is a blog I won't be able to go into as much depth as I would like. I would like to know what you think the potential success of such a book might be. If I would be writing something that you would find useful, or if it would just be a part of my one personal library. I have been teaching these three things to my church for over 10 years and what I can tell you is that blessed people have at least these three things going for them, and those that are not so blessed are missing at least one.
Let's just see how far we can go...
Looking over the lives and lifestyles of Highly Blessed people it is not hard to see some similarities in the actions and choices of people that could be universally called blessed.
First, define blessed.
This is a blog, that I hope to make into a book because the world is never tired of simple steps to improvement. But because it is a blog I won't be able to go into as much depth as I would like. I would like to know what you think the potential success of such a book might be. If I would be writing something that you would find useful, or if it would just be a part of my one personal library. I have been teaching these three things to my church for over 10 years and what I can tell you is that blessed people have at least these three things going for them, and those that are not so blessed are missing at least one.
Let's just see how far we can go...
Looking over the lives and lifestyles of Highly Blessed people it is not hard to see some similarities in the actions and choices of people that could be universally called blessed.
First, define blessed.
- consecrated; sacred; holy;sanctified
- worthy of adoration, reverence, or worship
- divinely or supremely favored; fortunate
- blissfully happy or contented
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Why do we do what we do?
Before you eat dinner, do you pray?
Do your children say there prayers before going to bed?
What time is church service on Sunday? How long is too long for a sermon?
In this teaching, Jesus is being questioned about the behavior of his disciples in areas where there have been clear rules of conduct. But Jesus turns the table on them asking them rather about the things that they, the accusers, were not doing.
Showing His greatest power, knowing the heart of man, Jesus goes to the heart of the matter by first dismissing the complaint that dirty hands some how made the spirit unclean. He then points out that there are plenty of things that these accusers have elected NOT to do even while knowing they are commandments from God.
Mark 7:9 - "All too well you reject the command of God, that you may keep your traditions"
So, why do you do the things you do? Are your reasons founded in tradition or upon the place they have in God's plan? Don't misunderstand my intentions here; I have traditions of my own that I keep, but because of the Life and Ministry and Work of Jesus, I am continuously looking for those things that will bring me closer God while seeking to remove those things from me that impede that same relationship.
Do your children say there prayers before going to bed?
What time is church service on Sunday? How long is too long for a sermon?
In this teaching, Jesus is being questioned about the behavior of his disciples in areas where there have been clear rules of conduct. But Jesus turns the table on them asking them rather about the things that they, the accusers, were not doing.
Showing His greatest power, knowing the heart of man, Jesus goes to the heart of the matter by first dismissing the complaint that dirty hands some how made the spirit unclean. He then points out that there are plenty of things that these accusers have elected NOT to do even while knowing they are commandments from God.
Mark 7:9 - "All too well you reject the command of God, that you may keep your traditions"
So, why do you do the things you do? Are your reasons founded in tradition or upon the place they have in God's plan? Don't misunderstand my intentions here; I have traditions of my own that I keep, but because of the Life and Ministry and Work of Jesus, I am continuously looking for those things that will bring me closer God while seeking to remove those things from me that impede that same relationship.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Choice of the challenge
In the ever changing lives that we lead, one could think that we are as accustomed to change as we are with rising of the sun. Everyday new challenges present themselves and we find ways to deal with them all and make it safely back home.... right?
In reality, making it home maybe the only thing we were able to handle with any confidence and having to face the various challenges of life does not automatically mean that we do that with lots of success. Family, work, church, school, and so on can all present in themselves unique circumstances that require social, political, and mental moves akin to a gymnast. Any one of these areas could require all of our attention, but of course we would not be who we are if we didn't try to overload our plate at the buffet table of life. So the challenges are multiplied and the situations and circumstances of one part of life become blended with the next. This hodgepodge of "stuff" soon becomes "to big to fail" as we become saddled with our own version of King Sysaphis' rock.
Our special word for this problem is, inevitable.
If you are a part of this society long enough, you will eventually fall into line with the expectations and the requirements form the yoke of this world. And if you are unaware of its weight, you could be crushed by a burden that is, fall all purposes, self-made.
An understanding that I would like for you to take from this blog... BE READY. Change comes comes to us all, but it is the few that can navigate the changes that are able to use the challenges as propellent to fuel their ambitions and provide the opportunities sought for growth to occur.
An example I like to keep in mind is about the Hebrew people wandering in the desert. Early on in the journey, they came to the edge of the promise land and sent out spies so that they could see what they were up against. The spies came back and they all said the same thing, except for two, that the land was two dangerous and they were not going to be able to take the enemies. These spies can represent for us the doubters in our lives. Those that doubt that you will be able to accomplish the goals you have. Sometimes the doubter is us, but you have to be willing to accept the truth about the work that needs to be done and what you are going to need to do to get there.
The Hebrew people choose to not go because of the challenges (giants and false gods); that fateful choice, they spent an entire generation preparing only to come back and be asked the same question. How many times have you dealt with a particular issue, got it wrong, and had to deal with that same issue all over again?
In reality, making it home maybe the only thing we were able to handle with any confidence and having to face the various challenges of life does not automatically mean that we do that with lots of success. Family, work, church, school, and so on can all present in themselves unique circumstances that require social, political, and mental moves akin to a gymnast. Any one of these areas could require all of our attention, but of course we would not be who we are if we didn't try to overload our plate at the buffet table of life. So the challenges are multiplied and the situations and circumstances of one part of life become blended with the next. This hodgepodge of "stuff" soon becomes "to big to fail" as we become saddled with our own version of King Sysaphis' rock.
Our special word for this problem is, inevitable.
If you are a part of this society long enough, you will eventually fall into line with the expectations and the requirements form the yoke of this world. And if you are unaware of its weight, you could be crushed by a burden that is, fall all purposes, self-made.
An understanding that I would like for you to take from this blog... BE READY. Change comes comes to us all, but it is the few that can navigate the changes that are able to use the challenges as propellent to fuel their ambitions and provide the opportunities sought for growth to occur.
An example I like to keep in mind is about the Hebrew people wandering in the desert. Early on in the journey, they came to the edge of the promise land and sent out spies so that they could see what they were up against. The spies came back and they all said the same thing, except for two, that the land was two dangerous and they were not going to be able to take the enemies. These spies can represent for us the doubters in our lives. Those that doubt that you will be able to accomplish the goals you have. Sometimes the doubter is us, but you have to be willing to accept the truth about the work that needs to be done and what you are going to need to do to get there.
The Hebrew people choose to not go because of the challenges (giants and false gods); that fateful choice, they spent an entire generation preparing only to come back and be asked the same question. How many times have you dealt with a particular issue, got it wrong, and had to deal with that same issue all over again?
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Fasting & Praying
Here we are again, blessed to be in another new year and for me that means a new fast to get the year started right. As with years past, my church and I are doing the Daniel's Fast which is a restraint from meats and animal products along with any "processed" foods, like white rice, sugar, soda, etc.
This has been our fast for the last five years but we have normally only gone out 21 days. This year we are are going 40 days of fasting and prayer. I can tell you that many of the people doing this with me were a little skeptical but the level of participation has never been higher. There are those that have committed the beginning of the year fasting and prayer since the founding of the church and then there are those that are fasting for the first time in a long time. There are even some young people, who by there own admission want to "get a closer relationship with God!" by fasting and prayer. How amazing is that!
Now I know there are many that would be concerned. "Is this healthy?" "Is it safe for the young people?" "What about those that have medical conditions?" Well, I assure you that all of that has been taken into consideration and as a matter of fact this fast, just from a dietary perspective, is extremely healthy and has many, many benefits. But you don't have to take my word for it; there is a plethora of information available that talks about the benefits of eating healthy and of removing the processed foods from your diet. For many of those that are doing this fast with me, we are merely encouraging them to do what their doctors and health professionals have been asking them to do for a while....eat healthy.
But there is more going on here than just eating veggies or leaving the ham-hocks out of the black eyed peas; we are pressing in to create a greater relationship with God. Whats the relationship with food and our God? Well it is not food itself as much as it is excess. I will tell you about that in a later post....
This has been our fast for the last five years but we have normally only gone out 21 days. This year we are are going 40 days of fasting and prayer. I can tell you that many of the people doing this with me were a little skeptical but the level of participation has never been higher. There are those that have committed the beginning of the year fasting and prayer since the founding of the church and then there are those that are fasting for the first time in a long time. There are even some young people, who by there own admission want to "get a closer relationship with God!" by fasting and prayer. How amazing is that!
Now I know there are many that would be concerned. "Is this healthy?" "Is it safe for the young people?" "What about those that have medical conditions?" Well, I assure you that all of that has been taken into consideration and as a matter of fact this fast, just from a dietary perspective, is extremely healthy and has many, many benefits. But you don't have to take my word for it; there is a plethora of information available that talks about the benefits of eating healthy and of removing the processed foods from your diet. For many of those that are doing this fast with me, we are merely encouraging them to do what their doctors and health professionals have been asking them to do for a while....eat healthy.
But there is more going on here than just eating veggies or leaving the ham-hocks out of the black eyed peas; we are pressing in to create a greater relationship with God. Whats the relationship with food and our God? Well it is not food itself as much as it is excess. I will tell you about that in a later post....
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Tripping on Waves
"Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. " Matthew 14:25
In one of the most most memorable miracles in the Bible, Jesus walks on water after a night of prayer and after sending the disciples out ahead of Him the day before in a boat. When they arose from there slumber to see Jesus walking across the lake, they were not just astonished but terrified that they might be seeing a ghost (what else looks like a man and walks on water?).
And for as amazing as that seems, that is not the greatest part of this story. The truly amazing thing is what comes next, Peter walks on water too!!! (Matthew 14:29)
Now, realizing that Jesus (the word that was at the beginning) knew what this was going to do for Christians everywhere..."If Peter could do it, then so can I" or is that really the case. I have seen many people give up dreams and visions that they have had because of the difficulties they faced to make them happen. The impossible challenges of opening their own business, the big mountain of debt you have to climb to be debt free, the time and money it would take to get the education you want, and so on. And yet with all of those things, we can see the Lord already out there in the middle of the challenge saying to us, "Come"
I GET EXCITED JUST THINKING ABOUT IT!!!!
"I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me" Phillipians 4:13 and I believe that. What we have to be reminded of is that this is not a free ride. God does not give out trophy blessings that just sit on the shelf. Your blessings are meant to accomplish something and take you (or someone else) to a place they have never been in God before. I tell you now the the blessing of a good job is not just for you and your family. The blessing of graduating from college is not just a personal achievement, it is a goal that is a blessing to many. But what if you never tried, or never attempted to accomplish those things? What blessings would be blocked by your unwillingness? That is why you got to try.
Peter walked on water.....Peter walked on water....Peter walked on WATER! That is amazing, that is God! Yes, he got scared. Yes, he started to fall, but Peter walked on water. And you know what, it was not the water that gave him the doubts, it was the wind (Matthew 14:30)
So that means that the challenge itself can not be the thing that keeps us from success, and even the wind itself wasn't what got to Peter. He was distracted from his task and overcome by what he could not see (wind) such that he was overwelmed but his inability to do what he was already doing. BUT...Peter walked on water.
Those in the boat had more faith in the vessel that in the Lord that was in the middle of the water. And many of them saw Peter struggling and that alone solidified their fear to walk on the water. "If he is going to trip over the waves, I'm surely going to sink", i can here them say. I can here us say similar things today as we compare other peoples challenges and setbacks to out yet-to-be-taken path to success. But I can tell you right now that I would rather be tripping on the waves, than standing on the boat.
In one of the most most memorable miracles in the Bible, Jesus walks on water after a night of prayer and after sending the disciples out ahead of Him the day before in a boat. When they arose from there slumber to see Jesus walking across the lake, they were not just astonished but terrified that they might be seeing a ghost (what else looks like a man and walks on water?).
And for as amazing as that seems, that is not the greatest part of this story. The truly amazing thing is what comes next, Peter walks on water too!!! (Matthew 14:29)
Now, realizing that Jesus (the word that was at the beginning) knew what this was going to do for Christians everywhere..."If Peter could do it, then so can I" or is that really the case. I have seen many people give up dreams and visions that they have had because of the difficulties they faced to make them happen. The impossible challenges of opening their own business, the big mountain of debt you have to climb to be debt free, the time and money it would take to get the education you want, and so on. And yet with all of those things, we can see the Lord already out there in the middle of the challenge saying to us, "Come"
I GET EXCITED JUST THINKING ABOUT IT!!!!
"I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me" Phillipians 4:13 and I believe that. What we have to be reminded of is that this is not a free ride. God does not give out trophy blessings that just sit on the shelf. Your blessings are meant to accomplish something and take you (or someone else) to a place they have never been in God before. I tell you now the the blessing of a good job is not just for you and your family. The blessing of graduating from college is not just a personal achievement, it is a goal that is a blessing to many. But what if you never tried, or never attempted to accomplish those things? What blessings would be blocked by your unwillingness? That is why you got to try.
Peter walked on water.....Peter walked on water....Peter walked on WATER! That is amazing, that is God! Yes, he got scared. Yes, he started to fall, but Peter walked on water. And you know what, it was not the water that gave him the doubts, it was the wind (Matthew 14:30)
So that means that the challenge itself can not be the thing that keeps us from success, and even the wind itself wasn't what got to Peter. He was distracted from his task and overcome by what he could not see (wind) such that he was overwelmed but his inability to do what he was already doing. BUT...Peter walked on water.
Those in the boat had more faith in the vessel that in the Lord that was in the middle of the water. And many of them saw Peter struggling and that alone solidified their fear to walk on the water. "If he is going to trip over the waves, I'm surely going to sink", i can here them say. I can here us say similar things today as we compare other peoples challenges and setbacks to out yet-to-be-taken path to success. But I can tell you right now that I would rather be tripping on the waves, than standing on the boat.
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