"More Than a Head Knowledge"

For a long time in darkness I wandered, Truth had no meaning the longer I pondered. I did my duty and had my check list, But there was no light found in the midst. Then one day, I saw my eyes held no light, They were closed and black as the night. I finally yielded my ways to the LORD, Putting my complete trust in God's Word. More than a head knowledge now it is clear, No more doubts, nor darkness; no more fear. Now I can see; the light of truth did heal, And I know, I know, Yes, I know it's real! Dedicated to all those that recently have come out of the darkness and into the Light.

Dreams.... hopes... wishes and waiting?

Waiting... waiting is a huge part of the Christian Life. We have to wait on God for a lot of things... Such as, answers to prayer, God's timing, the right mate...etc. God wants us to wait, but while we are waiting, we should be loving others with God's love. In this time of waiting, we should not be pinning away or having self piety parties. This is a time when God wants to use us and direct us. While listening the radio today, I heard Phil Vischer tell his testimony on what happened after he lost "Big Idea"... He said his dream was gone. Everything that defined him as who he was had been taking away from him. He wrote about his experience after losing VeggiTales in his book "Me, Myself, and Bob"... One of things he says: "Sometimes God asks you to give up your dreams. He tests you to see if you love your dream more then God." Phil said that when "Big Idea" was gone, he realized that the only thing that matter was His relationship with God. His dream defined him, but God took his dream away to show him that his relationship with God was suppose to be the only thing that defined him. I read 2 Thessalonians 5:5 this morning and the words leaped off the page at me. "And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ." And the LORD Direct YOU(r). Where is the Lord directing me? Where is He leading me? Am I listening? Or am I trying to do things my own way? Look at the rest of that phrase. And The LORD direct your hearts. God's needs to have our hearts. He needs to be our first love. Sometime we get ideas in our heads that the LORD may give us but He might require us to give those ideas back to Him. Christ needs to be our everything. God wants to direct your hearts into the Love of God. He wants you to rest and wait patiently on Christ. Let God take over in your heart. Yield your dreams my friend!

Ye Careless Women - Isaiah 32:10

What does it mean to be careless? Webster's 1828 Dictionary states that carelessness is having no care; heedless; negligent; unthinking; inattentive; regardless; unmindful; followed by of or about; as a careless mother; a mother careless of or about her children, is an unnatural parent. When I think of carelessness I think of a house disorderly and un-kept with trash everywhere and a stink that penetrates the whole house. I recently was in Florida. One day, the Florida Newspaper showed pictures of a house so full of trash that it was amazing that anyone had actually lived there. Yet someone had lived there, a Floridian woman. I have never seen a house so atrocious in my life. Cigarettes were piled two or three feet high. There was not one part of the house that was not covered with pizza boxes, old food, dirty diapers and cigarettes. The Newspaper also took pictures of the bathroom and kitchen, these rooms looked the same as the rest of the house, except for a few more items.... Cleaning Products! Seems that this woman had good intentions of cleaning her house, but never got around to it. CARELESSNESS! That house was in disarray because of that woman's carelessness. This was a physical home, but here is my question to you: "How is your Spiritual House?" When is the last time you or I did some spring cleaning in our lives? Have we gotten careless? It is so easy just to let sin slide... a thought fester. You know, that lady didn't one day have huge mounds of trash appear in her house. No, it was just neglecting to clean up one thing and then neglecting to clean up another... until her house had three feet of trash all the way around it. We need to check and guard all our thoughts. One at a time. If we get careless over time they will pile up. That house so full of junk was beyond an easy clean. The only way to get the stink out of that house would be to gut it and start anew. Someone once said, "Keep Short Accounts With God." This means that you need to confess your sin as soon as you do them. But can I challenge you not to just keep confessing your sin on a daily basis, but to guard against carelessness? Keep so close to the LORD and capture every thought. Apply Philippians 4:8 to your life and you will begin to clean out the mess in your heart. "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Beware of Carelessness!

"He hath made every thing beautiful in His time"

Everything Beautiful in His time? Are you facing something that you wish was over or maybe your facing something you wish had never taken place? Everything? Can every thing be beautiful in God's Time? I know when I face a trial, I try to find a way out of the trial. I put my effort into fixing the problem and fail to depend on God to wait it through. Proverbs 19:21 says, "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand." Did you know that the trial you are facing is there for a reason? God is working and has a purpose for bringing that trial into your life. "My Times are in Thy Hand." This little phrase became very precious to me in 2002. I was in Prague at the time. I had been there three months, and of course I wanted to stay longer. I did everything in my power to make that happen. But to no avail I had to return home. The day before I left, I came across this phrase in Psalms 31:15. "My Times Are In Thy Hand." I returned to the states the first week in April. Upon arriving at home I learned that my older sister was very ill. She passed away three weeks later. I know that God wanted me to leave Prague. I didn't know at the time why... but I left trusting Him, knowing that He had everything in His control. God knows what is best for you. Have you placed your life in His hands? In the darkest of times, He will be right there... showing you the beauty of His Holiness. "And surely He has lead me along, and been more than my heart could every bear." ~ Bro. Lester Roloff. Take Heart, My Friend, Everything is Truly Beautiful in His Time!

Blurry Vision

For those of you who where contacts, have you ever put your contacts in and they were blurry? No matter how many times you tried to clean them with solution, you still could not get them to be clear? In the Christian Life, we can often have blurry vision. In Ecclesiastes, we find Solomon having a very strong case of blurry vision. One doesn't have to read very far in the book of Ecclesiastes to see that Solomon was very overwhelmed with the gift of wisdom that God had given him. In Chapter 1 - Solomon had an un-thankful spirit. He saw the Wisdom that God had given him as a burden. The Wisdom that he had probably brought a huge burden, but instead of giving that burden over to the LORD, he tried to drowned it out. In Chapter 2 - Solomon is drowning out his burden with mirth. In verse 9 of chapter 2, He states, "also my wisdom remained with me." He could not get rid of it. In verse 17, he comes to a place where he says "Therefore I hated life." His vision was blurry because he was looking at life under the sun, instead of looking at life through the eyes of the Son. Solomon had all the wisdom one could ever need or desire, yet he forgot where the origin of that wisdom came from. He even forgot why he had asked for it. How terrible everything is when we have blurry vision. When we get our eyes off of Christ. Remember Peter? He was doing fine walking on the water that is until he took his eyes off of Christ. All of a sudden the waves looked too high. The sea was over whelming and Peter began to sink. When we look to our self and our own reasoning, we find that the waves look too high for God to overcome. The Darkness is darker then any natural storm. There are no silver lines and no day-breaks. The unclouded day will never been seen. And as Peter, we begin to sink into the sea... all because our eyes are off of Jesus. My Friend, Take Heart! Look Up! Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith! Don't settle with blurry vision! Go to the Great Physician and get your vision fixed!

Your Idols May Be Broken And Cease....

Idols? I don't have idols. There are no statues in my home to which I worship. I don't worship gods. I don't worship any god but the true God. I don't have idols, I don't place anything thing above God.... Or do I? Webster's 1828 Dictionary Definition States: "1. An image, form or representation, usually of a man or other animal, consecrated as an object of worship; a pagan deity. Idols are usually statues or images, carved out of wood or stone, or formed of metals, particularly silver or gold. 2. An image. 3. A person loved and honored to adoration. The prince was the idol of the people. 4. Any thing on which we set our affections; that to which we indulge an excessive and sinful attachment." Anything on which we set our affections... Do I set all my affections on the LORD God? Or are there things in my life that God doesn't have any control over? Do I place my friends, my family, and my own selfish desires over the LORD's will? Does my LORD have my affections or does someone else have them? I could be doing so much in the name of the LORD and it not be for the LORD. "I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love." ~ Revelation 2:2-4. This church was diligent for the LORD. In all appearances, they looked to be on fire for the LORD. But God knew their heart. He knew they had left their first love. They were busy doing but it seems they started doing the work with the wrong motives. Motives such as: Duty, The Praise of Men, Image, Self-righteousness, etc. Have you left your first love? Can you say that you are setting your affections on things above? Or are there things in your life that you have placed above Almighty God? I hope we will all purpose that our idols be broken and cease.

"If Thou Shalt Confess..."

In my devotions this morning, I was reading in Romans Chapter 10. In my reading, I came across verses that are used individually in the Romans Road. In many Christian circles, the Romans Road is often the main used witnessing tool. Some may even go so far as to think that the Romans Road is the ONLY witnessing tool. However, there is something that doesn't seem to set right with me when someone uses just the Romans Road. And today, I think I have come to understand why. I used the phrase that these verses are "used individually" because the Romans Road plucks out a verse from one chapter and another from another chapter. It takes these verses out of their chapter and in reality out of their context and these individual verses make up the Romans Road. Romans 10:9 says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the LORD Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." This verse is one of the verses used in the Romans Road. This verse is also used as a rebuttal to the question "The Sinner's Prayer is not found in Scripture." Now bear with me, I am going somewhere with this. I believe that the Sinner's Prayer is very dangerous to use. I believe that often the Sinner's Prayer becomes in the minds of the lost and even in the minds of the saved... a Magic Prayer. Have you ever heard someone say, "I'm saved because I prayed the Sinner's Prayer." or "The Sinner's Prayer just confirms what is already in the persons heart."... ? These are things often said to justify why the Sinner's Prayer is a very good and needed thing. "Well, it says in the Bible, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the LORD Jesus"... I always like to tell people, God gives the words to say. I don't have to give them the words to repeat. "Well, where is that in the Bible?" Today, I found exactly where "That" is in the Bible. I didn't have to look far, it is right above the verse that is often used to confirm the Sinner's Prayer. "But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is the word of faith, which we preach; That if though shalt confess with thy mouth the LORD Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." ~ Romans 10:6-10. God gives the words. God puts the words in the heart and gives the words to say. How easy it would be, if we all could have thousands of people pray the prayer and get saved. Just repeat after me and 1-2-3 your a Christian. But I'm afraid that too often this method is used and "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." ~ Matthew 7:22-23. Salvation is not complicated. God does the saving. He is the one that gives faith and repentance. But too many people are concerned with "fruit" that they lead many who do not even understand into a prayer and they never truly received Christ. "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." ~ Matthew 7:13-14. Remember our responsibility is to go and tell... we are not given the command to save. God does the saving!