Power

Power. It’s a pain when it goes out. Due to getting so much rain so fast last night, our power went out at the house just before we went to bed. It was only out for less than ten seconds, but it was just annoying enough to have to reset all the clocks. As soon as it goes out, everyone seems to panic for a split second. We worry about it getting hot in the house because the air conditioning is off and we worry about the food in the refrigerator going bad.

What about when we lose our connection with God?  When our so-called “power” is out with Him?  We lose connection with the power of God when we have sin in our lives. Sin causes us to lose fellowship with our source of power.  “If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” - 1 John 1:6.  Sin keeps the Holy Spirit from working in our lives to be in the will of God.

To keep the power on in our lives we need to make sure our account is right with God and that we keep our sins confessed. “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” - 1 John 1:7.  Our lives work better when we keep our sins confessed and allow the Holy Spirit to work. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9.

Does the power of God seem to be missing in your life?  Maybe sin is keeping you from possessing the full power of God. Confess your sins to Him and let Him cleanse you from all unrighteousness and see the power come back on in your life.

Have a great day and God bless.

Pride

Pride. We have become a society that celebrates sin by calling it “pride”. We have a whole month celebrating this original sin of pride. It was pride that Satan used to lure Adam and Eve to sin against God by promising them they would become like Him. Why do we have pride In sin and celebrate some sins and not all sins?  What makes some socially acceptable and others not?  What makes some sins illegal and some, something to have “pride” in?

The Bible is pretty clear on what God thinks about pride, and being proud: “I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.” - Isaiah 13:11. The root of all sins usually starts with pride. “For all that is in the world-the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life-is not from the Father but is from the world.” - 1 John 2:16.

If you did a search of your Bible about the words “pride” and “proud” you will find that almost all of the references are shown as being a negative thing. The only thing that we should really have pride in is what Jesus Christ did for us because we had nothing to do with it. Most lists of things that God hates has the word pride or proud in it. “The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.” - Proverbs 8:13. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” - Proverbs 16:18.

There is a coming day in which those that are proud will be brought low. “And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.” - Isaiah 2:17. It is better that we humble ourselves now then being humbled against our will later. We can bow the knee now and recognize God for who He is, or we can bow it later and confess what we denied for all of our lives. “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” - Philippians 2:9-11.

Have a great day and God bless.

Disappointment

Disappointment. We all go through it at different stages in life. When we are young we may be disappointed that we didn’t get a lollipop when we asked for it. As teenagers we may be disappointed when someone turns us down when we ask for a date. When we are older we may be disappointed when we don’t get the job or promotion we want or expected.  Disappointment happens in many ways and it happens to all of us.

So how do we move on from disappointment?  We have to remember that our plans for our lives are not always God’s plans for us. The things we desire in our hearts for how our lives should go may not be the best overall direction God has for us. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.” - Isaiah 55:8. There is nothing wrong with having dreams and goals. However, we need to be ready for them to take a back seat to what God has planned for us.

I know some people in my life that are disappointed with how things have gone recently and that’s okay. We need to keep moving forward knowing that God knows best, and even if we are disappointed now, God loves us and will never do us wrong. If you are disappointed today because something you planned didn’t go how you expected it, take heart, God may just have something better for you up ahead.

Have a great day and God bless.

Reputation

Reputation. Someone’s reputation is a valuable thing. It is also a very delicate possession. It takes years to develop your reputation and seconds to kill it. Your reputation also varies from person to person based on events that happen between the two of you. You may have a stellar reputation with one person only to find that your reputation with someone else is the exact opposite.

As Christians, our reputation is extremely important. We are sometimes the reason why unbelievers feel they don’t need Christ. If we call ourselves Christians but live our lives the same way the world lives, then why would they need a Savior?  We are the reason that people don’t come church because they feel the church is filled with “hypocrites”. Sometimes we are!  We say one thing and do the opposite. That is not drawing unbelievers to Christ.

Believe me, I’m talking to myself here too. This all goes through my heart before it ever reaches your eyes. I have to ask myself often if my reputation matches up with what my mouth claims to be. To be honest, it hasn’t always been so. I’ve done many things to ruin my reputation as a Christian. It’s a daily struggle to make sure I am walking with Christ. I’m sure you feel the same way as well. Our reputation is important. How people see us is important too, not for our egos, but for our witness of Christ.

We can’t be like the church in Sardis though, “You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. - Revelation 3:1. What we can’t do is be fake. We must be real and we must be genuine or people will see right through us. That’s where they feel we are “hypocrites” which means to wear a mask.

Have a great day and God bless.

Weeds

Weeds. I think I do a better job at growing weeds in my yard than I do growing grass. I can grow grass like a champion in my gravel driveway, but not in the yard. I spray for weeds constantly and my wife pulls weeds like it’s going out of style. Why is it so easy for weeds to grow and so hard for grass to grow?  Is it the soil?  Is it too rocky or is there too much clay?  I don’t know the answer but it does remind me of one of the parables of Christ.

“And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.’” - Matthew 13:3-9.

When we share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we do not know much about the ground we are planting the seed in. Some of those we share with may not be interested at all because maybe things are going too well in their lives and they don’t feel they need a Savior. Some may be so distracted by the things of the world that they listen but soon go back to the pleasures of the world.

But sometimes, that soil has been worked by someone else who has the shared the Gospel before us and it softened their hearts. And when you share the Good News with them, the time is right for that seed to take root. We never know the soil that has been prepared before we arrive. Our job is to continue to plant seeds and sometimes it’s our job to just till the soil. Maybe our job is to just pull and kill the weeds that may choke out future seeds.

Whatever it is the Lord would have us to do, we are to continue to leave seeds along our journey called life. Sometimes we till, sometimes we weed and sometimes we plant. Either way, keep doing what Christ commanded us to do, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." - Matthew 28:19-20.

Have a great day and God bless.

Planner

Planner. Are you a planner or do you just go with the flow?  Do you make to-do lists and stick to them no matter what and if it gets messed up it just ruins your day?  Are you married to your opposite?  Do you make plans and your spouse goes with the flow, or the other way around?  I spend all week at work making timelines and trying to keep the team in line with following them, so when I get home I would rather just go with the flow.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with making plans: short term or long term. I think it is good to make plans about what we want to accomplish for the week and even plans for what we want to accomplish for the next several years.  However, we need to make sure that our plans aren’t so rigid that God can’t use us in ways that He wants to because our plans get in the way. We have to be ready to allow God to direct our paths. “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” - Proverbs 3:6.

Our plans are fine as long as they match up for God’s will for our lives. If we become too attached to our plans, God may have to break us from them in order to use us, just like the potter does the clay. Our only concrete plan should be to use our lives to bring glory and honor to God and to share His message of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ.

Have a great day and God bless.

Prayer

Prayer. The spiritual leaders of our country have asked the nation to make today a national day of prayer for our political leaders and our president in particular. We live in dangerous times both within our country and from our enemies abroad. Satan has blinded the eyes of so many and has gain the hearts and minds of many that are in powerful positions. The Bible is clear that he is the prince of the power of the air at this current time. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” - Ephesians 6:12. The prayers of God’s people are extremely important and powerful. 

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.”- Romans 13:1-4. 

Notice that Paul’s command to believers was not reliant on any of the leaders being from our favored political party. We should pray for our leaders first and foremost to have a relationship with Jesus Christ and second that they would make decisions based upon the Word of God. “Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.” - Titus 3:1-2. 

Pray for our country and our leaders today and everyday that we may live in peace. 

Have a great day and God bless.