Nothing Escapes Him

Psalms 103:19 The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all.

I have to admit that when I hear a born again follower of Jesus use words like "chance, coincidence, or luck", I cringe. Why, you ask? Well, because we have a God who is sovereign, and is in control of all things. There is nothing that our Lord does not know, even before any of it happens. Before any one of us came to be, the Lord already knew us, and had a plan for our lives. Our God is not somewhere far off, watching us live life, without caring about what happens to us on a daily basis. Quite the opposite is true. Jesus is with us, every day, up close and personal. The Lord knows every little detail of yesterday's, today's, and tomorrow's life events and circumstances. He promised never to leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), and also promised that He would work all things together for good to those who love Him (Romans 8:28). The bottom line is that in Christ we never walk alone. In good times, tough times, sad times, times of mourning, and times of celebration, Jesus walks with us. So, is there really any such things as chance, coincidence, or luck? No, no, no...our God is always in control, even when things appear to be out of control. His sovereignty, His Kingdom, rule over all. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is ever out of His control, down to every heartbeat and every breath we take.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Unshakeable Joy

1 Peter 1:6-9 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

How is your joy today? Strange question you say? Well, I guess what I am asking is, "What brings you joy, and what determines whether or not you have joy?" Is our joy dependent upon our circumstances, or is it rooted in Jesus? Our joy is either going to crumble and disappear, or stand strong and be unshakeable. Please understand that I am not talking about being happy. Happiness is usually rooted in what is going on in our lives from moment to moment. I am talking about true joy; a joy that is evident, even when it seems that our life is falling apart around us. The strength of our joy is going to measure in accordance to where our hope lies. In this chapter, the Apostle Peter reminds us that we have an inheritance waiting for us when we finally leave this place to be with Jesus. That my dear brothers and sisters is true hope. Too many of us "hope" that our circumstances will work out in our favor. That is not what biblical hope is all about. Biblical hope tells us that we have a Living Hope in Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:3). Real hope is the belief, and expectation, that something is going to happen, without a shadow of a doubt. In other words, by faith we believe Jesus is who He says He is, and will one day return to get us. If we are not alive to see that day, then by faith we believe that when we are absent from this body, we will be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). The bottom line is that if our hope is in Jesus and all His promises, then regardless of our circumstances, our joy will not be shaken. We will enjoy the peace and joy that comes from putting our faith in our one and only Living Hope; our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

His Strength and Our Weakness

2 Corinthians 12:7-9 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

How many of us enjoy loss, pain, or suffering? I am sure some of you are probably asking, "What kind of silly question is that?" I know none of us enjoy suffering or experiencing pain. However, it is often through trials, loss, and pain that we gain the most spiritually. It is during the most difficult times in life, and our walk with Jesus, that we learn some of the greatest spiritual lessons. I still remember the time, many years ago, that I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I was at the height of ministry, traveling, singing and preaching in a number of different churches. Yet, at that moment that I was given the news, there was a peace that obviously came from the Lord as He reminded me that He already knew that there were lesions on my brain, long before the doctor told me. I often struggled with short term memory loss, feeling light-headed, fatigued, numbness on the left side of my face, and trouble speaking. Amazingly, whenever I had to get up to sing and preach, there was no hint whatsoever that I was struggling. The Lord carried me through that time, and not once did I struggle with speaking a word, singing a song, or recalling a verse of Scripture when I was behind the pulpit. As many prayed for me, as I prayed, and made some adjustments in my eating habit, the miraculous happened. At my last appointment, more that 11 years ago, the doctor informed me that he had never seen anything like what he saw in my MRI. He thought that the medication he prescribed, which I informed him I never took, had caused the lesions in my brain to heal. Needless to say, I was more than happy to tell him that the healing did not come from the medication, but as an answer to prayer to my God. As I left that last appointment, a great sadness came over me. Why, you ask? Well, because those weeks and months that I struggled with the symptoms of MS were the most intimate days I had with my Lord. I had to rely on Him like never before, as I had promised that even if He did not heal me, I would continue to sing and preach for as long as it was physically possible. Now that I was healed, I was afraid that of my own doing my level of intimacy with Jesus would decrease. It was during one of the most challenging and uncertain times of my life in ministry that I learned the most about my Lord. He showed just how amazing His grace was, and is, and how perfect His strength was in my weakness. As strange as it might sound to some, I remember that time of suffering with great fondness, and have not experienced another time of intimacy like that one. So, I say as the Apostle Paul said, "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Shhhhh...

Galatians 6:7-10 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Can we all agree that there is nothing we do that God is not already aware of? He knows what we are going to do, think, or say, even before we have the idea or thought ourselves. If that is so, which it is, why do we feel the need so often to send out the marching band, banging the drums, and blowing the trumpets, with a giant banner, telling everyone what deed we just did for someone? We reap from whatever we sow, but it is God who gives us what we reap. As born again Christians, we represent Jesus in all that we do. That means that when we have an opportunity to do good to others, we represent the Lord in doing so, and we should always be ready to do good, especially for a fellow brother or sister in Christ. It is by the way we love one another that the world will know that we are His (John 13:34-35). Here is the rub however... Far too often, we do good to others, but feel compelled to announce it so that everyone will tell us what a great Christian we are. I'm not saying that we cannot share testimony whenever God moves us to share. I am talking about sharing our good deeds under the pretense to give God glory. The Bible tells us that we were created unto good works (Ephesians 2:10), and that when men see our good works, they will glorify our Father in Heaven (Matthew 5:16). Nonetheless, Jesus was very clear, in Matthew 6:1-3, that when we do a charitable deed, we are to do it for the Lord to know, and no one else. The reality of what we do is that if God wants someone to know we did a good deed, He will make sure it is known. Just as easily as we can announce it, the Lord can move the person who we did the deed for to share that testimony with others. When it is all said and done, every single good and charitable deed we do will be examined, and judged, by the Lord when we stand before Him at the Bema Seat Judgment (1 Corinthians 3:13). At that time He will reward us for our deeds. If all we seek is man's praise, and pat on the back, then we have all the reward we will ever get (Matthew 6:2). So, the bottom line is this... When we do good deeds for others... Shhhh...

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Thank Him Every Day

Psalms 100:4-5 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

Thanksgiving...the one holiday this time of the year that is often glossed over in society. We have bought into the world's attitude about starting to celebrate Christmas in October. It really is no surprise that the devil would not want us to have a season to stop, reflect, and be thankful for all that God has done for us. Sadly, Thanksgiving has become like many other holidays, where the focus has been turned to what we are going to eat. It most certainly is a wonderful time to spend with family and friends, but it should be, for us who know Jesus, a time of reflecting, and being thankful for the goodness of God. For us who know the Lord, and have a personal relationship with Him, every day should be Thanksgiving. Every day should be a day that we give praise and thanks to the God who died for us, gave us eternal life in Jesus, and who has been, is, and will continue to be faithful and good to us, regardless of our circumstances. I would suggest that we continue to thank God every day, but next year, as we begin to decorate for the harvest season, rather than focus our attention on how soon we can put up Christmas decorations, let us start a countdown to Thanksgiving by intentionally finding one or two things each day to thank God for, until Thanksgiving Day. I guarantee that it will bring us to a new level of intimacy with the One who deserves all the praise, glory, and thanks, for all the undeserved blessing we have in Him.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

He Is Not Deaf

1 John 5:14-15 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

James 4:2-3 tells us, "You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." We often wrestle with those moments when we feel like God is not hearing or answering our prayers. We allow the devils to convince us that God is ignoring us, and does not care about what we are going through. We begin to feed into the lie that God does not love us. What we fail to consider is that we may be praying, but not praying in accordance to God's will. The fact of the matter is that God is not deaf; He does hear our prayers. Far too often we pray and expect God to answer, but we never stop to consider that there may be unresolved sin in our lives that we have not repented of and confessed. The other issue that creates a prayer block is the fact that we do not stop and ask ourselves if we are praying selfishly. Are we prayer for things that go contrary to God's Word? Are we praying for things that glorify us, and not the Lord? Our greatest stumbling block is that we spend little to no time in Scripture, and only show up before the Throne when we want something. How often do we complain about those people who show up, or call, only when they need something? The rest of the time we do not know if they are dead or alive. How often are we this way with God? Well, the simple fix is that we need to spend more time in God's Word and praying in accordance to the Scriptures. When we pray, we need to reflect on our own motivation, and ask God to show us what is on our hearts when we are coming before Him. We have a God who ALWAYS hears our prayers, and ALWAYS answers. We may not always like the answer we get. However, God is just, fair, and always answers in a way that is best for us, and brings Him the most glory, in accordance to His will, and His plan for our lives.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Keep Looking Up

1 Samuel 30:16-19 And when he had brought him down, there they were, spread out over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all.

As I read these verses, I could not help but think of the return of the Son of David, our Lord and Savior, returning to take possession of what is rightly His. His return to takes us away, His church, His Bride, will be like a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2; Revelation 16:15). While the world is busy eating, drinking, being merry, and saying, "Peace and security," their destruction will be sudden and catastrophic (1 Thessalonians 5:3). The Amalekites were so busy celebrating their temporary victory, that David's appearance caught them completely off guard. Christians, are we being lulled to sleep by the things of the world? Have we become complacent in our Christianity, and become like the world, living as if Jesus is not going to return any day now? Have we looked around and observed all that is happening, and realized that the Lord's return can happen at any moment, any second? What are we doing, how are we living, in light of that? Are we living lives that honor Jesus? Are we telling others, with urgency, about Jesus coming back to get His church, so that they are not left behind? What are we relying on to recognize the sign of the times, the news, social media, or the ultimate authority...God's Word? My brothers and sisters, we need to wake up and stop being distracted, and lulled to sleep, by the world. Jesus' return is certain! He will first come back for us, and later return to fulfill His promises to Israel. The exciting news is this, not only will Jesus come back to get us, but like David brought his men with him to this battle and victory, we too will return with Jesus and witness His ultimate victory over evil and the establishment of His Millennial Kingdom! Exciting times ahead! Keep looking up...it can happen any moment now!

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).