Atheism

The Belief that nothing exploded into something and that the nothing that exploded into something somehow had the luck to come together into the right combination of lifeless somethings for life to spring from it.  And then this nothing continued to evolve into such intelligence that it is able to evaluate itself and it’s origins and have such a grasp of all knowledge,  enough it seems, to know without question that there is no God... WHAT?

Then there are those who do believe that there was something the size of a dot that exploded…   When asked where the dot came from they say it came from millions of stars and universes that expanded evolved and ran it’s cycle and then came back together again with such heavy gravity that it garnered the current explosion…  So where did those universes come from?  No answer, or they say perhaps another dot and they still declare that they know it wasn’t God that did it…  Really? 

So they say, the existence of life is an accident,  Intelligence is an accident,  the study of science is an accident, it’s all an accident.  The conclusion for them is that we are random matter but, in the whole scheme of things we don’t really matter.  So what is the value of existence?  And since we are just accidental matter is there really a thing called value and if we just made it up then didn’t we make something out of nothing and does that make man’s intelligence  a creative force that could be described as God?   Now what’s funny about that question is that when asked that, they tilt their heads to the side, place the earpiece of their eye-glasses in their mouth and then… nothing contemplates the possibility that they may indeed be God after all.  These buffoons think that nothing can know if something called God started it all…  

It’s interesting to me.  They decry my faith and at the same time, their Complex gravitational explosive dot of nothing that becomes life and evolves into intelligence is a much bigger religious leap of faith than mine.   I just believe that;  “In the beginning God!”  Now who is the religious zealot?   

“Thinking themselves to be wise they become fools”.  

Prayer:  Dear God...  AMEN!

Anointing and the Presence of God

Moses was called aside by God to the burning bush where God commissioned him to remove the children of Israel from Egyptian Slavery.   God’s call and commission to Moses contained in it the Job that he was to do for God.  This was an act of a direct call from God and God Himself commissioned Moses to the work of not only freeing the Israelites but also to lead them through the sea, across the wilderness, and into the promised land.

In the Old Testament, there was something called Anointing.  Almost every place where anointing is mentioned in the Bible, we also see that oil is to be smeared on the subject.   When one was anointed, they received a commission to go and do something for God.  Anointing with oil was the ceremony side of what God was doing in the spirit.  God was setting them aside for service and giving them a commission to perform acts for God.

Anointing was also, in a sense, the receipt of a job description from God.  When David was anointed by the Prophet of God as the King of Israel, the fact of the anointing to be King also gave him the description of what he was supposed to DO.

So we see in the Old Testament how anointing was a ceremony that set a person by commission to do a work of God’s choosing.  God chose the man and the Work.  Anointed him and set him apart to do a work for Him.

Moses was very wise.  After Moses led the Children of Israel out of bondage it was time to enter into the Promised Land.  God told Moses what his mission was to be in leading them into the land of milk and honey, Moses prayed to God.    “And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.”     (Exo 33:15)

Moses understood the need to not only have the commission or anointing to do a thing but that he also needed the presence of the Lord.

In the New Testament Anointing take on an even more definite relationship between the anointing and the presence of God.   Christ Jesus had a mission to perform and God anointed him not only for mission but also with the Holy Ghost and with Power!

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

(Act 10:38)

We need to see the necessary relationship between our Commission and Call Anointing and God’s empowerment to do What God has called us to do.  I have seen men who were very gifted in their call loose everything because they relied on the Commission and Appointment to do the work and did not practice the presence of God.

We need BOTH!  We need to be anointed, commissioned and ordained to do the work and we also need to be spend enough time with God in prayer in order to be endued with Power from on high.  We need the Anointing of the Holy Spirit and Power to perform it so we do not bring shame to the Ministry.

Never just rely on your calling and your commission to do a task.  Also spend enough time with God to walk in His presence as you go forward and perform ministry as Jesus Did… “anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power”!

My Prayer:

Dear God,  I truly desire not only to petition you for things that I want in ministry.  I desire to spend time with you.  I believe that the amount of time that I spend with you is in direct relationship to having your presence in my preaching and other ministry duties. Let my prayer be the same as Moses; “ If your presence doesn’t  go with me, don’t carry us up from here.”    AMEN!

Without Ceasing

Even beginning during the fast, God has been dealing with me lately on the subject of Prayer.   The following is written in Outline form but I believe that you will get the idea behind it.

Pray without ceasing. 
(1 Thessalonians 5:17)
 
Strongs Definition:

Pray:

G4336

προσεύχομαι;  proseuchomai:  Pray:  pros-yoo'-khom-ahee

From G4314 and G2172;  to pray to God, that is, supplicate, worship: - pray (X earnestly, for), make prayer.

·         Prayer is Pro-Active:   It is to actively present to God that which we desire.

·         Indicates the idea of sending forth to God that which is desired,   to Pray…

·         Prayer reveals our true and secret motives

The Theology of our Prayers:

·         Prayer is a sign of our faith,  in that it assumes several things

·         Prayer reveals faith enough to endeavor to talk with God

Prayer Reveals our View of God in the following areas...

1.       The existence of God

a.      Prayer shows that one believes in God  

b.      God is the objective recipient of our prayers.

2.      The recipient of our prayers (God) will hear them and further…

a.      It assumes a God that is actively involved in current creation

b.      It assumes a God that is concerned with our well being  (He Loves us)

3.      He will receive them.

a.      It assumes also that He is willing to answer our prayers

4.      He will Consider our prayers and wheather or not they have merit. (Are His will for us)

a.      It assumes that God influences our lives beyond setting things in motion in the beginning

b.   It assumed that God “interferes” supernaturally in the lives of man at man's request.

My Prayer:  Lord, Teach me to pray in acordance with your will so that my prayers will be answered and so that I can see their results in my life and glorify you.   In Jesus Name,    AMEN!

Perspective is Everything

My scripture today:  
Isaiah 6:1,  "In the year that King Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple."

It is our own personal perspective that determines so much in our live.  Some people see the glass half full... some half empty.  How you see things affects your reaction, your conviction, how you view the resources you have, your ability to hope or lack thereof, everything.

Some view the Lord High and lifted up as Isaiah did, others see Him as an old man with a big stick ready to knock them around when they come up short.  How you and I see Him will determine our actions and responses to Him and His word.

If we take Isaiah's view and see Him in His Majesty as the ruler of the whole of creation with His Glory filling the Earth then we will have a view that brings us to a place where we Honor Him and see ourselves in the light of His true place.

It humbles us.

The Resultes of seeing the Lord From the proper perspective does three things.

I.    Verse 5...  "Woe is me, I am a man of unclean lips..."

• It brings recognition of sin in the sight of an Awesome God
• It brings us to a place of a repentant Heart                       

II.    Verse 7...  "And he laid it (a live coal from the alter) upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath   
                         touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

• Iniquity is takn away and
• sin is purged

III.   Verse 8b... "Here am I, send me."

• It creates within us a heart of service to God.  A willingness to serve others by serving God.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, Help me to be the servant to you and to your church that I need to be. Keep me in the hallow of your hand and close to your side where I can experience your presence at all times in my life.  Amen

Temptation

A Confession:

I went through a real temptation yesterday evening with my fast.  I have been doing pretty well on the fast for the most part and then BOOM!  Starting the 17th. day of the fast at sundown yesterday, I had a real heavy food temptation.

You may be tempted to laugh when you hear.  I am.  And it happened to me.

I settled in for the evening and was sitting quietly when I had a heavy urge to go into the kitchen and open a can of chili that I had seen in the cabinet.

Mistake # 1.  I got up and went into the kitchen, opened the cabinet door and Looked at that can of chili!   I shut the door and my body screamed at me. (a metaphor for how I felt!)  I mean I had a real crises moment with that can of chili.   LOL     I wanted it SO BAD!

Mistake # 2.  I opened the door again and gave myself an excuse.  I heard myself say: "You may as well eat that chili and get past this."   "Just start back tomorrow."

The urge to eat that can of chili was almost physical in it's intensity!   The thing is... I was not having hunger pangs!  But is was so compelling!!!  I left it and walked around and even prayed; "God, why is this so hard?   I'm Stronger than this.  This shouldn't be this way."

OK,   I acknowledge that this is NOT a major sin.  In the scheme of things, it's really not all that big a deal.  People are hungry out there with no food, no home, no way of getting them.  People are dying in other countries for the cause of Christ.   So my little petty battle isn't really all that much...  except...

I am trying to consecrate myself to God.  I want to be closer to Him and I didn't want that can of chili to come between the bigger picture for me personally right now.  I want closer to God.  I want His Spirit to be more real to me every day... I want to walk in relationship with Him in my life.
Then I hear that still small voice.  "Who's the Boss?"   Are the cravings of my flesh so strong that I am willing to allow them to keep me from fulfilling my heartfelt desire to be closer to God?  Who is the boss here?   My flesh, or have I yielded myself to serve the Living God?

So I went back into the living room, sat in my chair for a little while longer and then went to bed thanking the Lord for His grace in the moment.

Prayer:

Lord, I remember the wise words of Stephen Covey in His book; "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People".   "Private victories precede Public victories."   Thank you for reminding me that the small victories that we face in private precede what we are in our very public walk with you and there is no substitute for those small victories.  And sometimes they can seem pretty tough.   AMEN!

His Presence

Today is the 9th. day of my fast.  I am now doing one meal each day and I am following the Daniel Fast as far as the type of meals I am eating for that meal.  For instance, today I had a small bowl of beans for lunch.  Yesterday I had a salad and a plate of vegetables for lunch.

I am fasting breakfast which is usually my favorite meal of the day. I am also fasting the evening meal. 

As a diabetic I am keeping a close watch on my blood glucose level and being very careful.  (The reason I started eating the one meal each day)  I have not taken any meds for several days and my sugar level is staying mostly between 70 and 90.  "I am watching it like a hawk."

Today has been a awesome day.
I am part of a Pastors Prayer group.  We get together on Tuesdays for Prayer and a fellowship Breakfast.  Our prayer time starts at 7:00 and we usually end between 8:00 and 8:30 after which we all go to a local restaurant for breakfast.

Several of the Pastors in our group are also fasting which makes it easy to sit around in the restaurant and NOT be tempted to eat anything!

Today I am really thankful for these other Pastors and our prayer time this morning.  The presence of the Lord was really evident.  A few of us felt led to pray for each other and our churches.

I asked some of them to lay hands on me and pray for my back that I have been having a little trouble with.  (I moved some heavy tables the other day... nuff said).   I had prayer Sunday Night at Church as well where I began to feel a very real touch from God and a significant easing in the pain.

Today as these men prayed for me I experienced a warmth in the small of my back (where the pain was).   It was AWESOME!  There is another noticeable difference in my pain.  PRAISE THE LORD!   God is Good!

My Prayer today:
Dear Lord, thank you for my healing!  Thank you for a wonderful group of people to pastor and for a great group of Pastors to meet with for prayer on Tuesday Mornings.  Most of all, Thank you Lord for meeting with me in prayer today. Thank you so much for your presence.    AMEN!

God wants to do a new thing in you!

It has been a few days since my last post so I wanted to update you on what the Lord is speaking to me on the 6th.  day of my fast. Day 7 will begin for me this afternoon when the sun sets.

(Isa 43:18) 

Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

(Isa 43:19)  Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

Forgetting those things which are behind…

I have knowledge of the Past and I thank God for all He has done… Then I leave them behind and move into my future!

God is still speaking to His people!  Too many times we look at what God has done in us, as great as it is, and we stop looking for anything new and fresh from God.  We believe that all that we have received is all God has for us. 

(Lam 3:22-24)  It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.   The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

(Isa 42:9) Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.

(Isa 42:10)  Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.

Here is the thing. We keep living in this world. New problems arise, new situations, new challenges and we do rely on what God has told us. This is good. But God has not stopped speaking! This begs the question; Have we stopped listening? Are we relying so heavily on our past victories that we do not seek God for New battle plans?

Every day is New! Every challenge is New! And while everything God has done in our lives is timeless, much of it is for the time in which we heard it!

God is still speaking so what have you heard from Him lately that is giving you...

• A New Joy
• A New Hope
• A New Song
• A New Victory

Prayer:

Dear Lord, make everything New in My relationship with you.  Bring fresh rain,  fresh praise,  a fresh song!   Thank you for the NEW!   Amen.