February 8, 2003

Hang Out With Who?

Dear friends, my life has been so fulfilling so far in 2003. My every day life in the 38 days of this year has been so full of the goodness of God and I'm growing spiritually so quickly it's almost scary! I'll tell you why. It's because of the new year's resolution I made. In December I thought and I prayed about what to make my resolution and nothing seemed right, until one day I was praying for many of you and I asked God, "What can I do to help make sure these young people develop a solid prayer life and devotional life which will lead them into an intimate daily relationship with You? Because I know if they get into a solid relationship with You they'll never fall away." God spoke to me very clearly and He put it on my heart that in order to help anyone develop that kind of prayer life, I must have that prayer life first! When He said it, conviction came on me and I was ashamed at how I've neglected my time with Him the last few years.

When I was a young Christian I used to come home from school every day and the first thing I'd do was go to my room, close my door, and spend time with God. I did this because for years I'd had no friends. My childhood was such that I was very rejected and outcast. When I found Jesus, I found someone who wanted my fellowship and I found someone who could heal the loneliness. Thank God they rejected me, because it helped me grow close to the Lord! I grew up for years getting closer and closer to the Lord during these times hanging out with Him. But the last 5 years or so there have been very few times when I closed the door and locked myself away alone with Him. Ironically it was after He finally healed my self-esteem and began to give me favor with people that I grew apart from those times. If you're lonely and feel rejected, thank God for that opportunity to find in Jesus a best friend! If you're popular and surrounded by friends, don't let your popularity stand in the way of your relationship with God - I promise no relationship will fulfill you like Jesus does!

Now, the last 38 days have been back like they were when I was a teenager and my early years in college. Revelation 2:5 says, "Remember the height from which you have fallen; repent and do the things you did at first." I've felt the Lord calling me into a deeper walk with Him and I'm coming. I'm being obedient to what He's asked me to do. If you are feeling inside your heart a stirring, a drawing, a desire to be closer to the Lord, then the Holy Spirit is drawing you into a closer walk too. Will you also be obedient? Answer that call of God if you're feeling it. Go close your bedroom door, turn on some worship music, sing some worship songs, and pray. And when you do, say a prayer for me! Thanks!

March 20, 2003

1 Corinthians 6:15  "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?"

John 1:16 "And of His fullness we have all received."

Why do we sometimes expect so little from God? Some of you who haven't given your lives to Him yet don't expect He'll change your life or make Himself real to you if you do. Some of you who do know Him don't expect Him to use and anoint you. Some of you who have sickness or problems with your body don't expect Him to heal you. Some of you with problems in your family or relationships don't expect God to fix it. Some of you who are running from God like Jonah don't expect God will catch up with you. Isn't it God's will for you to have your life changed, to be in close and intimate relationship with you, to use and anoint you, to heal your sickness or disease, and to fix that problem in your life? If it's His will why do we not expect Him to work in that situation?

The Bible has much to say about Faith. Hear this: Faith and prayer moves God, God moves mountains. Believe Him for a miracle in whatever problem you face. Someone told me the other day that they don't believe in healing. This is ridiculous to me. If you believe in God then you must also believe that He has power to heal. How can you believe in an all powerful God who created us but then limit Him by saying He can't heal?  It's the same in whatever situation you face. He's able. Of course it's important that you work with Him and do your part. I'm currently asking Him for a financial miracle, but it's important that I not just sit on my hands and pray that money rains in my living room while I sit around and watch TV. I have to make an effort and ask Him to bless that effort. It's the same for your situation.

Read 1 Corinthians 6:15. The Holy Spirit lives in you. Whatever power God has and His presence is in you! 24/7 He's within you. Believe and expect something crazy awesome to happen in your life today because the Holy Spirit Himself is in you.

April 29, 2003

OPERATION FREEDOM

Romans 8:34-39

Colossians 2:13-15

1 Corinthians 15:5

Our recent war with the dictator of Iraq raised questions and had attributes that mirror questions and attributes of our own spiritual walks. For example, like Operation Iraqi Freedom, the war between God and satan was over before it ever began. Everyone knew the outcome of Iraqi Freedom - the US would eventually win because we were much bigger and smarter than our enemy. Likewise the Lord God our Father, the Savior of our souls and of the world, came marching into our world many years ago to free us from the dictator known as sin. And even when He came it was established before time began that He would win. Nothing can stop it. No matter how much you screw up - it's ok. He still wins.

During the war we often asked ourselves, "Why does Saddam and his men even try? Don't they know they'll be pounded and stamped out?" Likewise I often ask myself, "Why does satan even try? Why doesn't he realize he's in the wrong and he's defeated and just give up the fight?" Even though we know God will win the war, we don't know how many will die before the war is over - just like Operation Iraqi Freedom. I believe satan wants to cause as much damage as he can before the war is over...

Who are you in this war? Think about it for a minute. If you imagine Operation Iraqi Freedom as a spiritual war, who would you be in that scenario? Would you be an enlisted solider, sergeant, or colonel the Lord's army, strong in your fight against the works of the devil? Or would you be one of the militia men in Saddam's regime - fed lies all your life until you believe you're in the right and fighting against the people who are dying to free you and your country - like Jesus died to bring you freedom? Would you be one of the people at home in the U.S. who don't care about the war, get tired of seeing it on TV so they just shut it out and pretend it's not happening, like a lukewarm Christian? Would you be a protestor against the war, speaking against things you don't even begin to comprehend, like a cold Christian who scoffs at every move of God and anything that doesn't fit the box of status quo they put God in? Or would you be a political enthusiast confusing the issues to say that the war is all about the next election instead of the liberation of innocent people and world security, like a shallow Christian who gets their panties in a knot about the pastor not wearing a tie or the youth minister listening to secular music while the hundreds of sinners around you die without a second thought from you?

Our adversary the devil is like a raging lion seeking whom he may devour. He doesn't play fair - neither did Saddam. He lies all the time - so did Saddam. But he's defeated - so is Saddam. In this war we may get hurt, but it's ok, We've won the war ("In the world you may have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world." --John 16:33) And remember you may get hurt by friendly fire, too. Other Christians will hurt you at times. That doesn't make any difference - the war isn't about them. Even if our aim gets off a little or we confuse our brothers with the enemy sometimes, He's still won the war. Ok?

Oh and by the way, did you know that God likes nose rings??? Even though I think they're ridiculously ugly, there are several passages in the Bible that speak highly of them, such as: Ezekiel 16:12 & Genesis 24:30&47

Walk In The Spirit - Hike With God

Mt 5:30
And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Mt 18:8
If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.

Mark 9:43
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched.

What's up, ya'll?? I've attached a scanned picture of a newspaper article I found. If you open it and magnify it, you should be able to read it. But in case you can't I'll summarize it for you:

Basically a man in Colorado was hiking earlier this month and while trying to climb on top of an 800 pound boulder and it rolled and pinned his right arm to the cliff face. He was stuck there for 5 days and when his food supply ran out he did what was unthinkable but what was necessary - he amputated his arm. He only had a dulled utility knife so he first broke his radius bone which connects your elbow to your thumb, then he broke his ulna - the bigger bone on the other side of your arm. Then he spent time sawing through the skin, muscle, veins, and sinew with the dulled knife until he was finally free. He then crawled through a narrow canyon, rappelled down a 60 foot cliff, and walked about 6 miles to find help. In the article he gives credit to prayer and God for helping him through the experience and giving him strength to do what he did.

This story is wild, but no more wild than the commands Jesus gave us in the scriptures I listed above. If this story made you wince or maybe even made your stomach turn a little, just realize that Jesus knew what effect such imagery has on us when He chose to use the exact same imagery when He talked about getting rid of the sin in our lives. Why would he choose such imagery? Because he is SERIOUS about the sin issue (for our own good, of course!).

Look at the boulder in the article as an image of sin. Sometimes sin weighs heavily on us and we feel trapped by it. I know I have had sins in my life that I didn't have any power over, I was trapped and helpless against its hold on me. But Jesus is telling us in these scriptures to "do whatever it takes," just like this hiker did whatever it took to live. Jesus never promised us it would be painless or easy, but He did promise us that 1. He'd be with us and help us, and 2. It'd be worth it! By being obedient to the Lord's leading in my life, He's helped me to get rid of those things that kept me trapped by sin. He is able to help us get out of those traps and, yes, He is soo worth it!

*NOTE: The scriptures are figurative! God was making a point and never intended for anyone to actually mutilate themselves. :~)

DOES GOD SING IN THE SHOWER?
Zephaniah 3:17 "For the LORD your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty savior. He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will exult over you by singing a happy song."

When we are living in right relationship with God we bring great gladness to the heart of the creator of the world! The Bible actually says He sings and rejoices over us! Have you ever held a baby and sang to it? Maybe you can remember your mom or dad singing over you. I have early memories of my mom rocking me in the big rocker and holding me close and singing over me. What a place of security and love! Now transfer that image to Daddy God. What a privilege we have to be the sons and daughters of the Most High King! Could there be a safer, more intimate, more privileged place than in his arms and under His song?

We'll only begin to hear this song as we spend time with Him. We have to crawl up in our Father's lap and let ourselves get quiet enough to hear the song sometimes. That is the nature of our relationship with God - the song goes on but we choose whether to either listen or busy ourselves with everything else.

Click the link at the bottom of this paragraph to listen to a song called "When The Night Is Falling" by Dennis Jernigan. It's about God singing over us and how we will listen. I've printed the words at the bottom of this email so you can sing along if you want or you can just listen. The song is only 3 1/2 minutes long. Just give God that 3 1/2 minutes and listen to Him.