The Underdog

He was out talented. He was the youngest player on the court by three years to his closest competitor at six playing against nine year olds, eleven year olds, one teenager and an adult. He was not as tall, not as fast, he could not jump as high, but that did not deter him from trying.
When we walked on the court he was determined to play with the big boys. He was chosen for a team and the fun began. The objective was simple; a pick up game of playground basketball with the winner being the first one to fifty counting every basket as one point. There was passion, competiveness, sweat, a little blood, and all out effort. It was a great afternoon of fun.
The underdog as I shall call him ran, jumped, played aggressive defense and gave it his all. Still the older and faster players often stole the ball while he was dribbling and intercepted his passes. He was at times snubbed by the older players who would not pass him the ball and not let him pass the ball on inbounds plays but, this did not discourage the underdog who continued to give his very best effort.
It was a tight game. The lead changed several times and the intensity seemed to grow with the exchange of every basket. The underdog kept calling for the ball and doing everything in his power to elude his older and much faster defender. It was around the mid-point of the game when it finally happened. The underdog drove past his man to the basket and heaved a shot that banked off the backboard and went through the rim. Everybody was excited (even the opposing team.) When all was said and done the underdog scored three buckets against much older kids and despite a weary body.
I have smiled about this as I watched that whole scene unfold. I was the adult and those other players were my boys and some of their friends. The underdog who was a friend of Turner’s who came to spend the night and who was not fearful to mix it up with the big boys. Even though our team lost the game by two points in the end, the underdog’s effort was inspiring.
I wish more Christians had the underdog’s attitude. Many people make excuses why they cannot be of more use to God. They are not educated enough, do not know the Bible well enough, are not talented enough, connected enough, not good with children or teenagers, not a leader, and the list could go on and on.
Most people feel like they are pretty ordinary. Few people in life are really extraordinary. There is only one Lebron James, one Tiger Woods, one Bill Gates, and one Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy. There was only one Jonathan Edwards, Charles Spurgeon, and D.L. Moody. You might be surprised how many pretty ordinary people have been used by God to do extraordinary things.
Jesus hand picked a bunch of ordinary guys to revolutionize the world in the disciples. If you consider yourself out matched, outwitted, out charmed, and out resourced by all the other people in the world you might just be the person God is looking for. You just might the underdog who makes a huge difference for God in this world.
“For consider your calling brethren that there was not many wise, not many noble, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong., and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.” [I Cor 1:26-29]
God is looking for underdogs, ordinary, average, obscure folks who live in the shadows to do great and extraordinary things for him. When God needed a mighty evangelist in the nineteenth century he chose an uneducated backwoods boy turned shoe salesman to shake two continents in D.L. Moody. When God needed an evangelist for the twentieth century he chose a farm boy from North Carolina to take up the torch known as Billy Graham. When God needed someone who would make wholesome movies which would point people to Jesus Christ he chosen a couple of Georgia brothers named Kendrick.
The Bible is laced with stories about how God chose and used underdogs to do extraordinary things for Him. It is not about your ability but rather your availability. There is some task in this world you were born to do. The odds might be stacked against you like they were for our six year underdog in our basketball game but that shouldn’t stop you. Press on and give God your all and then just see what happens. We all love it when the underdog wins and with God on your team, victory is not out the realm of possibility. Of course you have to have the courage to get in the game in the first place. Thank you for a six year old underdog who is teaching the rest of us a lesson we need to hear. Do not shy away from big challenges because is on your team.

Finishing Strong

It is the last week of school and I have been challenging my boys to finish strong for the past six weeks. Each of the oldest three set specific goals for themselves academically at the first of this year and finishing strong was required to achieve them. It has not been easy. Goals set back in early August have lost their luster in late May. Fun and frolicking in the sun are more luring than hitting the books each afternoon and evening. Finishing strong doesn’t always happen.
Ask any teacher. They can tell you that many students get “spring fever” and are not motivated to accomplish much during the last few weeks of school and this attitude gets even worse for graduating seniors. It is the same in the work force. When quitting time approaches people begin shutting down. The only problem with this is that quitting time may still be an hour or hour and a half away where production should continue and there are some who start coasting in their job performance until they can officially leave. Those close to retirement often are referred to as “short timers” because they are not motivated to work hard to the very end.
You can see this attitude in athletic competition or during physical exercise. People give less effort at the end because their lungs and other muscles begin to burn and well, as legendary football coach Vince Lombardi put it, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” Quitting before the end is the path of least resistance and requires minimal effort.
I don’t care if you are mowing the lawn, coaching a season, trying to endure a grueling work out, working at your job, or preparing for retirement we should always strive to finish strong. Our nation does need anymore quitters. Many have quit diets, educational pursuits, writing a book, reading a book, hoping to better themselves, or improving job performance. We must educate and inspire people to be finishers and not to merely stroll across the finish line. We need to hit the finish line of work, school, or life at full speed.
Jesus Christ set the bar high on finishing strong. With joy He endured the suffering of the cross. [Heb 12:2-3] He could have cashed it in and taken the path of least resistance. He did not! He finished so strong that death could not hold him down. He rose from the grave! We do not have a wimpy Savoir but rather a strong Warrior who knows a thing or two about finishing the race of life strong with resolve and excellence.
No more excuses. Quitting is a habit but so is finishing strong. You can train your body, mind, and emotions to finish strong. I do not know what you are being tempted to quit or at least to give less than a stellar performance. From the class room to the board room we must be a people who follow the example of Jesus and finish strong despite the odds. Finishing strong inspires. Crossing the finish line at full speed refusing to give into the pain and the temptation to quit is a wonderful thing to behold. I am challenging all of us to finish strong in every area of life. In fact, I am challenging you to finish strong in life. May the last day of your life you commit to finish the race in your spirit at full speed giving God the glory every step of the way. [Heb 12:1]

A Patriot Takes Time to Remember

As I sit down to write this Memorial Day weekend is approaching. For many that will mean nothing more than grilling out, an extended three day weekend, and a day out of school. For those members and former members of our armed services it means much much more. I thought I would take the time to remember those who fought, bled, been maimed, suffered mentally and emotionally, as well as those who gave their lives in defense of this country.
Down deep I am a patriot like so many others. I will be the first to admit that our country is not a perfect one but it is the one I love and the one I call home. I still love hearing the Star Spangled Banner before a ball game. I love seeing the “Stars and Stripes” flown on flag poles. I love good old American stuff made here in our own country. I love freedom and the symbol of that freedom in the bald eagle. I love parades and eating homemade ice cream with family and friends. I love play days at the school, community and drinking a glass of tea or lemonade with an old friend just to catch up. I love cafes where everybody knows your name and I love the freedom to worship God as I see fit and talk about my Savior Jesus Christ. I love blue jeans, the state of Texas (or should I say the “Sovereign country Texas?”) I love the 4th of July and celebrating with fireworks, food cooked on a grill along with family and friends. I love school plays, school teachers, coaches and administrators who work to educate, love, and support our children. I love the freedom to get in my car and drive to another town or state without asking permission. I love hugs from my wife and boys (like I just got from Tanner who walked into my office while I was writing this.)
I love education and access to books of all genres. Above every book in the world I love the Bible and truth of God’s revelation found there. I love the blessing and privilege I had to get to go to college and to receive an education. I love churches of all shapes, styles, and sizes. I love salt of the earth of people who work hard to produce goods and services for the rest of us. I love this country. I am an unashamed patriot!
What you and I enjoy in this country did not come easy. Pilgrims looking for religious freedom founded this nation under the sovereign rule and guidance of God. Yet, there were sacrifices made. Some died in the Colonies trying to make a go of it. Others died in the American Revolution. Some say as many as 50,000 died to gain freedom in this new country during the Revolutionary War. More soldiers died years later to liberate slaves during the Civil war against those who fought to oppose totaling 529,514 causalities in both the Union and the Confederate forces. Brothers were fighting against brothers. More blood was shed and lost during WWI and WWII. A staggering five million men lost their lives among the Allied Forces in World War One! 400,000 more died to fight tyranny in World War Two. Tens of thousands also were killed in Korea, Vietnam, and the Middle East.
I typed in the question on the internet, “How many U.S. soldiers have died in the War on Terror?” The answer came up on my computer screen, “Too many!!” I do not take the liberties and freedoms I have for granted in this country. God has protected us more often than we have known. Men and women have surrendered their lives to fight and defend my freedom. I am a patriot! I love and appreciate those who proudly sail our seas, fight on the front lines, fly over enemy nations all to defend this nation.
I am not ashamed to say that I cried after seeing the World War II movie, Saving Private Ryan. I cried because as I walked out of a theater in Houston, TX behind some older gentleman, we exited into a ground level parking garage where some punk rock skaters were loitering. I cried because I could not envision one of those young teens thanking those older men who fought so they could even have the freedom to paint their hair the colors of the rainbow and hang out in mall parking lots. I wept for a long while as Brenda and I drove the hour and a half back to our home in Hudson, TX. I vowed then that I would not take the service of our military personnel for granted. With freedom there is privilege and responsibility and one of those responsibilities for me is to not only remember but to honor those who fought to ensure that I could enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
I was flying out of Odessa, TX not long after 9-11 and there were armed soldiers all over that little airport. I walked up to one of them near the gate I was about to depart from and just told him I appreciated the job he was doing for our nation. He was just doing his job holding an assault rifle dressed in military fatigues. Being that former President George W. Bush had some connections in West Texas I did not take those soldiers presence for granted.
Recently my family was eating out in Decatur. I noticed an older man who was wearing a military cap signifying that he had fought in World War II. He was all alone eating in a booth. I could not take my eyes off of Him from across the room. As we were leaving I gathered my boys and walked up to the man’s table. I simply told him I appreciated what he did for our country. I had my boys thank him and shake his hand. He was a real hero. He seemed a little stunned. There have been millions of military men and women who have been heroes just like that man. They have been unselfish, willing to sacrifice their families, their futures, and their comforts all to defend this nation. Some walk with a limp, some have physical and emotional scars reminding them of battles, and others barely exist losing not only limbs but their dignity as well all so you and I could enjoy the freedoms in this country. Do we ever say thank you? Do we really honor their sacrifice?
I am not ashamed to be a patriot and I am not too proud or arrogant to say thank you to all those who fought to give me the life I now enjoy. We are still a blessed nation (not a perfect nation but a blessed one.) I would rather live in this country than any country on the face of this earth (unless God willed and called me to serve Him elsewhere.) It is time for patriots to stand up and look a veteran in the eye and say, “Thank you! I will not forget what you did nor take your sacrifice for granted.”

Childlike Faith

Recently I was at Fort Richardson with our youngest son Turner on an end of the year field trip. We laughed, hiked, and enjoyed the company of friends. He was filled with boundless energy running, climbing, and of course talking and talking.
As we toured the buildings Turner along with several other children began climbing on the ruins of what used to be the jail. There is little left now but broken down walls. As Turner climbed to the top of the walls I walked over to him at the highest point and asked him to jump into my arms. He immediately declined and the look on his face and his frozen body indicated that he was scared to death. I kept exhorting him to trust me. His heart was saying yes as he would shuffle closer to the edge of the six foot wall but his mind would then say no and he would lean back. This went on for several seconds.
He was in turmoil about what to do. He wanted to leap out into the arms of his father but all he could think about is what would happen if I missed and did not catch him. It was the classic battle of fear verses faith. You and I have both been there. We want to trust God, we want to leave our worries with Him and live a stress free life but then come trials and little tests that force us to trust or tumble into doubt and fear.
Child like faith is such an innocent and beautiful thing. Little children often do not know enough to give in to their fears. A child will walk right in front of a moving swing or a moving vehicle not even thinking about moving out of harms way and this can be dangerous. On the other hand a child can love with a perfect love and trust with a perfect trust. No matter how bad a day goes for those precious little ones when a loving father, mother, or grandparent whisk that child into their arms tears often dry, frowns turn upside down into smiles, and moist little eyes can shine once again with laughter and joy. Most children do not stress about things in life. There is trust that each day there will be food, shelter, clothing, and love. Tragically there are some who may learn early in life not to trust and what it means to go without but this is not the norm.
From time to time we all have to walk the edges of life. The ledge is narrow and there is trouble if we fall off. It is often while walking these narrow ledges that God comes along and says, “Jump! Trust me!” That is when we begin to back pedal and start thinking there must be another way out. Our fears too often conquer our faith.
Like it or not a great deal of life as a follower of God comes down to trusting and obeying. Here in lies a great deal of the problem. You will have a hard time trusting someone you do not know. If you have not come into a relationship with Jesus and cultivated closeness to Him through seeking to know Him better, trust may be a very hard thing for you. Trust will be even harder if your life is filled with experiences of people letting you down who were supposed to love you and be there for you. God is not like that. He is always faithful. [I Thess 5:24] Most of the things He calls us to obey require trust. A child like trust even though we face adult like issues. Regardless the words of scripture challenge us to have a child like faith,“for we walk by faith and not by sight.”[II Cor 5:7]
Our eyes can deceive us and often do. What we see tells us that God will not come through. If we really jump our eyes tell us He will not catch us and we can live our entire lives thinking God cannot really be trusted. I abhor this kind of thinking. It has paralyzed far too many churches and crippled the faith of too many people. Can God really be trusted? If we jump with the simple and pure faith of a child, will God be there and swoop us up in His Sovereign arms? Yes!
I do not know what ledge you are walking on. I am walking on a few myself. Looking down I see how I could fall on and be maimed or fail. I know the Lord is calling me to trust Him like a child. Here is the question. Do I jump? Do you jump? Faith is not really trust until we have leaped in obedience trusting God with the results. It is that very leaping that produces the fear but it is also that leaping that strengthens faith. The more I leap and the more often I experience Him catching me the more I will be able to trust Him with the future.
So, there was Turner on the ledge debating with himself whether he was going jump into my arms or not. Finally, after much deliberation, he moved toward the edge and leaped with all the spring his legs would give him catapulting himself into the air and into my arms. I was so proud of him! That is proud until the moment of truth. Of course this whole lesson on faith hinged on my catching him. While leaping he pulled his knees forward so that they would hit my chest first making it awkward to grasp him and to cling to him. It was not pretty but I caught him and we laughed and giggled. His eyes shone like brilliant rays of sunlight and I looked at him with admiration and pride as I clutched him tightly in my arms and hugged him.
O that I would learn from my son and determine to trust God and obey Him. The chorus to the old hymn “Trust and Obey” sums it up well. “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” Trust like a child and take the leap from your ledge. Your Heavenly Father will catch you.

Riding A Rough Road

Yesterday, Taylor (my oldest son) and I decided we would go on a bike ride. We buckled our helmets, donned our padded riding gloves and shorts, filled our water bottles, and got on the saddle of our bikes for a good workout. I was proud of Taylor for keeping up as he did on an inferior bike than the bike I was riding. The first five miles or so went very smoothly. As we coasted down a hill to a stop sign I looked over at Taylor and told him we had a choice to make. We could turn around and go back the way we came. We could turn to the right and go the semi-challenging way or we could turn to the left and go to the hardest challenge. Without hesitating he replied that he wanted the hardest challenge because it would make him better. The hardest challenge way is laid out with seven difficult hills, some of them very steep. We turned left and after a mile or so came to the first hill, Taylor breezed up the hill with ease as I labored to get my large frame pedaled to the top. We surmounted the hill only to discover trouble ahead. The pavement had been stripped off the road leaving a dirt gravel base. It was a very rough road. This was not a problem for Taylor. He was riding a mountain bike built for such terrain. I, on the other hand, was riding a racing bike with thinner high pressure tires which could easily be punctured by the rocks. I told Taylor he could go on without me and wait for me at the end of the road because I have slow my pace to a crawl to navigate the rough road without damaging my tires. It was a rough ride and I had to creep along seeking to dodge rocks and riding my brakes down the steep hills so I would not puncture my tires. It was frustrating. Everything in me wanted to pedal harder and faster as I watched Taylor pull ahead and slowly ride out of my sight. I felt every bump, every rock I incidentally rode over, and each hole I could not avoid. It was a dawdling pace I kept preserving my tires. I had to be painstakingly precise as to the route I took on the rough road. I looked for the smoothest grooves with the least amount of rocks and the most flat and worn surface. There are many times in life when we are forced to ride some rough roads. It was never our choice to have to do so but along this journey of life many have found the ride to be rough and long. Sometimes it is God Himself who leads us down the rough riding roads. We may not understand His reasons but regardless we find ourselves ducking and dodging obstacles and pot holes that slow our progress. As I sluggishly made my way I kept thinking about two things. I thought about Taylor being so far in front in me and how he was better equipped to deal with the adverse conditions. He rode so far ahead that I could no longer see him but I could envision him in my mind at the end of the rough ride waiting on me. That kept me pushing onward and forward. I knew that if I kept at it I would eventually make it to the end and Taylor would be there waiting for me. Many of us have loved ones who have already preceded us in death. They have already ridden the rough roads and crossed the finished line. They are waiting on the other side of the rough ride of this life and have been ushered into the smooth existence of eternity in Heaven. They too faced obstacles and challenges but they did not quit and finished the course set before them. [Heb 12:1] Their examples should inspire all of us to keep pedaling, to keep climbing the steep hills, and to endure the rough roads of life. Just as sure as there are rough roads there are also smooth ones as well. There are seasons in life when every step or every revolution of the pedal does not feel like a chore. In fact there are times in life when it can feel like we are coasting down hill on a smooth road. The second thing I thought about during that rough ride was that smoother roads were ahead. We can get so tunnel vision at times thinking that our whole life is going uphill on a rough road. We entertain thoughts that it will never get better even though all of us have known the path of lesser resistance and the wheels of our lives have spun on the smooth surfaces. Sure enough I finally made it to the end of the rough road and there was Taylor waiting on me. He mounted back up and fell in behind me as we turned left to ride on my favorite road in Paradise. It is a smooth road with a few hills but a road where you can really generate some speed. I turned to yell at Taylor informing him that we were going to pick up the pace and off we went back toward home. We reached high end speeds and sailed all the way back to the elementary school before splitting; Taylor to go home and me back to my office to park my bike and get the car. The rough roads in life serve to make us appreciate the smooth ones all the more. Let me leave you with a scripture to help you through life’s rough roads. Behold I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make roadways in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. [Is 40:19] Did you catch that? God makes roads in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. God smoothes the way of our lives even when it seems impossible. Many times in our lives He may lead us to ride the rough roads for a season but smooth roads await us if not in this life then for certainty in Heaven for all those who have trusted Christ as their Savior. So keep pedaling and keep persevering. Smooth roads are ahead.

The Power of One Voice

In our democratic society we often celebrate the voice of the people and we applaud when the masses stand together. We love unity and teamwork and celebrate the voices of the many more than we celebrate the power of one voice. The problem is that many people can join their voices with the masses to be politically correct and to fit in with the times even if both are wrong. The truth is that for many people it is easier to join the masses whether they believe the mantra or not. It is easier to say the right things and to get along than to be isolated and ostracized.
There are times when the one voice has proven true over and against the voice of the masses. At a time when the Roman Catholic Church had become corrupt and were deceiving people while fleecing their pockets Martin Luther stood up with one voice to oppose the church and the Pope. His was the powerful voice of the reformation.
Martin Luther King Jr. was the voice of the civil rights movement and is still remembered today as a champion for racial equality even though he was tragically gunned down decades ago. His voice still resonates in the hearts and minds of millions.
Mother Theresa was the voice of the poor, downtrodden, and suffering and her one voice has now turned into thousands of people who have fallen in her footsteps. These people serve and give their lives away to some of the lowest of the lowest.
William Wilberforce was the voice of abolishing slavery in England many many years ago. His critics sought to silence him for decades but he kept sounding the trumpet of racial equality and the end of slavery. In the end his voice triumphed.
William Wallace was the voice of freedom for Scotland against the tyranny of England. His voice inspired the masses to fight for and gain freedom for their families. In the end William Wallace was executed but his voice was not silenced.
We are increasingly becoming a nation where you are encouraged to speak your convictions only as long as they line up with what the rest of the mainstream think. Billy Graham has been the voice of God to evangelize sinners to salvation and point people to the narrow road of redemption through a relationship with Jesus Christ exclusively. Graham has never minced words about how a person can be saved. He has pointed people to the truth of the Bible and hope of forgiveness through Jesus.
Political pundits would have you and I believe that every opinion, all world religions, and all political policies are equal. They are not. Our society tolerates and even promotes freedom and diversity until you stand up for your convictions as a follower of Jesus Christ. If you are devoted Christian you are often branded as intolerant, judgmental, narrow minded, and a hate monger. This label is not attached to many Muslims who hate and kill the innocent. Society thinks it is okay to state what you believe as long as you believe what everyone else does. Stray from the political and social agenda of certain people and you will be bullied into submission or humiliation.
Isn’t that what recently happened with a certain beauty pageant contestant who refused to cave into the pressure to give a politically correct answer to a loaded question about homosexual marriage. Miss California simply spoke her convictions and the backlash has been unbelievable. She did not even win the pageant but her name is all over the internet and the media. I simply typed her name on an internet search engine and there were over 600,000 sites with her name in them. Many of them are bashing her for standing up for what she believed, and by the way what I, in!
The power of one voice is incredible but how many people cave into the peer pressure to not rock of the boat. What if nobody stood up with one, lone, solitary voice to defy the masses? If nobody ever did this on juries more innocent people would be wrongly incarcerated. Politicians would be silenced from reform and bought by the highest bidders to push lobbyist’s agendas. If nobody had the courage and backbone to speak up, what would happen in our public schools and if no school board member had the courage to vote their convictions and speak the truth what would ensue. If no parent has the guts to shout out that all the idolatry in children’s sports, dance, gymnastics, and cheerleading must come to an end as young boys and girls are burned out and face the never ending pressure to perform at high levels to satisfy insecure parents who are trying to relive their lives through their prodigy. Who has the one voice to shout out to the masses of Christians who have been sucked into this lifestyle that we are sending our children mixed messages when we tell them give their hearts and souls to ball and to give what they have left to serve Jesus Christ. Like the old saying goes Jesus is Lord of all or He is not Lord at all and for many families Jesus has taken a back seat to our children and their involvement in sports and dance etc. Who has the backbone to say anymore that you cannot sing the praises of God on Sunday and talk with the filth of a pagan using profanity and obscenities Monday through Saturday? This is blatant hypocrisy but who has the one voice to hold people accountable anymore. We cower behind the verse “judge not lest you be judged.” True we should take the log out of our own eye before taking the speck out of someone else’s eye. That does not mean we should condone blatant hypocrisy. Which states have the backbone to vote for traditional marriage between one man and one woman and withstand the tidal wave of peer pressure as other states cave in to homosexual marriage?
Voices are being silenced more and more. People give up and give in. Like the old adage goes if you cannot beat them join them. There are some things we are not supposed to join. This nation was founded on religious freedom but I have been increasingly offended that followers of Jesus Christ are often censored, held to a different standard and written off as antiquated for our modern times.
I thank God for the lone voice of Billy Graham’s daughter, Ann Graham Lotz, who told our nation after the 9-11 attacks that we could not have it both way. We cannot push God out of ever fabric of our society and then have the audacity to complain that He did not protect us when the terrorists attacked. She passionately proclaimed we cannot have it both ways.
There is power in one voice. Whether that voice is on a committee, a city council, a jury, in a family, in a community, in a school, on a mission field, in a pulpit, in a newspaper, or in some other place of influence, there is power in one voice. One voice committed to truth can accomplish a great deal. Being a lone voice will not always bring accolades from the crowds and on more than one occasion they have been silenced by a sniper’s bullet or by burning at the stake or having a head chopped off. In this day of pluralistic voices ranging from the bizarre to the fabrication of truth, who has the courage to stand up and be the power of one voice?

Sanctuary with God

The retreat had been long past needed. After a full summer of revivals, camps, and retreats, and pasturing a growing church, I was long over due for some time of spiritual and physical replenishing. As the summer ended I sighed looking at the fall calendar knowing I needed some time away to seek the Lord and to be refreshed. After three of the busiest months I can ever remember in my life, at times preaching and teaching five times a day, packing and unpacking suit cases, and endless message preparation I asked my wife for a personal prayer retreat. She knew I was emotionally, spiritually, and physically depleted and graciously took up the task or raising the boys for a few days without my presence and influence.
I packed my Bible, computer, prayer journal, and as many books as I could fit into my backpack and headed down 287 South toward Palestine, TX. Overlooking a beautiful private lake and surrounded by rolling hills and towering trees changing colors in the brisk autumn winds, is a small two bedroom rustic cabin I have made pilgrimage to for the past twelve years.
Upon arriving, I quickly unloaded my things from the truck and set up my computer and unpacked my books. My host graciously left me a four wheeler to get about the four hundred acre retreat out in the back. I quickly grabbed my journal, Bible, and a pen and was out the door headed for a scenic spot situated right above the lake and nestled up to a deer sanctuary.
It took less than fifteen minutes for me to get out of my truck, unpack, and be in my favorite secluded outdoor spot letting my soul exhale the pressures and demands of life in ministry and inhaling the fresh presence of God in the stillness and solitude of that sacred place.
In between prayers, I would take gazing looks all around me to bask in the glory of God displayed in brilliant colors in nature. In the distance I kept hearing the splashing of water as large mouth bass danced in the brisk fall winds in East Texas.
My focus gradually moved from the lake to the sloping hill to my right, where a herd of white tail deer were grazing. Several bucks paraded in this heard which caused me to think about the fact that deer season was only weeks away. Those bucks, holding nice racks of antlers, did not seem the least bit concerned that soon, their companions in other fields outside the game sanctuary, in the pine thickets would be running and hiding for their lives amidst the thunderous roars of four wheelers and gun shots.
Those deer I watched had nothing to fear, because the
It took me less than fifteen minutes for me to get out of my truck, unpack, and be in my chair letting my soul exhale the pressures and demands of life in ministry and inhaling the fresh presence of God in the stillness and solitude of that sacred place.
In between prayers, I would take gazing looks all around me to bask in the glory of God displayed in brilliant colors in nature. In the distance I kept hearing the splashing of water as large mouth bass danced in the brisk fall winds in East Texas.
Those deer I watched had nothing to fear, because they were in a game sanctuary on private property protected by high fences and locked gates. They have protection and refuge there. That was exactly what my soul needed. I needed sanctuary with God from the distractions and pressures of the world.
It takes a lot of effort and sacrifice to make those annual treks to find sanctuary with the Lord. I almost talked myself out of going several times. It is not easy to leave my wife, four little boys, and a caring congregation to go get away. I miss the precious people of First Baptist Church who love Brenda and I so much. I often miss mid-week worship during these times away. I do not get to sleep in my own bed and I am not home to cook breakfast for our four growing boys. I do not get to kiss Brenda in the morning or eat lunch with her as I do most days.
It is amazing how in less two hours my soul was able to connect with the living God and my mind was stilled, my pulse slowed, and my heart became tranquil as I sat in the presence and saturated myself in the Lord. My gaze turned upward first and then inward bringing new life and fresh revelations of His infinite glory.
I spent several amazing days in that little secluded sanctuary. I read several books, prayed for long uninterrupted times, began writing a new book, but the high light of the retreat was just meeting with God.
Each problem and challenged that loomed over me menacingly was forced to bow in humility before the Creator of this Universe. Every burden I carried for people and the problems they face I laid at the feet of Jesus. Pressures were lifted and peace was restored as I took time to worship privately and personally.
The phone did not ring, the television remained turned off, and I had no ability to even listen to music. It was quiet and the quiet was deafening. Pulling myself away to retreat is not easy. I like the thrill of the rat race. I like it when the calendar is full, the computer is humming, the messages are being prepared for and delivered, the sick are visited, plans are laid for the future, the pages of books are being turned, new sentences and paragraphs are crafted into new books being authored, and I hit the pillow exhausted at night.
I can tell when all those things begin taking a toll on me though. I can tell when my regular devotions are not refueling me completely because I am overextended. Retreating to my place of sanctuary with the Lord combats all that. The truth is that you and I do not have to wait to take a trip to find sanctuary with the Lord.
Each of us can schedule lunch with the Lord in a park or in an isolated corner of a café. We can take extended drives some evenings with the radio off just to enjoy God. My favorite times are in the mornings. I love to get up early, while the rest of my family slumbers peacefully, to meet with the Lord. To get up early I have to be disciplined to go to bed early and turn the television off.
I don’t know what pressures or anxieties you are carrying today. I have no way of knowing what is going on in the inside while you pretend everything is okay on the outside. I cannot tell if you are really connected and energized in your seeking and serving God or whether you are faking it and running on spiritual fumes. I am sure your calendar is filled for weeks on end. Finding sanctuary seems far fetched.
I urge you with all my heart to carve out an hour, half a day, or even one day and night away for the primary focus of being renewed, recharged, and revived in your walk with God. In Him, you will find; peace, hope, encouragement, strength, rest, and renewed focus and vision. Without the Lord our souls become like a battery that slowly drains eventually unable to function. A lady at church just last night could not start her car because the battery was dead. She needed to be jumped off to get her car cranked.
That is was a little retreat to find sanctuary with God does. It gives us time to be jump started and to recharge our souls. We may not notice the slow drain on our souls at first but sooner or later it will manifest itself, and we will not be able to function at full capacity.
I talked to my friend today who works on that ranch I so often retreat to. We began talking about the business of the spring and summer and about m our souls. We may not notice the slow drain on our souls at first but sooner or later it will manifest itself, and we will not be able to function at full capacity.
I talked to my friend today who works on that ranch I so often retreat to. We began talking about the business of the spring and summer and about my need to go and get away for awhile before school gets out. Though the calendar looks packed we ended our conversation saying we believe God will make a way for it to happen. I hope you will not just find time but carve out time over the dining room table, in a back bedroom, out in a pasture, or in your office to find sanctuary in God as well.

Nightmares

Yesterday afternoon after church our family was eating lunch at a restaurant. I was seated sandwiched in between Tucker and Turner. At one point during the meal Turner began telling me about a nightmare he had the night before. It had scared him so badly that he climbed down from the top bunk and asked Tucker if he could sleep with him in the bed underneath.
In detail he began telling me about the nightmare with tears streaming down his little rosy cheeks. He had dreamed that aliens came to planet earth and began killing everyone and that he and I were the only ones left. It was obvious the dream had been very disturbing. He was reliving it as he told me all about it. It seemed real enough to his five year old little brain. There was no reason for him to dream a nightmare like that. He had not watched any movies to plant such ideas in his mind.
I pulled him up under my left arm , hugged him real tight, and consoled him while wiping away his tears. I reassured him that I loved him and that I would be there to protect him and more importantly God would always be there to protect him.
In his little mind the dream was real. He had experienced it emotionally and seen it vividly in his little mind. No matter how hard I tried to reassure him that his nightmare was not real it was of little comfort to him in the beginning. His fear was clobbering his faith.
That so often happens to us as adults. Maybe we don’t have a nightmare at night but how often do we create nightmare scenarios in our minds and live as though those nightmares are present reality. Our minds have the ability to play funny little tricks on us. Our thoughts can lead us astray.
Have you ever allowed thoughts to take root in your mind about what other people are thinking about you? Maybe they treat you a little differently and you begin reliving conversations and how those conversations might have been interpreted for the other person. You convince yourself that you have done something wrong and that they are offended and mad at you only to find out days later you had fabricated the whole thing in your mind and the people never were mad to begin with.
Our nightmarish thoughts convince us that something unreal is true and then our mind is off to the races like horses running at the Kentucky Derby. The scriptures offer a solution to help when our frightening dreams and thoughts begin to overwhelm us. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. [II Cor 10:5]
There are times when we have to stop and take our thoughts captive and some times we have to destroy unhealthy thoughts that do not come from God. That means that we have to quit dwelling on our nightmares and let our minds camp on the reality of God and the truth of scriptures. God has promised to never leave us or forsake us [Joshua 1:5]. Every day our minds are fertile ground for thoughts and speculations that oppose the knowledge of God and His peace. These thoughts must be lassoed like a wild stallion and corralled under the sovereign rule and reign of God.
The more Turner dwelled on his nightmare the more upset he became until finally after much consolation and lovingly embracing and reassuring him he was comforted. After that he was a totally different kid. Laughing, joking, and talking incessantly. When every thought must be taken captive should you and I need to go sit in the lap of our Heavenly Father and allow His love, reassurance, and protection give us peace once again! Multitudes of thoughts and nightmares whirl around the caverns of our reflections causing us to lose hope and to live in continual fear and anxiety. God would have us bring those thoughts and nightmares to Him and He will reveal the truth of His situation while destroying them and taming them.
I was talking to a little girl and her mother the other day. The mother was telling me that the little girl does not understand why they pray at night thinking that God might be sleeping and therefore not listening. I told the little girl that God never sleeps because He never gets tired. [Is 40:28] That should be reassuring to us. God is always awake, always on guard, and always available. Night or day, rain or shine, come good or bad, He never sleeps, He always stands guard, and He is always available.
One of the things I always pray for my boys as they go to bed at night is for God to watch over their dreams and give them peaceful sleep. I know there is a real enemy who delights in seeing little boys and girls as well as grown adults wake up in raw terror because of some dream they have just had. I have every intention of sleeping peacefully tonight and knowing that boys and wife will also sleep peacefully because I will specifically ask the Lord to take all of our thoughts captive both when we are awake and when we sleep. Nightmares then will turn into grand dreams of triumphs and visions of victories.
If you are continually plagued with depressing or even frightening thoughts, I want to encourage you to concentrate on taking every thought captive. Soon our adversary will have no fertile ground to plant his seeds and our minds will be ripe with the fresh fruit of the knowledge of God.

Testify

Everybody has a story to tell. Nobody has a better one than God. His story is still unfolding in the hearts and lives of millions of believers all over the globe. These are people who at some point were convicted of their sin and convinced they needed a Savior. These are men, women, adolescents, and children who have been made new by the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ spilled out on the cross. God began His work with millions at the foot of the cross but the story did not stop there.
God right now even as I write this is at work in the lives of people all over the world. He is giving wisdom, listening to prayer, lifting oppressive burdens, offering counsel, providing guidance, healing broken hearts, releasing miraculous provision, offering forgiveness, delivering from the clutches of sin, and drawing people to a closer relationship with Himself. This is only a fraction of the things that He is doing.
God is at work all around us and what God wants people to do is to testify. Testifying simply means declaring something and making it known publicly. God wants His people to declare what He is doing for us and make it known in the public arena. He wants us to talk about His great works. In essence God wants us to brag on Him.
Why don’t we testify more in the public arena? Is it because God is not working in our lives? I seriously doubt that is the case. God is always working. We may not be joining Him in that work, we may not even be aware of the work that He is doing but God is active in the affairs of this world. Are we too timid to brag on God? This is hard to believe as well. We live in a society where people love to brag on themselves, their children, grand children, favorite sports teams, and celebrities. Our society even brags about morale blunders. We do not seem to be a society who is bashful about boasting. It is just that the boasting is directed toward the wrong things.
God wants us to boast about Him. God wants the world to know that He is not old and decrepit but He is strong and working mighty things in this world. Who is testifying? Where are the satisfied saints who want God to get the glory for what He has done and is doing? There is still a remnant. There are still some who brag on God. The question is; are you one of them?
When was the last time you made God’s work in your life known in the public arena. You will never know how your testimony might serve to encourage someone who needs to know that God is still at work. Testimonies inspire faith. Without faith miracles are hindered. Maybe that is the whole problem. Nobody testifies resulting in fewer people having strengthened faith. Weak faith does not move God. When God is not moving what do we have to testify about? This is a cycle that repeats itself.
I encourage you to go out and testify. The next time you encounter God brag on him in the public arena. Let people know that He is alive and at work not just in your situation but He is at work everywhere. God is the hope of this community and nation. It is time that the people of God testify.

No Sermon Needed

This past week I struggled to get a sermon together. It was not from lack of effort. We were celebrating the end of our 40 Days to Trust and Obey and had designated May 3, 2009 as our Celebration Sunday. We had challenged people to fast and pray for forty days asking God for personal things and for what He wanted each one to give to help FBC Paradise relocate. I read books, prayed, looked over several scriptures and no matter what I did I could not settle on a message. I had no clear message from the Lord even going into the morning worship service.
I had a peace that God would give me what I needed when it was needed. I had been there before with the Lord impressing a message on my mind and heart right before time to preach. We set aside a part of the service for people to testify about how God had been at work in their lives. The testimonies flowed one after the other. As people of all ages came forward to talk about the power of God experienced in their own lives it was moving and inspiring for the rest of us. Some made us laugh while others brought tears to our eyes. Most talked about God’s ability to answer prayer, a theme I have touched on repeatedly. God was speaking and moving like most Sundays only this time I was not the one preaching. In fact, it was soon apparent there was no sermon needed that morning. God preached His message through the lips of willing hearted people. I bowed out of the way and let God do His work through the lips of the people in the pews.
The last part of the service was set apart to collect a volunteer offering for our building campaign called “Touching Eternity.” We set large tubs on the edge of the stage and asked people to come forward to make their offerings to the Lord. The first ones to step out were some little boys who put sports trading cards in the tubs. There was a Michael Jordan basketball card, a Nolan Ryan baseball card, a David Robinson basketball card. One little boy put in a Hank Aaron baseball card and Vince Young rookie football card. I was moved to tears watching those little boys make their offering.
Dozens came forward putting in checks, wads of cash, gold rings, wedding bands, a diamond tennis bracelet, stocks, the title to a car, a hand written note donating a deer rifle, and before it was all over there was the gift of a lake lot. I wept as I watched husbands and wives walk forward together to make their offerings to the Lord. There was no high pressure. No sells gimmicks. There was simple prayer and joyful obedience. No sermon was needed.
When the final count was taken, there was $73,000 in cash given, stocks totaling $70,000, in addition to all the possessions that were donated. It was a joyous and jubilant time and a season when despite the failing economy, this church believed God and trusted Him. I sat in tears and silence as new Christians came forward to give to the Lord as well as whole families came forward to present their offerings on the altar of God. The money is not the point of this story.
The point is that God doesn’t need sermons to work in the hearts of people. He does use sermons but at least on this one Sunday God decided to preach a message none of us would forget and He spoke through mechanics, school teachers, retired professionals, business owners, home makers, married couple, widows, and college students. It was a powerful day.
God can use anyone. He can and does answer the prayers of ordinary people. He can speak through both the shy and bashful as well as the bold and daring. God loves to use ordinary people. He is not limited to working through the educated, the experienced, or through the most talented people. He can and does use ordinary people like you and me. “For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not so that He may nullify the things that are, and so that no man may boast before God. [I Cor 1:26-28]
God does not have to use preachers and sermons. He can use you with your talent. One lady used her talent to cook for the Lord and turned that talent into a precious gift and a generous offering to her God. Others used their imaginations, their skilled hands, their time, and their physical labor for the Lord. God has, He still does, and He will always use ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things.
You do not have to be rich, a dynamic leader, well connected, or even a native of Paradise for God to use you just as He uses the greatest preachers in the land. You can give a listening ear to someone who is lonely and brokenhearted. You can love the child who feels unloved and like nobody really cares. You help the person who is helpless but too prideful to ask for aid. You can serve the people of this community. You can offer a smile and a pat on the back to the person who sees life as a dark dungeon with no way of escape. God can accomplish much through ordinary people who are simply available to Him.
Sometimes in this life what is needed more than a sermon is a demonstration of God’s power through average, run of the mill common place people who are willing to obey God in loving, serving, giving, believing, and testifying. It was a regular Junior High football coach who first told me about Jesus Christ. It was a school principal who taught me Sunday School as a teenager. It was a cattle rancher who taught me about being a man and a different cattle rancher who taught me about being a friend, husband, and a father. No sermons were needed but God spoke through each of these people loud and clear.
Does God have a message He wants to preach through you? Are you willing to lend a helping hand? Actions speak louder than words and sometimes no sermons are needed.

40 Days - Day 40 (March 25-May 3)

Day Forty
“Speak to Your Mountain”


Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says is going to happen it will be granted to him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them and they will be granted to you.
Mark 11:22-24


In some ways this marks the end of an exciting pilgrimage, but in other ways it really signifies the beginning of a lifelong adventure of walking with God. I believe the Lord has preserved some of His best truth for us here at the end of this forty-day challenge.
We started this journey with a commitment to fast and to pray about some goals we have set. We have faced many mountains over these past forty days and will undoubtedly face many others in the future. For far too long the church has been intimidated by mountains; may this not be the case anymore. By faith may we believe and speak with courage, conviction, and confidence to our mountains.
Did you notice the call of Jesus for us to speak to our mountains? I am stopping from writing right now to speak to several mountains that are standing in the way of this church. The mountain of the price of our land and the lack of funds - I speak to in the name of Jesus to be removed. Today we celebrate the bountiful provision of God. I speak to the mountain of unbelief that has kept many living in lack for far too long. I speak to the mountain of hardened hearts, closed nations, and lack of funding for missionaries. I speak to the mountain of this book being kept from publication and distribution around the world for the glory of God.
Take some time today to look at your mountain and speak to it with the full assurance of what God has promised, expecting the mountain to be moved. Many victories have been won over the last forty days and today we celebrate by listening to the testimonies of God’s people. Please take time to gather with others and give glory to God through your testimony of what the Lord has done.
There are still are and will always be mountains that need to be moved. Let us not retreat from the challenge. Let us run to our mountain with more faith and with more determination and speak to it with hearts of conviction. I like what D.L. Moody once said about believing God. He commented, “When God is your partner, make your plans large!” Let us hear from the Lord as He sets His dreams in our hearts and let us believe God to be our partner in making those dreams come true.
It is hard to believe what the Lord has done in my own heart in the past week. You see, it was a week ago today that the Lord called me to write this book. I have written both day and night for the last seven days. That is not to say that I have not had breaks to rest, to eat, and to enjoy my family and friends. I have written in the wee hours of the morning as well as into the late evening. God has moved this mountain. I had a tight deadline to get this finished in time for FBC Paradise to have it as we embark on our 40 Days to Trust and Obey. There were a couple of occasions when I wondered if the mountain of finishing this book could be completed. I did not write one single sentence this past Sunday. I was too tired and distracted with other things. But God birthed this book in my heart. Like I have said before, I have felt compelled to write it. Today after seven days, the Lord has inspired and completed a book.
Often throughout this process people have asked me how it was going. Like no other book I have ever written, this book has flowed. I know people have prayed for me and God moved the mountains of fatigue, writer’s block, and distractions to accomplish His purposes. This book is His - He can do with it as He pleases. My simple prayer has been and will continue to be that God uses it for His glory here in Paradise, TX and beyond. It is all about Him. He is a mountain mover and when most would say it is impossible to write a book that has any substance in seven days, I believe that God, through this book, is proving them wrong.
My constant prayer over this assignment is that God would use it and work powerfully in the lives of people. As I complete this last day, I hope and am asking the Lord to allow me the great privilege of rejoicing with people in our church and around the world as I hear the testimonies of what the Lord has done in you, for you, and through you. If you have a testimony and want it shared on a broader scale to give God greater glory, please email them to me at pastorfbcparadise@embarqmail.com and we will publish them on our website and my blog. You can visit both of those at the addresses found on the back page.
After all of this time, we still have our old nemeses of doubt lurking in the shadows, seeking to undermine our faith. May our words, our minds, our full assurance in the promise of God, and our confidence that God will step in and save the day deal a death blow to this adversary. Satan will never give up opposing God and God’s promises to us, but neither will God cease advancing His purposes in this world. Now we have come to the end of this journey together but that does not mean that the adventure is over. Join with me in living your life to promote the glory of God and in inspiring people to keep trusting in the Lord so that He gets the glory. There is still much to be accomplished, there are many more mountains to be moved, and countless more impossible things to trust God for.
Father, thank You for these precious people who have walked closely with You these last forty days, who have heard from You and who by faith take You at Your word. I thank You for the miracles You have worked. I thank You for all the creative ways You have stepped in and intervened in the lives of Your people. I thank You for the burdens You have lifted, the peace You have given, the marriages You have restored, the lost You have claimed, the mountains You have moved, and most of the all the glory You have gathered in the process.
I plead with You to keep working in astounding and profound ways both in and through our lives to accomplish Your purposes. I ask You to take this little book and put Your blessing on it, give it Your favor, and use it to meet with Your people and to inspire people to trust You more. We rejoice in Your faithfulness and we delight that You are a promise-keeper, more than able to handle any situation that comes our way. I ask You to stir a deeper desire in us for You than for Your answers and that You entrust to us greater assignments in Your kingdom. You are faithful and have earned the right to be trusted by all of us. Therefore we believe that what we have prayed for we shall receive, humbly and gratefully, from Your hand. Give us endurance to trust You for the remainder of our lives in every situation, at all times, and with gutsy confidence in You and Your promises.


Steps to Trust and Obey:

Today is set apart to be a day of celebration with others who have gone through this challenge with you.
Take time to testify about how the Lord has worked in your life over the last forty days.
What specific things has the Lord spoken to you?
Has the Lord called you to obey Him in any specific ways? As you have obeyed the Lord in the faith, what have you experienced?
Will you live the remainder of your life to promote the glory of God?



Website: wwwparadisefbc.org
Blog: www.fbcparadise.blogspot.com

40 Days - Day 39 (March 25-May 3)

Day Thirty-Nine
“Fully Assured”


And being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.
Romans 4:21


We have spent the last few days looking at the life of an ordinary man who received an extraordinary promise and lived with the full assurance that God was able to bring it to pass. It would be easy for us to put all of our attention on Abraham, but all of the attention should be focused on God. God gave Abraham the promise to begin with. He singled Abraham out for a destiny by His own sovereign will. Abraham did not do anything to receive God’s promise. God sustained Abraham’s faith during the trials and tests. God reminded Abraham over and over again of His promise and renewed his hope day by day. God heard. God answered. God gets the glory.
I want to live my life with the full assurance that what God promises He is also able to deliver. What this verse means when it says that Abraham was “fully assured” is that Abraham fully believed that God would carry the promise of giving him a son to the end. Abraham knew that God would bless him with the desire of his heart in a little boy, even though he was old and his wife was old. But what was old age to Abraham when compared to the promise of God?
The word “promise” simply means the announcement that one is about to do or finish something. Remember, this was spoken to Abraham over two decades before it was fulfilled. In like manner, I know there are things God has announced to you that He is about to do or complete. Just because you and I may not see it right this moment does not lessen the fact that it will come to pass if God has so promised. What encouragement that brings me today!
Why? Because our God is able. He is able to deliver on His promises, unlike politicians who promise anything and everything to get elected and then start backpedaling the moment they are elected to office. If God has announced that He is going to do it, He is able and willing to do what He says, and He says what He means to do.
Knowing this, why do we entertain doubts that He is going to fail us? I challenge you today to search the scriptures. Search them methodically and carefully and please make note of any person in the Bible you can discover whom God failed or did not keep His promise to. If God was faithful in the past, then I challenge you to read history and discover a person or group of persons whom God let down and did not do what He said He would do. Among those living today, can you find one true believer who will say God broke His promise to me? He always does what He announces He is going to do.
If you can find such a person, that would invalidate the entire Word of God. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 says that God is faithful. He is trustworthy. He is dependable and reliable. If at any point in history God failed someone, it cannot be said that He is one hundred percent faithful and reliable.
I need to be reminded of this truth from time to time. I need to be reminded that God will always come through according to His will and in His time. Abraham waited around twenty-five years for his miracle, but Isaac came. Maybe you still find yourself waiting on God to do and complete the thing He has promised. He is able, but are we fully assured? That will make all the difference between waiting and hoping or living frantic and with anxiety.

Steps to Trust and Obey:

What is it that you are fully assured that God is going to do on your behalf?
What convinces you that God is able and that He is willing to do what you are asking?
What is it that God has promised by announcing what He is going to do for you?
What is the Lord speaking to you and what is your response to Him today?

40 Days - Day 38 (March 25-May 3)

Day Thirty-Eight
“Not Wavering in Unbelief”


Yet with respect to the promise of God he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith giving glory to God.
Romans 4:20


I hope that yesterday was an encouraging day as you locked on to some of God’s promises. They are invaluable in helping you to walk and to pray with faith. That is why regular sessions of digging into the word of God are so important. Over and over, we must dig into the truth of the Bible so that three things will happen.
First of all, as we dig into the scriptures and our souls are nourished from the savory life-sustaining truth of scripture, we will not waver back and forth in unbelief or faithlessness. When our minds have been saturated with the truth of God’s word, when our souls have begun to drift away from the course of belief, we begin to waver or stagger. In the Greek language that simply means to separate or to withdraw from. When you and I feel the first tugs in our souls to withdraw from seeking God and studying His law, then we are on a collision course with unbelief and beginning to waver. Look back over the last few weeks - the times when you have had the most faith were you continually in the word of God and clinging to His precious promises? When you have wavered in unbelief did you begin neglecting your Bible study time? If you are living a roller coaster ride in your walk with the Lord, up today and down tomorrow according to your feelings and your circumstances, God wants to offer you something better. He wants to give you a consistent and enduring faith, but this kind of faith must be nourished with prolonged times of prayer and walking through the word of God. There are no short cuts here. You cannot short-change the route of daily prayer and scripture reading if you want to have a consistent faith that endures with hope against hope.
Clinging to God’s word also causes us grow strong in faith. I think about the powerful examples of George Mueller and George Whitfield, and as I read about their lives I see that both of these men read the scriptures incessantly. Whitfield read the Bible while kneeling so he could pray over different passages as they spoke to him. Mueller read about Whitfield and adopted the same practice in the latter years of his life. Mueller reportedly read through the entire Bible one hundred times and then read through it again another one hundred times while kneeling. Is it any wonder these two men were used powerfully by God?
If you are committed to growing a strong faith you will not do it apart from devoting yourself to being immersed in the Bible. But you must do more than just read it, you must also believe it. When God gives you a word or a promise, you must trust that promise like your life depended on it. Many times I have written down the promises of God in my journal and reminded myself of them daily. In fact, when God gives me one on those promises I highlight it with a green marker after recording it in my journal and review those green highlighted sections often. This helps to grow and strengthen my faith. By continually reminding me of what God has assured me He wants to do, God empowers and enables me to believe Him for it. There is no way we can exaggerate the importance of the role God’s truth plays in making our faith mighty.
There is a third thing that takes place once we have seized God’s promise, grown consistent in our trust, and stronger in our belief. We are able to give Him glory through the answers to our prayers. I have referred to this point many times over this forty-day challenge. Today I would like to take a closer look at what it means to give God glory. The word “glory” means honor resulting from a good opinion. God wants this whole earth to look to Him, to recognize Him, and honor Him from the good opinions people have formed about Him. Nobody or no thing in this world deserves to be more honored and well thought of than God. If you and I were to have this opinion about ourselves, that would be sick. If we lived our every day wanting to be honored, well thought of, and for people to have a good opinion of us, there would be something really wrong in our psyches. If we tried to steer every conversation back on ourselves, to exalt, promote, and honor ourselves among people, they would become nauseated. So why is this self-promotion acceptable for God? Why does God make His glory such a big deal in general and more specifically, a big deal for our prayers? Because He deserves it.
God is the grandest reality in this universe. The best thing for this entire planet is God and God knows that all too well. God is not some insecure deity fighting for His place among all the other gods and idols in this world, He is so magnificent that in an expression of His love for people, He exalts, promotes, honors, and praises His name. He knows that as His fame spreads and His name is glorified, people will be drawn to Him and ultimately lost, sinful, hell-bound people will hear and eventually come to repentance and salvation. How? By the mouths of God’s people and by His creation. The mountains, oceans, streams, prairies, deserts, forests, and every place in between shout glory to God. God’s people praise and exalt God in response to answered prayer all the time. That is the ultimate end of prayer - God gets the glory. The one doing the praying does not get the glory. The answer to the prayer does not get the glory. God, who hears, who answers, and who does the impossible, gets the glory.


Steps to Trust and Obey:

What role is God’s glory playing in your prayers?
What role is God’s Word playing in your strengthening your faith?
Is God speaking to you today? If so, what is He saying and what is He calling you to do?
In what ways will you seek to glorify Him today?