A Terrible Horrifying Dream

I saw a vision in my mind of horrifying consequence,
God called America too account stripping all pretense,
His judgments were delivered in rapid fire succession,
For a prideful nation morally adrift with no concession,
One came in a big earth rattling west coast earthquake,
Devastating in power - a wake God don not forsake,
The ancient paths ignored God declared and dictated,
To a world gone mad in idolatry and who fornicated,
Another judgement came in the form of fire on prairies,
Killing livestock, scorching pastures, wiping out dairies,
Many acres burned firegobbled up the grassy ranches,
Where the flames spread widely in reckless dances,
I saw another judgment saddening and brokenhearted,
Where gunmen shot where worship had just started,
Many fled the stream of deadly bullets in congregations,
Followed by the grief of parishioners deep in lamentation,
I saw an attack on Wall Street - New York Stock Exchange,
Attacked by radicals mentally and spiritually deranged,
One more scene played out before my eyes and unfolded,
Where large sport stadiums were bombed and exploded,
What does it all mean - surely America will be protected,
Any foul plot to harm to be thwarted once it is detected,
Surely God would not let America suffer like before,
When trade towers fell and and proudly stood no more,
Wake up America, it's not too early for all to be repenting,
Maybe God will give mercy and from judgment be relenting.

Updated Preaching Schedule

My Upcoming Preaching Schedule

Dec 24th - Heritage Baptist Church - Weatherford, TX

Dec 27th - Heritage Baptist Church - Weatherford, TX

Dec 31st - Crossbridge Fellowship - Corpus Christi, TX

Jan 10-15 Fairfield Baptist Church Winter Camp - Carolina Creek Encampment

Feb 14 - Howard Payne University Chapel - Brownwood, TX

Feb 16-18 First Baptist Church - Disciple Now Weekend, Pleasanton, TX

June 18-22 Northside Middle School Beach Camp - Panama City, FL

The Jester

He got way too chummy with the world and the friends of the world. He lived far too close to the edge of sin. He compromised and blurred the lines between righteous living and doing what felt right to the flesh. He strayed. He turned a blind eye to sin. Only God knows how much of it he engaged in when no-one was looking.

He had good pedigree. A relative of his was a well known spiritual giant. He had been taught rightly. He often made decisions on what appealed to his senses more than what honored God. He chose to live in an immoral community. He put himself, his family, and his faith in danger.

One day he met a couple of eccentric men who came to down bearing a doom and gloom message. The kind of message nobody wants and to hear and even fewer are willing to receive and heed. The messengers warned of judgment coming. The compromiser was advised to get his family and move out of town immediately.

Lot went to the two young men pledged to marry his daughters to warn them. Their response is pitiful. Genesis 19:14 (ESV) 
¹⁴  So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, “Up! Get out of this place, for the LORD is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting. 

The word jesting means to play, mock, make sport. They did not take Lot seriously. Why would they. I am sure they saw nothing different than any other person in their wicked town of Sodom in Lot. Lot had turned a blind eye to sin for a long time. That is why when the messengers came to town he urged them not to sleep in the public square. He persuaded them to come to his house for the night. When word got out, every single man in town came to Lot's door to have homosexual relations wth the two messengers. If every male came that would include the two young men who were going to marry his daughter. 

Lot tried to reason with the townsmen. None listened. Lot even offered to throw his virgin daughters to this disgusting pack of lustful sodomites to appease their wicked lusts.  Lot probably could not see how far he had fallen. Compromise can do that. A little fudging here with crude language and jokes. Cutting a corner there in what you watch and view. A little sip here, a full can there, a glass to not the edge off. Desensitizing self to sin. Getting comfortable around sin. The lines blur. Holiness verses hypocrisy wages war in the soul. 

Then one day in earnest such people try to speak for God. The listeners who see and watch compromising convictions do not listen. They laugh it off and make fun of you for being a religious fanatic. 

Tragically, Lot's compromising ways cost two young men pledged to be his son in laws their lives when God poured out His wrath. 

The hypocrites take a great many souls to hell. It all appears jesting and another soul falls into eternal damnation. 

Some might say I am too zealous. Too hard. Too serious minded. Why don't I loosen up and have a good time. How can I loosen up when the souls of millions hang by a mere breath between heaven and hell. How can I write fluff when God keeps stirring me that very troubling times are just ahead. How can I pretend all is well when at any moment another terror attack could  take thousands of unsuspecting lives straight to hell because they are not in relationship with Jesus. They have never repented, been saved, and made righteous by His blood sacrifice.  I cannot just play it off to tickle the ears and get a larger following. NO! I don't want anybody thinking I am jesting. As George Whitfield, that fiery 17th century evangelist once said, "I do not want to be a velvet mouthed preacher." 

I am not jesting, mocking, playing or making sport. I am warning a whole nation. Very disturbing times and grievous events are ahead. I hope people will repent and get blood earnest about their relationship with Christ. I wish thousands would read this. Sadly I know barely a dozen will ever read this without God's miraculous intervention. May God raise sober minded believers and deliver His church from jesters. 

Too Hard

I looked at my problems and they look way too hard,
My faith tossed out through the window into the yard,
Each mammoth problem looming large clouding my view,
Impossible, impassable, even inconceivable even for You,
Conviction pierced deep within like an arrow in my soul,
Reminding me Sovereign Father You are still in control,
Your power is undeterred by my burdens and many cares,
If I stand on Your word and faithful promises declared,
Your strength is mighty, your wisdom beyond contemplation,
If I just stop to read Your word through methodical meditation,
Nothing is too hard, too large, too impossible for You to do,
Though in a tight spot I trust once again You'll pull me through.

Hard

Genesis 18:14 (ESV)
¹⁴  Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”


If you live long enough you will come across situations that are downright impossible. It probably appears too hard for God to handle too. God spoke these words in response to Sarah's doubt.

Is anything too hard for the LORD? The word hard means difficult. Let me give you just a few reminders.

1. God spoke the universe into existence. Genesis 1-2.
2. God destroyed the world by flood. Genesis 6.
3. God parted the Red Sea. Exodus 13-14.
4. God fed Israel mana and quail in the desert for decades. Numbers 1-14.
5. God parted the flooded Jordan River for Joshua and Israel. Joshua 2-5.
6. God made an iron axe head float. II Kings 6.
7. God healed the sick. Matthew 8. Mark 5. John 9. Acts 3.
8. God raised the dead. I Kings 17. Mark 5. John 11. John 20-21.

If God can do all of that then nothing is too hard for Him. That includes whatever concerns you. He can do whatever hard thing you need Him to do. Only it is not hard for Him. It just looks hard from your perspective. There is nothing hard for Him. He is not taxed. He does not get weary. His mind is never bent trying to solve complicated problems. Nothing is hard for Him. Even your situation. Be encouraged. God will come through at the appointed time.

No!

It doesn't take children long to learn the word no. I guess they hear it so often. Parents say no. Siblings say no. Grandparents say no. Uncles and aunts too. Teachers say no. Coaches say no. Principals say no. Police officers say no. Bank lenders and car lenders say no.

No. What does it mean? No means to express a negative response or to be in disagreement. What about when God says no emphatically. You pray about something and God responds negatively. He disagrees with your request.

Abraham was getting old. God promised he would be the father of a great nation. Sarah still had not given birth to any children. Sarah hatched up a plan for Abraham to marry a servant girl named Hagar. Hagar got pregnant and gave birth to a son named Ishmael. This created high drama between Sarah and Hagar. Abraham was caught in the middle.

On top of that God kept telling Abraham he would be the father of a great nation. Abraham wanted that to happen through Ismael. Here is how God responded. Genesis 17:18-19 (ESV) 
¹⁸  And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”
¹⁹  God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.

Abraham had what he thought was a good idea. It was not a God idea. God said no. It looked impossible for Sarah to ever get pregnant. Abraham was 86 when Ishmael was born and that would put Sarah at about 77. We learn that from [Genesis 17:16]. 13 more years were to pass before Sarah got pregnant at the appointed time. Despite both their old ages God worked and a miracle came through as He said He would.   

Maybe you are trying to figure some things out on your own. Maybe you have a plan and God told you no. You can pout. You can ignore the no and rebel. You can make things worse for yourself. Or you can trust that God's no only means He has a better yes planned. I choose the latter. 

Prophetic Vision

Genesis 15:1-21 (ESV)
¹  After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
²  But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
³  And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”
⁴  And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”
⁵  And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
⁶  And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
⁷  And he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
⁸  But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
⁹  He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
¹⁰  And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.
¹¹  And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
¹²  As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.
¹³  Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.
¹⁴  But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
¹⁵  As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.
¹⁶  And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
¹⁷  When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
¹⁸  On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
¹⁹  the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,
²⁰  the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
²¹  the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”

When I read this today I again noticed something in scripture I had never really noticed before. God prophesied to Abram in a vision. A prophetic vision. A very clear, detailed vision followed by a covenant. 

In that vision God showed Abram that the nation that would come from him, even though it did not exist yet except in the mind of God, would be servants in a foreign land for 400 years. God also revealed that He would judge that nation and Abram's descendants would return to the land God identified. We know from Bible history that happened when Israel was in bondage to Egypt for 400 years. God judged Pharaoh and Egypt with 10 horrible plagues and wiped out Pharaoh and his army at the Red Sea. 

That blows me away that God revealed the future to Abram centuries before it even happened. That whetted my appetite to sit before God and listen to Him more intently as I read scripture and wait on Him. I still believe He speaks through dreams and visions to this day. I am most interested in what God has on His mind and heart these days. I asked God to speak to me like He did to Abram. 

I have something Abram never had. I have my Bible. That is the primary place I look. I don't stop there. I make being still and listening to God a regular part of my prayers. Many times I sit still and receive nothing. Sometimes I receive burdens for people and specific ways to pray for them. Sometimes I am impressed to turn to a scripture like this morning to pray through. On rare occasions God gives me dreams. Vivid dreams. I usually record them. I don't always share them. I pray over them to make sure they are from Him. 

It is foolish for me to go out and to make my plans when God knows the future and His future may not be the same as my plans. It seems much more wise to wait on the Lord and let Him point the right direction for life and ministry. However God chooses to speak and reveal His will is okay to me. Like I already said, the primary place I look is in the word of God. 

I am thankful for my jaunt through Genesis 15. I hope and pray God shows me things like He did with Abram. The sad part of this story is Abram compromised along the way. He did not wait for the promised heir through Sarah. He took matters into His own hands. We have paid for it ever since. When God spoke Abram believed. He grew impatient along the way. 

Abram should have waited. He should have trusted God to do exactly what He revealed. In the end God did exactly what He said. He gave birth to the nation of Israel through Abram and Sarah. Israel served Egypt in bondage for four centuries. God did indeed deliver them and give them the promised land. When God gives prophetic revelation, if it is really from Him, we can trust all He reveals. 

Miracle Mechanic

We have been blessed with Brenda's suburban. We have driven it for the past 12 years. It has been paid off a long time. We have traveled to Missouri, Arkansas, and all over the state of Texas on family vacations and ministry assignments. That vehicle has taken teenagers to youth camp, men on mission trips, and even made three moves. It has faithfully carried our family for a long time. Our boys were little when we bought it on monthly installments. Now they are grown men. Each time we all travel together we are thankful for that suburban.

Over the years we have several mechanical repairs to keep the vehicle running right. Two weeks ago we had to put it in the shop again. Several parts needed to be replaced. We needed it to drive me to several preaching assignments over the past month.

On Saturday Brenda said it began making a really horrible noise. That frustrated me because we just got it out of the shop. Three months before that we got it out of the shop again after some major repairs. She and I drove it Sunday for the two churches that scheduled me to preach. I heard the awful noise but had no idea what it meant. We met some friends for lunch. The husband and I drove it but he could not identify the problem either. The horrible noise grew worse the more we drove it.

We made it to the church that night. My friend drove it and had the keys. He got a mechanic in the church to drive it before the service to see if he could identify the problem. I did not even know this took place right before the service began. I had other more pressing issues on my mind.

Five minutes before the service began my friend and the mechanic approached me. They had bad news. The u-joint was going out. I don't even know what a u-joint is how it functions. The mechanic went on to explain the suburban was not safe to drive. The problem was severe. The very least we could end up stranded. At worst the issue could cause a car crash.

Brenda and I were well over forty miles from home. That was not the news I wanted to hear right before I was to preach. To compound matters I did not know what I was supposed to preach. They suggested I leave the vehicle and borrow another car to get home that night while they took care of getting the suburban to a shop. I dismissed the whole thing and focused on the task at hand of bragging on God.

At the end of the service the mechanic approached me. He said, "I could not focus the whole service. All I kept thinking is that we should have worked on this while the service was going on." He made an offer I could not believe. He offered to repair it himself that night while we went to eat dinner. He thought the whole job would take him an hour and a half after he got the parts. With that he was off and running.

After dinner when we arrived back in the church parking lot we got word the mechanic had just finished and was on his way. Just like that the car was repaired. Another miracle. Another dramatic way God provided for my family. The mechanic identified anther major issue we are about to face but for the time being he got the car running safely. Neither he nor my friend let me pay for the parts or for the labor, which to be honest I probably could not have afforded. They said the church took care of it. Humbling. Gratitude and praise filled my heart.

I got up and said, "Praise God." I thanked the mechanic and my friend for serving my family on such a cold night. I quietly thanked God for once again preserving my family. I thanked Him for protecting Brenda and I on all our preaching travels over the past two months. The mechanic showed me the part. Completely worn out. I silently thanked God for His provision in a miracle mechanic and another fix on an old faithful car that has carried us nearly 300,000 miles. I thanked Him for His faithfulness to my family by putting in the heart of a mechanic to become a minister and an agent of His miraculous intervention on behalf of my family. All on a night I spent bragging on God. I did not know another miracle was in the making right before my eyes. We did not ask for help. God sent it anyway in the form of a miracle mechanic. Praise God's holy name.

Bragging On God

I got invited to preach to a loving church I love dearly. Brenda and I served this church when we were newlyweds. A lot of water has gone under the bridge in the last 25 years since we were with them. I have preached there on numerous occasions since then. The pastor, my dear brother Jase Waller, gave me an unusual assignment. He wanted to me to preach on prayer and to share from my personal life journey.

I love preaching and teaching on prayer. I also love to testify about the many ways God has worked in my family in answer to prayer. I studied for a message but right before the service I suddenly felt convicted the message I prepared was not the right one. I had no time to prepare for another one.

I sat on the front pew in that sanctuary all alone as the worship started. I did not sing. I prayed. I asked God what I was to share. I felt impressed to do something I have never done before. I felt God wanted me to give my testimony of how He taught me to pray over the years. He put a couple of scriptures in my heart to start.

For nearly an hour I testified of the many ways God taught me to pray. I interwove meaningful scriptures He used along the way. The longer I talked and testified the more excited I grew remembering story after story of God's faithfulness in my family. I told stories I had not thought of in years. The passion for prayer grew with each scripture and each testimony. In the end I felt I had barely scratched the surface. There was so much more in my heart to share but the mind can only absorb as much as the seat can endure.

I spent an entire message bragging on God. I told stories people found hard to believe. I might not believe them myself if I had not lived them. Several times Brenda interjected details I forgot. One scripture on top of another came as over the past three decades God has built and tested my faith. Through the trials and tests He continues to strengthen faith. I think I am facing more trials and tests at this time than at any other one time in my life. I believe God is setting the stage for greater miracles and more testifying and bragging on Him.

Looking back I see more than ever the journey Brenda and I are on is a great adventure. It has not always been easy. The trials are often severe. We have doubted many times along the way. Even when we did not have faith God still proved faithful. It has been exciting even if it has not been easy. Getting the chance to brag on Him like I did last night energized my faith. I am humbled God has chosen to work in my life in such dramatic ways. I am not worthy. I am not special. I am an ordinary man just like Elijah was an ordinary man. I serve an extraordinary God. I serve a God who has the power and desire to move in miraculous fashion. When He does I love to brag on Him. May I have a lifetime of bragging on Him in the future. Right up until my last breath.

Long after I am dead and  gone I hope people will keep reading these articles and keep reading about me bragging on God. I hope one day my messages will be recorded and people will listen and or watch and keep hearing me bragging on God. Even up in glory land I hope I get to sit around with others and brag on God in never ending worship. I exist to brag on God for all He has done and will do.

Peace Be Stil

After preaching for nearly an hour about faith and prayer I got to do one of my favorite things after the message. I got to talk to people and to listen to them. I had the chance to pray with one man then a hurting senior adult woman.

When I walked back to the front of the sanctuary to get my Bible a man approached me. He shook my hand and commented, "I needed that." We talked briefly and then his wife walked up. I asked them, "Is there anything I can pray with you about?"

The husband wasted no time in replying, "Our whole word is in chaos. Every part of our lives is in turmoil."

I said, "I'd like to pray for you right now." I then prayed the scripture when Jesus stood in the boat in the middle of the storm and spoke, "Peace be still." Mark 4:39 (ESV) 
³⁹  And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 

Then I prayed the peace of God that surpasses all understanding would cover them.  Philippians 4:7 (ESV)
⁷  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

My prayer did not last long. Probably not even thirty seconds. 

When I finished my message earlier I asked the people to sit before God and ask Him to speak and for them to listen. After my prayer that husband looked wide eyed at me and said, "You know what God just spoke to me after the message. Three words. You want to take a guess."

"Be be still," I replied. That was it. I told the man it appeared to me that God might be using a megaphone to make sure he got the message. 

That moment had to be orchestrated by God. How could I have known God has spoken the same three words I had just prayed for Him. I couldn't. Only God could have put those three words in my heart. Praise and glory to His name. What a blessing to get to be His vessel. 

Abiding And Asking

John 15:7 (ESV)
⁷  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.


One of the things I am doing more of in prayer these days is praying scripture. What more assurance can we have that we are praying correctly than if we are praying God's word and aligning our hearts and minds with those scriptures.

This morning i prayed John 15:7. Let's break it down. What does the word abide mean? It means to endure, remain, dwell, and continue. So what exactly are we to endure, remain, dwell, and continue in daily?  Two things. Abiding in Jesus. Abiding in His word.

Can you say you are currently abiding in Christ? Are you closer to Him now than ever before? Is your communion with Him both consistent and constant? Is He a part of your everyday? Not just compartmentalized to a devotion time and then forgotten? Is He your primary passion? Is He the delight of your heart? Do you long to remain hidden in Him? To continue relying on Him? To continue pursuing Him? To keep following where He leads? If you could answer "yes" to those questions then you are probably abiding in Him. Or to put it another way, your life is hidden in Him and it is Him living through you.

Are you abiding in God's word? Do you read it? Do you study it? Do you meditate on it? Do you memorize it? Does the scripture impact the way you live and relate to others? Do you believe your Bible is the divinely inspired word of God? Do you believe the promises contained in your Bible are true? Do you hunger for truth? Whether it be through your own personal reading and study and do you hunger for the meat of God's word to be preached and taught to you when in public worship? If you answered "yes" then most likely you are abiding in His word.

Two conditions followed by a great promise. Jesus tells us we can ask whatever we wish. What do you wish? Healing. Reconciliation. Salvation. Deliverance. Freedom. Provision. Direction. Comfort. Peace. Hope. Strength. Miracle. What pounds deep in your chest as you cry out to Jesus to help you? What weighs heavy on your heart? What impossible mountain do you see in front of you blocking your path?

If you can truthfully say you are abiding in Jesus and abiding in His word then go ahead and ask. This time ask more boldly and with greater faith. Why? How did Jesus end that verse. He said if we were abiding in Him and His word we could ask whatever we wished and it would be done. Done for you. Jesus made a promise. A huge promise that ought to encourage all of us to pray harder.

When I prayed this scripture this morning I could say to the best I know how I am abiding in Him. I am relying on Him. I desire Him. I long for those quiet moments when we can commune privately in our secret place. I hunger to know Him more than at any other time in my life.

I am in His word. I just recently finished reading through the whole Bible again. It is a habit. When I finished Revelation 22 I turned right back to Genesis 1 and started over. I have made praying scripture a much more bold emphasis. That is how I even came across this verse for today. I wanted to pray scripture. I wanted to pray the Bible. I don't know how to abide much more than that.

Then I took Jesus at His word. I only took my needs to Him. I did not bring a long list of selfish desires. Just legitimate needs. Big. Audacious. Bold. Impossible with men but possible with God. If you had heard those requests you would have been shocked. You would have shaken your head in doubt. No matter. I am standing on this Jesus promise.

One day very soon I will be able to show you the tangible proof of what I not only asked today but have been asking for months. I will not only be able to show it to you but you will be able to touch it tangibly. You will know God did it. You will glorify God with me. Both your faith and mine will be greatly encouraged. The answers to that prayer are readily available to Jesus. I am just waiting on the delivery date. God is always on time. More than the U.S. Postal Service. More than FedEX. More than UPS. Always right on time. Soon those answers will be delivered. When they are I will write all about it. Until then I stand feet and faith firmly planted on God's word. I am abiding and asking.

The American Illusion

America casts a great spell a gospel of illusion,
Where the real are only mere shadowy delusions,
A desperate rat race to attain more possessions,
A relentless chase of soul destroying obsession,
The quest for luxurious living jet set life styles,
Where disappointments masked in hidden smiles,
Duped numerous times by the Devil's many wiles,
Obtaining those empty things that never satisfies,
Faking contentment the American dream testifies,
May it all be counted as loss for the sake of Jesus,
Who knows all and is the One who really sees us,
May we commune with Him in His resurrection,
Until our countenance glows His glorious reflection.

Steadfastly Minded

Life is filled with set backs. Everybody goes through hardships. No-one is immune. When you look around you will see those either just coming out of something, in the middle of something, or just beginning a season of trials. It is part of the curse from the sin committed to Adam and Eve.

We do not always get to choose what trials we have to endure. What we do get to choose is the attitude with which we meet those trials. You could be weak mentally. On the other hand, you could choose to be steadfastly minded. To be strong mentally. To be determined to overcome and not give up.

I have seen this in my third son Tucker. For the third time in two years he had to undergo another surgery on his left knee. He missed all of his sophomore seasons of football, basketball, and track. He missed half of his junior football season and rarely played the last half. This year he was primed to enjoy his final season of football and the other sports. He missed several weeks of his senior season as well.

One catch in a football practice and he heard a pop in his left knee. The knee swelled. Doctor visit followed by MRI and waiting on the results. Diagnosis was inconclusive. The doctor told us he would not know for sure of the damage until We set the surgery date. He played his last game on a damaged knee.

December 15th at 11:30 a.m. Yesterday. Tucker felt like it was only a minor injury and he would be back before the end of basketball season, get to play tennis, and run track to finish his senior year. The surgery was scheduled to last two hours. Two and a half hours later Brenda and I got the news none of us wanted to hear. Tucker tore the same ACL he had repaired back in 2015. When he learned the news in the recovery room tears welled up in his eyes.

Those are painful moments then you as a parent and can't do anything to fix the pain or take away the bitter disappointment. The full weight of what he lost and the grueling rehabilitation ahead for the next six months hit him hard. We could only pray and love him through it.

The way he dealt with his previous surgeries amazed me. He did not pout. He remained positive. He did not sulk around in depression. He laughed. He enjoyed life with his friends. He did not become jealous. He even came home last week excited to tell me about a God moment he had earlier in the day.

He had surgery about 24 hours ago. He just left with his mother and brothers to go see a movie. He is getting up on his own and getting around with crutches. He is tough. Steadfastly minded. He has already turned the corner in his mind. He has laughed. He has made some jokes. He was determined to go to the movie today. Steadfastly minded.

There are others. Some women staying committed in loveless marriages where they are not appreciated. Tough people overcoming divorces they never planned for or saw coming. People who overcome the loss of a parent, spouse, child, or close friend. People who overcome financial set backs and losses. Steadfastly minded people who keep praying even though they have no results to show for  it.

I am thankful for the lessons I am learning from a steadfastly minded son. I am also thankful for the inspiration I received from a lady last weekend. Her trials are numerous. She was in a crowded room at a wedding reception. Though surrounded by people she looked alone. Her numerous health issues are common knowledge. Too numerous to list here. She had just recently undergone a major surgery to remove a tumor on her lungs. She told me about all the things she has endured in recent years when I sat down to check on her. In and out of hospitals. At death's door numerous times. She keeps fighting. She does not give up. I cannot imagine going through a fraction of the trials she has endured for so long. On top of all her own health issues her and husband have grieved the death of her daughter a few years ago. That painful sting sucked the life from both of them. Yet they press on for one another and their son. Steadfastly minded people.

In the end I thanked her for sharing her story. I told her she might not think God is using her but for everyone who sees her fighting and not giving up she inspires. She certainly inspired me. She is the personification of steadfastly minded. I live in a house of steadfastly minded children and a wife. There is so much I need to learn from them. So much I can learn from them. So much I need to learn from them. Lord, I ask you to teach me to be steadfastly minded with those around me and never give up.

Professional Fundraiser

I was surprised to learn there are organizations that professionally fundraise for different Christian ministries earlier this month. You would be surprised if I listed some of we well known persons who use the professional fundraising companies.

It feels like for most of my ministry I have needed to raise money for projects or just to live on. In my early days of No Compromise Ministries people gave me all sorts of advice. One person told me I needed to make a wish list of all the things I wanted for our ministries. Another told me to send out a newsletter and to communicate our needs in that newsletter. Another suggested we hold an annual fundraising banquet to solicit financial support.

We did all of those things. I never felt good about them. Especially the banquet. I always felt uncomfortable. I think the people who attended were also uncomfortable knowing they would be asked for money at the end.

I wrestled with this for a long time. I prayed through it. I wondered if a person could pray about financial needs and not communicate those needs to people but trust God to hear and to intervene. One day I prayed about this very thing in my office at Denman Avenue Baptist Church. I don't remember what need I had but I asked God if I could just ask Him for my needs or if I needed to drop hints to people to get them to help.

I know God uses people. I can never express enough thanks for all ones God has used in my life over the years. More times than I count people have told me along the way, "If you need anything call me and let me know." Many people stand ready to help if they just knew what the needs are.

That day in my office I really wanted to settle this issue in my life once and for all. I read about how George Mueller did not ask for help directly but trusted God for provision in housing and feeding the orphans he cared for. I wanted to know what God wanted for me personally, Could I communicate my needs to others or was I to take them to Him alone?

In the middle of that prayer my phone rang. On the other end was a family I met in Amarillo, TX at the airport. I flew in there because I was peaching at FBC in Dalhart, TX where they were members. They were returning from a vacation and were my ride from Amarillo to Dalhart, I never saw them again after that. Yet they were on the phone calling me. Here is what they said. "God laid it on our hearts to send you some money and we tracked you down to call and get your address." WOW!

God answered my prayer in dramatic fashion that day. Since then Brenda and I do not tell people what we personally need. I have asked for help in projects like the hospital in Honduras, adding a room on a house for a special needs boy in Seminole, and the Kermit revival.

When it comes to our personal needs Brenda and I take our needs to God. Whether we are living in abundance or facing financial lack we ask God to meet our needs. This is a deep seated conviction. People have no idea how we have lived over the years. Trusting Him for tanks of gas, groceries, houses, vehicles, and bills like car repairs. All they see is the clothes, the house we live in (by faith) and the cars we drive (by faith).

Now back to these fundraising companies. Did you know they do tings like include a certain color envelope because it is proven to generate the best response. They hand address envelopes in blue ink because it is proven to solicit the best response. They even have it down to what days of the month to send such fundraising letters to get the best response. Man made methods. Doing things like the world. I abhor this intentional manipulation.

God is bigger than all that. He knows our needs. He knows the specifics. He also knows your address and mine. He does not need us to manipulate and to prey on people's emotions to fleece them. We can trust Him. That is my conviction. He wants us to pray. He wants us to depend on Him alone not the methods of man.

Crouching At The Door

I have read through the Bible numerous times. It never fails. No matter how many times I read it I always see something different, fresh, new, and exciting each year. It happened again just a few days ago. A passage I have read dozens of times over. Then right there I saw it in black and white. Right there on the printed page. I don't know how I missed it before. Right there under my nose.

Let me set the scene. God talked to a man and warned him about sin. The moment was a grace moment. A tender moment when God reached out to save a man from making a terrible mistake. You can read for yourself what He said to Cain.

 Genesis 4:6-7 (ESV) 

⁶  The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?
⁷  If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”

Right there in black and white "sin is crouching at the door." It is crouching in hiding ready to pounce on an unsuspecting person.  In this case Cain. God, who knows everything, saw right into Cain's heart. He saw the anger. He saw the festering bitterness because his brother Abel gave a more acceptable offering to God. 

God also warned Cain to rule over sin because sin desired Him. I think God warned Cain that through the avenue of temptation and sin Satan wanted to destroy his life. When God warned Cain to rule over sin it means to govern it Be alert. Be on guard. Sin is crouching at the door. 

That happens to all of us too, Sin is crouching at the door. Satan is tempting, tripping, and taking people down. We need to be on guard. To be sober minded. To keep watch. Satan is always looking to  still, kill, and destroy. 

God Said

True believers do not dispute the power of God. I am not sure we truly understand the depth of that power. How can we fathom His omnipotence? It is beyond comprehension. 

Take for instance Genesis chapter one. Over and over we have the creation account with the phrase and "God said." With those words we see the creation of land, sea. animals, man, and woman. Mountains. Rivers. Valleys. Trees. Plants. Flowers.  Sun. Moon. Stars. All of it created from nothing but a spoken word and the imagination of God. 

A spoken word by God is more powerful than any other force in the universe. With spoken words Jesus healed various diseases with no effort at all. He did not have to conjure up something. He did not even have to lay hands on people. He could just speak the words of healing and His power manifested itself in the needy person. 

In all our lives He can speak anything. He can do anything. He can still heal. He can move mountains. Plant fresh vision in people's hearts. He can move people and nations to repentance. He can save the masses with spoken words. He can lift burdens, create peace, restore broken relationships, and revive things. With just a spoken word. 

That kind of power is mind boggling. The God who created the universe just by speaking it into existence is powerful enough to handle what concerns you today. You may be weary of asking and waiting. I encourage you not to lose heart. Give Him time. Not your time but His perfect time. You have no idea what He is capable of doing. Let's wait on Him and see what He speaks into existence next. 

The Pandemic Of Hypocrisy

My heart is sick with grief as I write this. Sick over the hypocrisy abounding in our land. The pretense of being a follower of Jesus but the reality of living like an enemy of the cross. It pains me deeply. Like a sucker punch to the gut. I have been in sort of a daze the past hour trying to cope with this grief. The sorrow is beginning to ebb to my tear ducts. Hypocrisy is pandemic in the church today. Of all denominations from Baptist to Catholic and everything in between.

Satan is slick. He is also a liar and deceiver. He promises something He can never give. Fulfillment and contentment. He can never deliver on these things because they only come through Jesus. No amount of sexcapades can ever give people what they are looking for. There might be passion and the short term gratification of such quests but it will never last. Sex was meant between a husband and a wife. No sexual encounter will satisfy. There will have to be more and more. I am thinking of a little line I heard years ago. "Sin will take you further than you ever wanted to go and cost you more than you ever wanted to pay."

How can people sit in worship and sings songs of the faith and talk vilely, crudely and profanely when they get outside. The fact that this kind of talk is flaunted out in the open from professing believers disturbs me deeply. Hypocrisy abounds while holiness seems nearly extinct.

There are scores of people living out that sad reality right now. One thought turned into an action. The action turned into sin. The sin turned into bondage. The bondage became hypocrisy. The hypocrisy took over as people think they actually live both lifestyles without being found out. O how Satan deceives.

That is the part that sickens me so deeply right now. People who live one foot in the church and one foot in the world and they think they are getting away with it. They convince themselves they are actually fooling everyone around them. IN ACTUALITY THEY ARE FOOLING NOBODY BUT THEMSELVES. People see right through them.

Hypocrites make a mockery of everything Jesus died for. Some of the hardest teachings Jesus ever gave was on the subject of hypocrisy. Matthew 23:1-13 (ESV) 
¹  Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,
²  “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat,
³  so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.
⁴  They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.
⁵  They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long,
⁶  and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues
⁷  and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.
⁸  But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.
⁹  And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
¹⁰  Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.
¹¹  The greatest among you shall be your servant.
¹²  Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
¹³  “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.
Matthew 23:15-36 (ESV)
¹⁵  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
¹⁶  “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’
¹⁷  You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred?
¹⁸  And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’
¹⁹  You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
²⁰  So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
²¹  And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it.
²²  And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.
²³  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.
²⁴  You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
²⁵  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
²⁶  You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
²⁷  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.
²⁸  So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
²⁹  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,
³⁰  saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
³¹  Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
³²  Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.
³³  You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?
³⁴  Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town,
³⁵  so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.
³⁶  Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Look at the names Jesus used. Hypocrites. Blind guides. Blind fools. Blind men. Serpents. Brood of vipers. Harsh words from a loving Savior and a RIGHTEOUS JUDGE. The word hypocrite means to act or to pretend under false pretenses. What is the point. If people want to live like a pagan throwing their souls after sin with reckless abandon then do so wholeheartedly knowing their will be a day of reckoning. Each will give an account before the judgement seat of Christ. How few consider this when embracing sin and shunning Jesus. 

If you are going to live for Jesus get all in. To hell with this pretending to love and follow Jesus knowing full well it is an act. Worship is an act. Attending a small group is an act. It is all a show God abhors and sees right through. Does it not disturb that a day of reckoning is coming. People you and I know living in blatant hypocrisy will stand before holy God and have to give an account. If we are the hypocrites the same truth applies to us. What a dreadful day. A horrifying day. A great and terrible day. 

Why do so few preachers preach on this? Why do so few Christians call out hypocritical brothers and sisters? Why don't lost people call out hypocrites for living a double life? Where is church discipline when people know the hypocrite as no desire to repent and they harm the witness of the rest of the church body? Are we content to duck our hands in the sand and pretend like we can't see and hear the hypocrites play acting and pretending. 

My stomach churns just thinking about this at nauseam. How do you speak the truth in love but not wimp out on speaking the truth? Nobody loved more than Jesus and yet Matthew 23 is one of the hardest hitting chapters in the whole Bible. 

I am not calling for a witch hunt. We had better see to the logs in our own eyes before we go looking for splinters in our brother's and sister's eyes. It is time to hold one another accountable. In light of eternity people need to repent immediately while they still have time. Put away sin. It is way past time for judgment to begin at the house of God.

The Gift Of Prayer

Twice yesterday in public settings I got into spiritual conversations with complete strangers. Twice I felt prompted to pray with people right on the spot in public. I asked if I could pray with them and both accepted and bowed their heads. The prayers were simple and short but heartfelt. Ministry happened through the gift of prayer.

We may not have the resources to help every person with every need around us. The one gift we can give anyone around us is the gift of prayer. Prayer transcends strangers creating a bond between God and the one you pray for. Prayer transcends time and space as you can pray for anyone at anytime anywhere around the world. Prayer is a gift.

Prayer offers hope. Prayer offers comfort. Prayer can provide peace. Prayer can give a person direction. Prayer can lift burdens. Prayer can convict of sin. Prayer can call prodigals back home. Prayer can do anything God can do because God is the object of prayer. God working through prayer can do anything.

So offer people the gift of prayer. To be more specific, look for those opportunities to pray with people in person. You can do it in a parking lot, in a store, at a restaurant, or over the phone. Sometimes I text prayers to people. Prayer is the gift that really makes a difference. Look for those opportunities. When God prompts you to pray for someone go for it.

Wait

I said, "God, hurry the hour is late,"
God replied, "You need to wait,"
I said, "This delay can't be my fate,
God replied, "You still need to wait,"
I yelled, "All this I vehemently hate,"
Once again God whispered, "Wait,"
Sullen I shouted, "Look at the date,"
'I'm buckling under this crushing weight,
A cumbersome far too heavy freight,
All this delay I most vehemently hate,"
God answered softly, "You must wait,
My love is displayed while you wait,
My purpose is fulfilled as you wait,
My wise plans unfold as you still wait,
My strength is available as you wait,
You'll mount like an eagle - just wait."

Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)
³¹  but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

If We Could Just See

O brothers and sisters. If we could just see. We see what goes on around our families, communities and country. Through news agencies we see things happening around the world. That is not what I am thinking about today.

If we could only see we would live differently. We would pray differently. We would pray more fervently and persistently. We would live more soberly. We would live more intentionally. We would reprioritize. We would serve God more passionately.

We don't see. We are blind. We are lulled to sleep by the seduction of our society and evil forces. Apathy seems normal when you look around at most church people. Families drift further and further apart. Children and teenagers are seductively enticed into fantasy worlds through gaming systems. They prefer that world than to real life.

Insecure people paint make believe lives through social media. A world where everything appears picture perfect. People putting their lives on display for others to watch, to envy, and to compare their own pathetic lives to.

We don't see. We look out at manicured lawns, fashionable clothing, and new automobiles but we do not see. Not really. We see a facade. We see the nice houses but we do not see the pain and war that happens in those houses behind closed doors.

We see dirty, homeless, and strung out people. But we don't really see. Behind everyone of those people is a story. A story of heartache. Sad tales of sordid sin. Tragic stories of men and women who lost their way and now feel like they do not belong.

If we could only see. If we could only see the truth. It would shock us out of our stupor.

If we could only see. The truth is many don't want to see. They prefer the facade. They don't want to see the truth. The gritty reality of lives wrecked and ruined. They don't want to know the fairy tale lives depicted on social media are often lies. Pretense proudly displayed for the watching public. Do people really want to see behind the pictures to marriages crumbling, divorces, and bitterness. Do we want to see the sibling rivalries and the parental favoritism in families but especially blended families.

If we could only see. You may think by now you have a grasp on what I am writing about. My guess is you are wrong.

I am talking about seeing in the spiritual realm. Seeing the daily hourly war taking place between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. I am talking about seeing the spiritual war between angelic and demonic forces night and day. I am writing about seeing beyond the physical realm and the illusion that this life is all there is. I am talking about the bloody battles intercessors are fighting day and night to hold back the forces of darkness from completely destroying our families and country.

In my mind I see demons and angels fighting for souls. Once God fearing men and women are enticed and led astray into bondage by demonic influence. The temptation to just take one drink, one puff, one view, one more one night fling, one more purchase, one more post, and one more flight of fantasy. Clank. The iron jaws of Satan's bondage and destruction falls on another one. Some of these are the people we love. Family members and friends. Colleagues and clients.

Demons stand invisible to the naked eye hissing and howling in glee when another saint chooses sin over the Savior. Demons gloat when another gospel witness and message is ignored and rejected. Demons seethe sowing discord among spouses and children. Demons hound the steps of the unsuspecting night and day tempting them array while keeping others in bondage and torment with no hope for freedom.

This is a dark reality. A grim outlook. A dangerous battleground for the souls of people. While this war rages in the invisible realm millions are content to never see it, never think about it, and never engage in it. What we have is a cowardly and defenseless army of God losing more ground everyday.

If we could just see the truth. If we could just the see the schemes of Satan. If we could just see the  war for our own families I am sure we would fight back. We would not just lay down and offer no resistance. We would fight in prayer. If we could just see we would do something. Alas, we are blind, apathetic, cold hearted, and weak in our faith.

God, please open our eyes to see the truth. Please wake us up from our spiritual slumber and indifference. Please help us not cower from the fight of faith. Please help us to see the war.

Ephesians 6:10-18 (ESV)
¹⁰  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
¹¹  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
¹²  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
¹³  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
¹⁴  Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
¹⁵  and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
¹⁶  In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
¹⁷  and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
¹⁸  praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,  

A Funeral

Funerals are never fun. They are sad. The remind us of our mortality. People weep at funerals. The swift stream of sorrow runs deep at funerals. Over the yeas I have attended a number of funerals. I have officiated many more.

I recently attended a very sad funeral. The man's death was tragic, painful, and slow. He did not die easily. It was sad because nobody attended this funeral. I thought the man had family and friends. He was jovial at times but he had his moments when he could be tough.

His death saddened me. I thought of all the memories. Some good. Some not so good. There was no slide slow to rewind his life. It was an odd funeral. There were no flowers. No mourners. At the end of the a very simple service I walked forward to view the man in the casket one last time.

No matter what the morticians do the cold lifeless body does not look natural. The color is not as vibrant. The body is cold. Death is so final. At times so abrupt. As I looked into the casket I was taken aback. What I saw left me aghast. For in that casket surrounded by cushions and soft linen casket lining I saw ME.

The death of Matt Edwards. It has been a long time coming. Long overdue. Maybe these verses will make things clear.

Colossians 3:5-9 (ESV)
⁵  Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
⁶  On account of these the wrath of God is coming.
⁷  In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.
⁸  But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
⁹  Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices

Galatians 2:20 (ESV)
²⁰  I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 

Galatians 6:14 (ESV)
¹⁴  But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Are You Suffering

Are you suffering? Before you answer that let me ask you a different question. What is suffering from God's point of view. Is a person being persecuted for his or her faith suffering? Is a person suffering who dropped and broke their cell phone? Is suffering a person battling a terminal illness? Is suffering not getting the Christmas bonus you hoped for? Is suffering living in a cramped house. Is suffering living on the streets with no place to stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter?

Is suffering not being able to get the latest video game system to play the latest version of Call of Duty? Is suffering being wounded and disabled in war defending freedom? Is suffering being irritated with a spouse over a petty quarrel? Is suffering getting served with divorce papers or making a trip to the funeral home to make arrangements for a dead spouse?

Is suffering driving vehicles with high mileage? Is suffering walking multiple miles up and down mountain dirt trails just to get to the closest market because you have no access to automotive transportation? Is suffering having a job where the work is hard and the wages are low? Is suffering being unemployed and not being able to find a job to provide for your family?

Is suffering going into your closet and not finding anything to wear because things are out of fashion or they don't fit anymore? Is suffering having only one suit of thread bare clothes to wear stinking and  soiled and worn shoes taped to hold them together?

Is suffering serving in some obscure ministry with less than desirable people? Is suffering risking your life and the lives of your family everyday to share the gospel?

What is suffering? From God's perspective how many are really suffering? Now, in comparison to what Jesus endured on the cross are we suffering?

Surviving Tumultuous Storms

Everywhere you look you can find someone trying to survive storms of life. They may come with varying intensity but some of them are nasty. If I could share just a few of the stories people have shared with me as they poured out their souls your heart would break.

People face storms of sorrow, storms of sin and the consequences of sin, storms of tragedy, storms of betrayal, storms of broken relationships, and much more. How do you survive when you have been slammed by the storms of life. You don't even want to get out of bed. You feel so numb that you go through the motions of living. You may even convince yourself nobody cares or understands including God.

How do you survive these seasons?

Colossians 2:6-7 (ESV)
⁶  Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,
⁷  rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

If you and I are rooted in Christ, grounded in Him and His truth, though the winds may blow we can survive. To be rooted in Christ means to be stable in Christ. The deeper we sink our roots into relationship with in Him the more stable we become. The more we are able to endure and keep standing because of roots are anchored in the timeless foundation of Christ. 

Jesus builds us up. He constructs our lives and faith for the stormy seasons like people living near the ocean build houses to survive hurricanes. He edifies us. We all need to be encouraged from time to time and I know of no better encourager than Jesus. The more He does this the deeper our roots dig into Him like fingers grabbing hold of a rescue line. 

I have walked with Jesus over thirty years now. I can look back with thankfulness on the number of times He has helped me to survive tumultuous storms. I see several storms brewing over my life as I write this. I am confident He will help me stand because my roots are sunk deep in Him.   

In Light Of Eternity

Colossians 3:1 (ESV)
¹  If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.


I am ashamed how much of my life and ministry  Ihave had the wrong focus. How many years did I waste seeking the things below instead of the things above. As a teenager all I could think about was football, girls, my Jeep, and getting a football scholarship. 

Even after I got saved Jesus definitely was near the top but I cannot say He was at the top. I was still enthralled with the things below. Like new clothes. Like the time when a friend got me into skateboarding my senior year. I spent a lot of money on that skateboard and quickly gave it up when I went to college. I worked out incessantly to get stronger and bigger. I loved and still love food. I lived to eat instead of ate to live. I wanted to spend time with my girlfriend. 

As a college student I began looking for my rib. If you don't catch my drift I meant for my wife. I dated one girl for five years during high school and into my freshman year in college. We were in love. I thought I would marry her. She was two years younger and went to a different college. We eventually parted company. 

When I met Brenda Ortiz I knew she was the one. It was not smooth sailing in the beginning. God has many rough edges to knock off me. All I could think about was spending the rest of my life with that brown haired and brown eyed beauty. Even now as I write this I can't wait to see her again later today. She is my soul mate. She is my best friend. My most trusted counselor. We have been married 26 years now. 

Then I became obsessed with having a growing dynamic ministry. I worked hard to increase attendance and to share the gospel to see people get saved and baptized. I wanted the fastest growing and the largest ministry. Numbers mattered. My Monday morning emotions would rise and fall based on the previous days attendance. Thank God He delivered me from that. 

After kids I wanted a house and from time to time different vehicles. I wanted to serve in prestigious places and have a comfortable salary. Over the years I got into all sorts of habits. I bought bicycles, books, golf clubs, softball equipment, racquetball equipment, basketball, workout equipment, and even a fishing stint with rod and reels and tackle boxes. 

Now in hindsight I see how much of that crumbles in the light of eternity. What does seeking the things above mean? I wrestled with that in prayer this morning. While my conclusions are not exhaustive I found them to be a good starting point. I narrowed it down to five things. 

1.  Seek to know God the Father. I cannot be content to know about Him. To worship Him from afar. I desire to get close to Him. I want to learn about His character, the ways He moves on planet Earth and His purposes. I want to increasingly grow familiar with His voice. I want to trust in His Sovereignty and rest in His faithfulness. I could spend all eternity seeking Him and not fully know God the Father. The more I pursue Him the less attraction this world has on me. 
2. Seek Jesus the Son. At the end of the Gospel of John, John wrote that if all the miracles and works of Jesus had been recorded there were not enough books in the whole world to record all of them. That is a profound statement. So what we have in the gospel books are only partial accounts of His earthly life, ministry, miracles, and teachings. I find what we do have incomprehensible to take it all in. To give myself to he earnest pursuit of Jesus is part of seeking the things above.
3. Seek the Holy Spirit. Do you earnestly desire to know and understand the Holy Spirit? He is indispensable to our lives as followers of Jesus. He reveals truth. He convicts the lost of sin and righteousness. He comforts the brokenhearted. He empowers us to live and serve Jesus. He intercedes. He speaks the mind and heart of God. He guides our steps. How often is He forgotten and neglected. 
4. Seek God's Truth Through Scripture. I spent my prayer time this morning praying through certain Bible passages. My prayer time came alive. One verse would ignite passionate prayer in one direction and then a different verse would send me off in a whole new direction. His word is a goldmine. So much truth. So little time to study it, memorize it, meditate on it, preach it, teach it, pray it, and write about it. Every day I could get lost in the pursuit of truth. 
5. Seek Heaven. In light of eternity in Heaven so many things just do not matter. It does not matter how many shoes you have, how many clothes hang in your closet, the kind of car you drive, the house you live in, your job title, your kid's accomplishments, what others think of you in comparison to what God thinks of you. When I am seeking Heaven the trials and sorrows of this world are manageable. No matter how painful or difficult they are all temporary for a child of God. 

In light of these eternal things so much of life down here does not matter. It does not matter if my favorite sport teams win or lose. It does not matter if I have plenty or little. It does not matter if my ministry is done in obscurity or if God puts me on bigger stages. It does not matter how much money I make, where I live, what I drive, or what clothes I wear. 

I was convicted today of the many books I have bought over the years and never read. For years this did not stop me. I still bought more books. Even though I read a lot I never read all of them but I kept buying more and more. Something I have stopped doing. I have thought of all the hours I have wasted over the years flipping television stations instead of reading scripture or writing another blog. I've thought of all the hours spent sleeping when so many souls still hang in the balance between Heaven and Hell. I think of all the sermons I preached or taught with little anointing because I did not linger in the Lord's presence until He first preached those messages to me. I think of all the money I wasted on things I grew bored with like golf clubs. I have not played a round of golf in over nine years. Further more I don't care to and I LIVE ON A GOLF COURSE. It holds no attraction for me. The times our family goes to movies over the past several years I'm usually bored to tears and hate being there. I prefer to stay behind and read. That contents and entertains my soul more than the latest blockbuster. 

Living in light of eternity changes everything. The way you live. Your priorities. How you spend your time and money. When I look back I see my failures. When I look forward I see a renewed focus and resolve to seek the things above. Living in light of eternity matters. 

Partners

We don't get through life without the benefit and blessings or other people in our lives. God puts partners in our lives who love us, invest in us, encourage us, believe in us, and support us along the way. They share wisdom, life experiences, discipleship, and they may even financially help to make our dreams come true.

This morning I came across a passage I've never noticed before. O, I've read it numerous times in the past. Something was different this time. The passage seemed illuminated in my mind and heart. The truth seemed meant for me. It felt like God wrote me a personal note to encourage me this morning.

Philippians 4:14-20 (ESV)
¹⁴  Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble.
¹⁵  And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only.
¹⁶  Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again.
¹⁷  Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.
¹⁸  I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.
¹⁹  And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
²⁰  To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

I've always seen Paul as a fiercely determined, independent, and courageous soul. Fearless in the face of danger. Faithful in the face of hardship. Rock solid in the face of suffering. 

What surprised me from this passage is how Paul needed partners in his ministry. He said the Philippians "shared in his trouble." He went on to elaborate that they "partnered with him in giving". He goes on to say they "sent help for my needs once and again." He also reports he "received full payment, I am well supplied."

Paul needed people to come along side him. He needed partners. God used people to help him in his ministry. Suddenly I felt a connection with Paul I've never had before. Over the past two and a half decades I have also had many financial partners. God has used them to help me along the way.

Many times these gifts came in amounts of $25, $50, and $100. I cannot even recount all the wonderful people God has used to support Brenda and I in our ministry pursuits through No Compromise Ministries. Dozens and dozens of people who sent their gifts. Selfless people willing to sacrifice. Kingdom minded people.

I recently made a preaching trip to east Texas. Funds were extremely tight. I did not know how I would make the whole trip in gas and meals. God used some partners. My host for the night offered to drive the four hour round trip from his home to the church I preached in that night. What a blessing. He also bought my lunch that day. His gifts were a real blessing.

Later that night after preaching I met with a lady and her young son I used to serve as pastor years ago. Before she left she handed me some cash. She said God told me to do this. Her gift enabled me to make the trip back home without using a credit card. God used partners to help me.

Many years ago I recall a lawyer coming to my office once and handed me a check for $10,000. On another occasion a farmer gave me a $10,000 for a project. Once someone blessed me with $15,000. I think of a faithful couple who send us money every month to help and on many occasions have sent gift cards to the boys at Christmas. A single lady recently began sending us a monthly gift to help us in our walk of faith.

When in college a ranching couple gave me a car. Several years later a doctor gave me a Jeep Grand Cherokee. The truck I now drive I have because God used three people to bless us with the money for it. God continues to use generous, gracious, and people willing to sacrifice to help my family and our desire to follow Him.

There are so many partners God has used. Each sermon, each book I've written, each blog, each mission trip, each revival, youth camp, youth retreat, or rally has all been possible because God has used multitudes of people to help us along the way. For that I thank God for all the people He has used along the way. Praise His holy name and to Him be all the glory.

The Prayer Ministry Connection

Some weeks ago while praying I became burdened for a lady I baptized many years ago. We lost touch when I moved from the church she attended. The burden was so intense I knew I had to try to make contact with her. I called the church she attended and to find her number. I called and called to no avail. I could never get an answer. I tried on several different occasions but with the same result. Turned out it was not even working number any longer. The line would just ring.

Today, out of the blue, that lady contacted me telling me she needed my help. We talked as she unloaded her sorrows. After listening to her I understood more fully why God had burdened my heart for this sister so heavily.

What amazes me is how the Holy Spirit burdened my heart for this lady several weeks ago and then moved her to contact me this morning. It was a privilege to listen to this sister in the Lord and to pray with her over the phone.

On another day recently when praying I received another burden for someone. This time the burden was more specific. I texted this person the next morning to see if the burden I had was correct. It was indeed. The next day I again had a burden for this person but even more specific than the first burden. I texted this person to see if I was correct in my assessment of the problem. The reply was I was spot on.

I was not spot on owing to my ability. The Holy Spirit knew the situation and impressed on me how to pray. I think He desires to do this for all followers of Jesus if we will slow down long enough to be sensitive to His promptings. Think of the endless possibilities if we could discern His leadings while we pray. He could reveal troubles, sorrows, waywardness, specific scriptures, and ways to minister to people.

It is my conviction that the Holy Spirit is the forgotten part of the Trinity. We love the Father and Jesus. Many have little use for the Holy Spirit. Our Pentecostal brothers and sisters embrace the Holy Spirit far more than other denominations.

If you and I prayed in step with the Holy Spirit and walked in step with the Holy Spirit how many people could receive effective ministry through prayer and face to face. We cannot afford to grieve and quench the Holy Spirit. Baptist churches put very little emphasis on the Holy Spirit. He is the one who connects the needs of people with those who are to minister. That is why years ago I created my own denomination. I call myself a Baptecostal. I recognized years ago we need the Holy Spirit to help us in ministry. He empowers. He comforts. He reveals truth He convicts. This past week He made connections between my prayers and hurting people. No college or seminary classroom can teach you that.

Holy Spirit we welcome you. We need you. We ask you to connect our prayers with the hearts of those who need your touch the most. Show us the ones you are convicting and preparing to respond to the gospel Show us the brokenhearted. Show us the discouraged. Show us the hopeless. Show us the ones who are lonely. Please reveal to us the ones who are weary. Please help us make the connections. Then I ask you to empower us to minister to their needs. In Jesus' name, amen.

What Would You Do?

What would you do if God showed up and revealed something He was about to do? Let me be even more specific. What would you if God showed you how He was about to punish a group of people living in sin?

This is the very spot Abraham found himself in the Genesis 18 story. God even said, "Shall I hide what I am about to do?" God chooses to reveal how the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah had grieved Him. Great sins. Grave sins. God was about to send angels into the cities to see for themselves.

Abraham had a nephew living in that area. Abraham began to intercede. He asked if God would destroy the righteous with the wicked and asked if God would spare the cities if there were 50 righteous. He pressed on getting all the way down to pleading with God to spare the city if there were only 10 righteous. In the end there were not even 10 righteous people in those cities and God destroyed them.

God had mercy and allowed Lot and his family to get out before His wrath fell on Sodom Gomorrah. Lot's wife did not resist the temptation to look behind her to see the destruction on their escape. She died as a result.

If God came and revealed something like He did to Abraham how would you respond? Would you ignore it. Would you dismiss the whole thing. Would you write it down and tell someone else. Would you second guess yourself hearing correctly. Abraham interceded. His fervent prayers saved Lot's life. How many of us would intercede. How many of us would take the warning of God seriously and pray earnestly for mercy.

The United States is walking on thin ice. I don't see any sins Sodom and Gomorrah practiced that people in the United States do not practice as well. In addition we suffer from the sin of prayerlessness.

I had a pastor call me today and ask me how he could lead his church to become a praying church. I told him I didn't know. I am no expert on prayer. Far from it. I know a little more today than I knew when I first became a pastor. I am not sure you can lead or teach people to pray. In order to really learn how to pray and intercede you have to PRAY and INTERCEDE. Prayer is better caught than taught. It is better practiced than preached. It is better lived out in real life than learned in a classroom.

That is what America needs. Millions making intercession. Maybe God will relent from doing this nation harm and leave a blessing instead. We certainly do not deserve His blessing. We deserve His wrath as a nation. May more of us follow Abraham's example and pray fervently. Otherwise I am convinced some very difficult times are coming for the land of the free and the home of the brave.

God Please Have Mercy

O God please have mercy on this wicked nation,
A flawed vessel marred in Your hands of creation,
How long will Your judgment day delay and relent,
When America refuses to listen or to come repent,
How we have grieved You with our transgression,
When multitudes sit in pews but refuse confession,
How often have we sinned and brought You offense,
We have no excuses - no justification - no defense,
We have turned our backs on You in stubborn defiance,
Our sins we cherish - we enjoy and on You no reliance,
How long before Your burning anger is fully released,
When America no longer exists but becomes deceased,
Before that day I cry out in grief and brokenhearted,
Please send another Great Awakening You once started,
We have no other hope but for Your grace and mercy,
Please start as You convict and thoroughly search me.

My Meager Offering

While people prepare for family and Christmas a much more sobering thought keeps coming to mind. How long before God judges America. Like a ticking time bomb America marches defiantly toward her own demise seemingly unaware. To a nation like ours where God has given so much will He not expect much in return.

We have access to God's word. Multiple translations. Audio Bibles, electronic Bibles, and Bible colleges. We have churches of all shapes and sizes. Country churches. City churches. Traditional churches. Contemporary churches. Cowboy churches. Liturgical churches. Informal churches. Spirit led churches.

Sodom and Gomorrah had no Bible. I'm pretty sure they did not have any churches either but, God did not spare those cities from their rebellious and wicked ways. What will He do with America. To be sure there is a remnant of faithful followers sprinkled throughout the land. There are still intercessors in this nation. You may never know who they are because their ministry takes place in private behind shut doors. Is all of that enough to stay God's hands.

Every time another sex scandal rocks the church, congress, and Hollywood is God angered? Each time another homosexual couple exchange wedding vows before some spineless pastor officiating how does God feel? Each time a child is abused what does God think. Each time a pastor steps behind the pulpit to offer another speech with no scriptural emphasis or exposition how God must grieve. Each time another child is aborted because a woman thinks she has the right to choose life or death how abhorred God must be. Each time the educated profess to be wise they only make themselves fools and God is not honored.

At some point I wonder if God will get angry with America even though He is slow to anger. Is there a tipping point when God finally says enough. Will there be a judgment on this nation who boasts, "In God we trust," on our currency but shun His word and laws in our colleges and congress.

While others celebrate the season I have this deep dread that keeps me awake at night and drives me to the prayer closet. Who am I to warn people. I have no great platform. I am a small time pastor and revivalists. I do not have influence over the masses. Yet I feel I would have blood on my hands if I did not blow the horn of warning for the church of God.

In light of eternity I have heavier things on my mind these days than entertainment and holidays. I have the future of this nation at heart. There are many more anointed, gifted, influential, and effective ministers. Yet I cannot hold my tongue.

On most days barely two dozen people ever read these posts. I still have to share this burden. I trust God will take my meager offering of loaves and fish in this writing and multiply it for His good purposes. Wake up America. Wake up church. Wake up pastor. Wake up follower of Jesus. Wake up hypocrites. We are one day closer to judgment than before.

Says

Faith says, "Go,"
Fear says, "No,"
Faith says, "Walk,"
Fear says, "Balk,"
Faith says, "Bold,"
Fear says, "Fold,"
Faith says, "Trust,"
Fear says, "Bust,"
Faith says, "Now,"
Fear says, "How,"
Faith says, "Leap,"
Fear says, "Keep,"
Faith says, "Abide,"
Fear says, "Hide"
Faith says, "Today,"
Fear says, "No way,"
Faith says, "Believe,"
Fear says, "Deceive,"
Faith says, "Up street,"
Fear says, "Retreat,"
Faith says, "Go,"
Fear says, "No."

One Little Step

I recall with great excitement how Brenda and I anticipated the first step each of our boys would take.  For weeks we would hold them by the hands and walk with them. We coaxed them to stand on their own and then to take a step toward our outstretched arms. Most of the time they would plop down. Sometimes they stood on wobbly legs tottering back and forth before losing their balance and falling down.

You could see them working through taking that first step without our help in their minds. They were unsure. They preferred the security of our strength. In time we rejoiced when each of our boys took that initial step. We celebrated that momentous occasion. Now we take them walking for granted. We are not overly impressed when they walk across the room or the yard. We have come to expect more out of them. We have celebrated them running track, playing football, basketball and baseball.

When I look back over my walk with God I remember one of the first faith steps I ever took. That step scared me. I felt wobbly on young legs of faith. I wanted to cling to security but God nudged me toward faith. He has been doing that now for over three decades.

Faith is trusting God enough to take one little step of obedience after another. The first step can be the hardest. Just one little step toward God and His invitation to join Him or to believe Him for the impossible. Just one little step. One step toward obedience and away from rebellion. One step toward trust and away from doubt. One step toward God's promise and away from the Devil's lies. One step toward the impossible and away from the safe and secure. One step toward Him and away from living life in our own strength and wisdom.

How many mighty acts of God started with one step. Noah cutting the first tree before building the ark. Abraham becoming the father of a great nation by taking that first step away from his home. Moses stepping out toward the Red Sea. Moses going up on the mountain to receive the commandments of God. Joshua leading Israel into the promise land. Elijah stepping up on Mount Carmel against false prophets. Jonah eventually stepping into Nineveh. The disciples stepping away from their nets and toward Jesus to follow Him. All of it with just one step.

What is that one step God is requiring of you right now? What is He calling you to do? What is the next little step you need to make? You have a choice to make. Do you trust God enough to take one step of obedience? I have a choice to make. Will I trust God enough to take that one little step. Ready or not here I go.