The Desires of My Heart

While praying this morning I leaned back in my office chair and asked the Father if He had anything He wanted to speak to me. I did not have an agenda. I honestly longed for a fresh word from the Lord about anything He wanted to say to me. I intentionally sat back, rested my head on the headrest, and tried to listen. At first everything was fuzzy like radio frequency that comes in and out with static because it is fully tuned. Suddenly I felt a slight impression to turn to Psalm 37.

When I opened my Bible to that chapter the page fell open to the middle of the Psalm. I began browsing highlighted scriptures from past readings but nothing caught my attention until I worked my way backward and my eyes fell on verses 3-5. “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will act.” [Ps 37:3-5]

I am not at liberty to go in great detail about what I prayed for but it seems to me that over the course of the past few days the Lord has been speaking to me about one of the greatest desires of my heart I have longed for this one thing over the past decade. I have laid that desire before Him continually and I believe it is desire that was first given by God. In other words, God put that desire in my heart. As I read through those scriptures it was as if the Lord was saying to me, “I gave you that desire. It is okay to desire that. Trust me for it and watch me go to work to bring it to pass.”

Many times I thought I was well on my way to having that specific desire of my heart met. Each time it was snatched out of my hands leaving me confused. All I can tell you is this desire has nothing to do with material possessions. I lost hope a time or two. I had been living in such a season until I was sitting in a funeral the other day. I had finished my portion and was sitting on the front pew when out of nowhere the Lord grabbed my attention. It was a powerful moment shared by the two of us. The pastor seated next to me had no idea what the Lord was doing in my life just inches away in those moments. He was resurfacing and confirming that desire of my heart. I sat all ears while the Lord spoke a short and clear message to my heart. Since that day, the Lord seems to be reassuring me of His purpose to grant me this desire of my heart. At least three other times He has brought this matter back up to me over the past several days.

As God brings that desire to pass I have a few responsibilities. First, I am to be faithful day in and day out. Right here seated at my desk and behind this computer I am to be faithful as a pastor, preacher, and author. I am also to be faithful as a husband and father and not let my pastoral calling overshadow my family. I am also responsible to trust God to bring the desires of my heart to pass. That is great news to me. I do not have to make it happen or force that desire into reality. It takes all the pressure off. I am called to trust Him to act. If my desire ever becomes reality He will be the one to do it. Finally, I am responsible to commit my way to Him. That means I lay my life, my family, my ministry, and our future before Him. He can be trusted with all of those things. God calls the shots and my job is to obey and follow whatever directions He gives me.

Here is my counsel to you. Be faithful. Trust God. Commit your life to Him. If we are doing that, the Lord will give us the desires of our heart. Time will tell.

Listening and Reading with Discernment

Do you remember the old saying you can’t believe everything you hear? That is true. I found myself recently listening to another guy preach. He made a statement and as soon as I heard it alarm bells went off in my mind alerting me to what I had just heard did not ring true. He made the same statement two other times in the course of the message. I heard myself instinctively saying that is not true out loud.

It alarms me how many Christians sit and listen to things so casually and passively. We must be discerning as to what we listen to or put before our eyes. We most especially need to do this as we listen to someone preaching and teaching the Bible. Does the text say what the preacher is saying? Does the preacher’s comments line up with all of scripture? Can the preacher back up his comments with the scripture? Maybe these are three different ways of asking the same question. My point is that few people listen with discernment.

People are so gullible. The masses fall for the politician’s promises and public policies while people like Adolph Hitler preyed on such naïve people and then he ruled with fear and intimidation. There have been people like David Koresh, Jim Jones, and others who manipulated the scriptures and deceived many. More than one college professor has sought to undermine the authority of scripture and I am referring to professors who teach at many of our Christian colleges in addition to those who teach at secular universities. Just because someone is in a position of influence or authority does not make everything they say or write true.

Just because a person is a celebrity like Tom Cruise does not mean he has a handle on the truth like he promotes as a Scientologist. Just because a person calls himself a preacher does not mean that he preaches the truth. There are many young preachers coming out of Bible school these days who do not believe the authority or the infallibility of scripture. They honestly believe that there are errors in the text. They will go to churches and over time as they preach a generation will arise who do not the difference in truth and false teaching. What a said and tragic day that already is and will be.

So reader, I am honored that you take time out of your busy schedule to read what I write but if you do not read with discernment and listen with discernment you are setting up to be deceived. Just three days ago I overheard a young man in our church talking about reading and saying that it didn’t matter what it was he would read everything. At that point I interjected a word of warning. We have to read and listen with discernment.

That means two things. First, we have to know the scriptures for ourselves. You must dig, read, meditate, hold fast, memorize, and study the scriptures with the utmost diligence. When I was saved in 1983 I knew next to nothing about the Bible. I went out and bought one and started reading. I was fascinated by Jesus and spent most of my time in those early years reading the gospel and the miracle accounts of Jesus. After a few years I got into Acts and some of the New Testament writings. Then I cultivated a love for the Old Testament.

Many years ago I heard an old preacher preaching on the topic of the Bible. God moved in my heart that night and I fell in love with the scriptures. I committed to the Lord that I would spend the rest of my days reading them and see how many times I could read through the entire Bible in my lifetime. Later I was inspired again by reading the account of George Mueller who read the Bible through nearly two hundred times in his life. When I read and study about people God used in significant ways in the past those people all loved the scriptures and gave vast amounts of their life to studying, reading, teaching, preaching, or meditating on them.

The second thing I would challenge all of us to do is to think more. We have become an intellectually lazy society. We are content to let others or machines think for us. We must continually stimulate our minds and exercise our reasoning skills to ponder the deep issues of life. Go to your local Christian bookstore and see the top selling books today. They do not care the theological weight of many of the books written hundreds of years ago. There are books that have withstood the test of time that are like red oaks in a library forest of saplings. We should not be afraid to be challenged to think deeply. Why are so many people afraid to think for themselves and to walk out of step with the masses when need be? We need thinkers in society who give themselves to reflection, reasoning, and mental wrestling with weighty truths

I am grateful to a college professor who inspired me to learn to think for myself. At times that has gotten me into some hot water but I refuse to live my life dumbed down. I am not the smartest person but God did give me a mind and he expects me to use it and develop it. Therefore I read continually but I am selective about what I read. I have had to learn that I will never read all the books that I want to so I must make the best use of the time I have and read ones that will have the greatest impact on me. I read with discernment and from time time have scribbled notes in the margins of some books disagreeing with the author and citing my reasons why.

I hope you will begin to work hard at listening and reading with discernment. In a day of abounding falsehood, multitudes of people in authority are less concerned with truth and more concerned with their personal agendas. This will serve us well. The next time we crack open a book, log onto a blog, or hear someone speaking; please read and listen with discernment.

Prepared to Die

Death is a constant reality but we rarely want to talk about it. We do not like thinking of it. I rarely walk into a nursing home rehabilitation center or into the hospital of a senior adult that I am not struck with the thought that they were young once, active, vibrant, making valuable contributions to the Lord and society until their bodies began to fail them. I too will have to face that reality if the Lord allows me to live long enough. My body will fail me. My joints will ache more. My bones will become more brittle. My eye may become dimmed and my hearing may be dulled. This is not negative thinking. It is reality and the law of averages. I have prayed for a long and fruitful life with a healthy body and sound mind so I labor for my Lord.

I look into the eyes of those who are trapped in broken bodies and long to be freed in heaven and I hurt for them. I see their tears when I talk with them about heaven and being given a glorified body one day. I see how they long for death so they can be set free while so many others who are younger flee from death and refuse to prepare it.

How does a person prepare to die? How does a person prepare to step out of the temporal into eternity? Death can never be prepared for until a person comes to repentance of sins by faith and trust in Christ for salvation. This is a message often preached at funerals but seldom heeded by the masses. The path to hell is littered with souls who had no use or time for Christ. Graciously God convicts people of sin and His impending judgment, opens spiritual eyes to the hope of the gospel, offers unconditional and irresistible grace, and gloriously saves and transforms the hearts of the converted. Nobody is prepared to die if they are not in a saving relationship with Jesus.

If you have that settled then, I would ask what legacy are you leaving behind? I want to leave a legacy of love for God supremely and a life of faith and prayer. I hope through my writings that legacy might be left behind long after I am gone. I want my boys to read my journals and see a passion and love for God that inspires them to run hard after Him. I want my parishioners to read my books and hear the voice of God still speaking through me. I want my life to back up my preaching and writing. Mostly I want God to be glorified through whatever days I have left.

You are leaving some kind of legacy. What is it? Are you inconsistent, greedy, a hypocrite, lukewarm, passionate, faithful, or zealous for God? People will remember something about you whenever you are gone. What do you want that to be? Now is the time to adjust your life accordingly.

Where will you be put to rest? Who will preach the service? What songs will be sung? What text of scripture is your favorite? These are all issues you should address with those in your family. Too often none of these things are talked about in advance and the remaining family members are left scrambling to try to put a memorial service or a funeral together. Why not give them direction and voice what you would like done or said.

While I have been writing this I have also been listening to a message about a twenty-nine year old missionary who died after a lengthy illness. He was prepared to die. He not only lived well but he also died well. We need people who will show us how to die well. I have been studying about Jacob preparing to die in the land of Egypt and wanting to be buried back in Canaan. In addition, I have prayed by the bedsides of two saints who are preparing to die any day now. The reality of death is all around me. I am continually reminded that life on this planet is temporary but for the child of God there is everlasting life. Hallelujah!

What I am learning from all of this is that we must prepare to die just like we prepare to live. We must be intentional in how we live and how we invest our allotted number of days. [Ps 90:12] “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” Our days are numbered. Some have only hours left, others weeks, and some decades but in the end we die. That is a reality. I do not want to squander the precious gift of life that has been entrusted to us.

One of the things we must do to prepare to die is to say all the things that need to be said to our loved ones. I want my wife to know I love her and that she has been a great help mate for me. She has freed me up with her selfless acts of service to allow me to give myself to prayer, preaching, and writing. Whatever I do or become in this life I owe it to her support, prayers, love, and encouragement. I want Jennifer to know I count her as my very own daughter in heart and soul. I am proud of the woman she has become, the wife she is, and the mother she will be. I want my boys to hear me say over and over again that I am proud of them, that God has wonderful plans for their lives, and most importantly that I love them without conditions. I want them to know that living their lives for Jesus is all important and I hope will be the driving passion that gets them out of bed each day.

Sometimes people see death coming for years or months in advance. There are those for whom death stalks and sneaks up on unexpectedly. I do not know how death will come for me but regardless I want to be prepared. The scripture has a good deal to say about death. [Ps 116:15] [Jn 11:25] [Phil 1:21] [Heb 9:27] Through prayer, meditation, and total dependence on the grace of God I urge all of us to be prepared to die.

Praise the Lord

There are so many things I love about my job. On any given day I get to spend time in prayer, study of the scriptures, to write a blog, to work on completion of a new book, counsel with people, and visit the sick in the hospital.

Recently I was visiting a wonderful man of God who is facing numerous health issues. His life has not been an easy one. He has had to battle through many difficult trials in his eight decades of life. He is growing weaker by the day and can barely speak. When he does speak he is talking about the Lord or quoting Bible verses. The other day he barely whispered the following phrase. “Praise the Lord. Praise Him in the morning. Praise Him in the evening. Praise Him all day long.”

Paul wrote something very similar. “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.” [Phil 4:4] My brother who is in the hospital knows this truth inside out. While his body is failing Him – his spirit is strong and his love for God burns white hot in his soul. He has not wavered from the faith even in the difficulties of life. He is firmly committed to exalting the Savior in the difficult times as well as the painful times.

When everything is going against you how do you still find it within you to praise the Lord? This will not happen unless you have searched the scriptures and dug deep into the character of God. The more you dig and the further you go into His character the more you will discover that God is good and trustworthy. Millions have experienced this through the ages. David wrote in [Ps 145:1-3] “I will extol You my God, O King, and I will bless your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord and highly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.”

David knew what it was like to praise the Lord in the tough times. While being hunted down like a fugitive by Saul David penned these words, “I love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer. My God, my rock in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” [Ps 18:1-2]

Praising the Lord often takes place in worship services with beautiful music, enthusiastic worshippers, and surrounded by others who exalt the name of Jesus. At times you and I might be called to praise the Lord in much more difficult circumstances we are forced to endure alone. When all is stripped away; our health, our dignity, our ability to communicate, our loved ones, and our hope of things getting easier in this life, we are still called to praise the Lord. I wonder if this praising is not richer, sweeter, more melodious, and more touching to the heart of God.

David continued to praise the Lord through pain and adversity as he wrote, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him and I am helped; therefore my heart exults, and with song I shall thank Him.” [Ps 28:7] Here we find the answer to the question I posed earlier. How do you find it within you to keep praising the Lord when life is coming unraveled at the seams?

God is the source of our strength. He helps us to endure the tough times as well as to enjoy the good times. He gives us the grit to endure no matter what we are up against. God does not stop there but He is also our shield. He protects us from attacks of the enemy who loves to assault us when we are already weak and down. David progresses when he states that because God is His strength and shield, his heart will trust God.

My friend in the hospital is facing uncertain days ahead. I am inspired when I hear him praise the Lord and talk of trusting Him. I need that. How can I preach things that I am not firmly convinced are true? I need to be around those who are facing adversity and affliction and see them remain strong in the faith and hear them keep praising the Lord so I can follow their example. You know what God does when we trust Him? He helps us! That help may take in many different forms but He comes to our aid.

At times that help may take in the form of peace of my mind and heart that cannot be described. [Phil 4:6-7] His help comes in the form of strength to be able to endure another hour and another day of trials. [Phil 4:13] That help also comes in the forms of provision [Phil 4:19], counsel, encouragement, forgiveness, or a timely scripture.

I received an email from a lady following God on an adventure that is stretching her way past her comfort zone. God used His word in Joshua chapter one in a very timely manner to remind her that He is not only calling her but He will walk with her every step of the way. He will be there to help.

I have praised the Lord on numerous occasions in churches, at revivals, retreats and camps. A deeper praise comes out of my soul more than from my lips when I praise him in suffering when the darkness settles in and the pain does not subside. God was honored when Paul and Silas sang in prison at midnight so much so in fact, He did a miracle and opened the prison doors but more importantly saving the jailer and his family.

I hope you are praising the Lord regardless of what you are going through. He is worthy to be praised in the morning, in the evening, and all day long every day.

A Great Easter

Sunday morning I awoke at 3:00 a.m. with my mind twirling. I would be celebrating the resurrected Christ with hundreds of others in a few hours. I went over the scriptures I would preach from and organized my thoughts. Somewhere between four and five in the morning, I went back to sleep.

When I awoke the second time it was time to shower, shave, and get dressed for my first Easter in Seminole. I really did not know what to expect. The previous week we handed out hundreds and hundreds of door hangers inviting people to come to our Easter services. Due to crowding issues on many normal Sundays we decided to offer two services. The first Sunday began at 8:30 a.m. and the second one started at 10:45 a.m.

Pulling into the church parking lot I really did not know what to expect. I did not know if we would have a few dozen people present or less in that early service. We had baptisms scheduled for both services and several had mentioned they wanted to see that. I walked away from my truck toward the sanctuary viewing the gorgeous sunrise. The church was dark on the inside, eerily silent, and still when I walked inside.

Before long the ushers showed up getting everything ready. Then the worshippers came. At first just a few but as the 8:30 a.m. start time neared the pews began to fill cramming the bottom level. Energy and excitement filled the air even though it was early in the morning. When the first notes were played the crowd came to life with singing and celebration. When our worship minister broke out into two southern gospel hymns I thought I had been transported into a Pentecostal church. People clapped, some came very near to dancing in the choir, and others shouted at various times. We celebrated with exuberance and joy saturated the hearts and faces of God’s people.

Preaching is always a passion of mine but with the atmosphere that morning I preached myself into a sweat. My undershirt was nearly soaking wet and this was only the first service! We continued the celebration with baptisms. There were five in the first service and five in the second service. What a delight.

When the service ended people were excited but we were only half way through the morning. Some chose to stay for the second service. In the second service the bottom level was filled as well as the choir. It was another great service. God honored us with His presence and true celebration for the resurrection.

When I walked out of church Easter early afternoon I knew I had given God my best in preaching and singing. It was a special day. The crowd was well over five hundred combined in both services. The music was glorious. The baptisms were cause for rejoicing. It was a great Easter day followed by a great lunch with friends.

The hope of the living Christ is not just good for Easter but is also good for every day of the year. What a great day. The resurrected Christ still wants me to celebrate Him this day as well.

Resurrection Hope

I have just been reading the crucifixion and resurrection story alone in my office this Saturday evening before Easter or Resurrection Day. I drew my focus onto Peter and his blatant denial of Christ after Jesus was arrested. I wanted to follow His journey to the end. What happened after he denied Christ three times.

Peter blew it. You know what I mean. He sinned like you and I do defiantly, doggedly, and defeated. The words no more than got out of his mouth than the rooster crowed bringing Jesus’ stinging prophesy back to mind. You know what followed. Conviction condemnation, sorrow, a sense of failure, and of course shame.

One of the beautiful things about the resurrection story is the restoration of Peter. Jesus told the women who first came to the tomb to report what they had experienced to the disciples and Peter. [Mark 16:7] I found it interesting that Jesus singled Peter out to let Him know He was welcome and wanted. In John chapter twenty-one there is a tender story of Jesus restoring Peter to a right relationship and to ministry.

That story brings me hope. I have lived that story. I have fallen more times than I can remember head first into the muck and mire of sin. I have hung my head in shame and received more blows of condemnation than a heavyweight boxer in a championship match from the devil. I have stumbled in guilt and isolation distancing myself from the Lord feeling unworthy of His grace and forgiveness.

On the other hand, the resurrected Christ has pulled me to Himself in prayer and through the pages of scripture to tenderly convict me, rebuke me, love me, and over and over again to restore me. I am Peter. I have walked the dusty and filthy road of sin. My heart has been stained and scarred by poor choices and acts of rebellion and yet, my Lord who died in my place, has imputed my sins onto His sinless and pure heart. I am still unworthy but so thankful that I can live with resurrection hope.

The power of Jesus’ resurrection gives me hope not only for forgiveness and restoration in this life but it also assures me of the power of God to preserve me until the day of salvation. [I Pet 1:3-5] I am so very humbled and grateful to know this resurrection hope. It is my hope and prayer that in churches and services all over the world the multitudes who grope in failure like Peter and like me will discover the hope of new life in Jesus and the hope of salvation. Jesus’ resurrection changed everything and because of that we all have hope.

My Craft

Some people work with tools. They know how to handle a wrench, screwdriver, or a socket in working on machinery to make necessary repairs. Others use hammers, drills, saws, levels, and measuring tapes in construction work. I have never been good with any of these tools. I once tried to rotate the tires on bicycle as a child by just rotating the entire rim from front to back and back to front. It was not until the end of the project I realized I had no sprocket for the chain on the front tire I mounted on the back. In Junior High I nearly failed woodshop. I just could not grasp the concepts and get my project to turn out right. I have never been known as a handyman.

There are people who work with test tubes, microscopes, running tests, doing research, and making new discoveries. I did not excel in this area either. Others master their craft with computers and technology. They are on the cutting edge of new techniques and designs. I went to college and never sat down at a computer. In this highly advanced age of computers I am still a dinosaur. Though I type blogs and books, I still hand write my sermons. Though surrounded by computer junkies I drag my heels and follow reluctantly. I still do not have texting on my cell phone; I rarely activate my I-Chat on the computer and prefer my paper calendar to my computer calendar. I can’t believe I even have a cell phone but is also a dinosaur with no bells and whistles.

My craft is totally different. I am clumsy with these other crafts and tools I seldom feel more at home and alive than when I am working in the area of my passion. My craft is working with words. I love words. More specifically I love the definition of words. I would not say I have a large vocabulary, but I love a good dictionary (the one I currently use is about to fall part from use). I enjoy reading a thesaurus when looking for that right word to complete a thought. My craft is words, sentences, and paragraphs. I round up these to form thoughts, to explain new concepts, and to express new ideas. My heart is rarely more contented than when in a bookstore, library, or sitting at my desk with books piled all around me lost in my thoughts typing furiously on this computer. My craft might seem foreign to many people.

I have to be honest. I am pretty uncomfortable in the hardware store but totally at home in the bookstore. I walk awkwardly down the aisle in the hardware store trying not to stand out or to draw attention to myself. I want to belong there but I do not. On the other hand, I know how to navigate the bookstore. I usually head for the biography section, meander to the classics section, and then browse the shelves of theology and prayer. I can grab a good book and sit down in a chair right there and get engrossed in another author’s craft with words. It is hard for me to choose which I love more; reading or writing. I guess in someway this makes me kind of nerdy. I almost took a book to my son’s track meet this past Tuesday. I am supposed to go to another track meet tonight and have actually contemplated taking my computer with me to write while I sit in the stands.

A carpenter has to build. A mechanic has to repair things. An artist has to paint. In a similar vein I have to write. I have to study words and find creative ways to express them. For me I do not so much write for the reader as much as I write because I have to. My mind is constantly churning with new ideas to write about and I am continually listening to or noticing new words when people talk or when I read. There are some words I simply love the sound of. ASSIDUOUS. I love that word. I love to say it, write it, and read it. I love other words like, meditation, toil, affection, devotion, reflection, exuberance, enthralled, and thousands of others. I love to take a single word and let my mind drift away into the ocean of ideas, thoughts, feelings, and then lasso those thoughts and corral them onto the printed page. There is no book that sparks my imagination like the Bible. A person could spend a whole lifetime and not exhaust the truth of its contents. Words in the Bible are pregnant with meaning. Words like redemption, justification, resurrection, grace, mercy, compassion, faith, believe, salvation, and I go on and on. Instead of writing more about my craft I need to get busy engaging in my craft. My dictionary sits ready at my right hand. My Bible is cracked open on my left. My computer sits directly in front of me. Who knows what the Master Craftsman, Jesus Himself, will inspire me to craft next. I urge you find your craft and devote yourself to it assiduously. I love that word! [Eph 2:10]