Still Burdened For Kermit

One year and five days ago I wrote a blog about Kermit, TX. I had a couple of dreams that drew me to pray for and eventually make several trips to pray with some people and teach a few Bible studies. Before all was said and done I had a dozen dreams specifically related to Kermit.

For months I made that trip to Kermit on a weekly basis. Many thought I was crazy. I have long ago dismissed what the people think when it comes to my following God's leadership. We had a good time and I got to know some wonderful people in Kermit. Eventually the small study got smaller and then it became apparent I was not needed there. I made my last trip to Kermit December of 2014. It seemed a door had shut. All of the people who attended the Bible study, with the exception of a couple, ended up attending the same church. Most of them had attended that church long before I came to Kermit. I saw my role as done. The church had just called a new pastor and in no way did I want it to appear I was competition with him. I bowed out wondering what it all meant.  I was happy for the church and prayed God would bless them and the new pastor. I have continued to pray that. God has blessed that church as I have heard from time to time. I shout, "Praise the Lord," for His might work there.

The burden for Kermit has not lifted.  This morning while praying the burden intensified more so than any  other time since last December. For now my role is prayer. I continue to be drawn to that little west Texas town. I have pleaded with the Lord to show me what it all means. Only He can reveal why He has given me a burden for that town.

I do not think God wants me to move to Kermit. He is working in Faith Community Church like I have not seen in these four years. These are good days. I do not think God is calling me to move. Yet there is something deep, a drawing, a burden, a compassion, an interest in Kermit that I find unshakable and irresistible. All I know to do is keep praying for God to move in that town.

Kermit is a town where I hardly know anyone. The few people I do know I barely know only acquainted with them as a result of some Bible studies. God has Kermit on His mind and heart. He keeps pressing it on mine. I cannot dismiss it. So I ask the Lord to reveal His plans.

So here is my heart felt prayer for the people of Kermit, TX.

Dear Father,

You know all about Kermit. You know ever resident there. You know them all by name. You are aware of their every thought, their every deed both good and bad, and You want to work in that town. You know the private pains and fears of those who reside there. You know the wickedness as well. You are also very aware of what is happening in the oil and gas industry and how that impacts the people of Kermit.

There are many churches and many pastors in Kermit. Some have been there for years and labored long and lovingly to their flocks. Some churches have seen better days. I ask You to usher in new days of refreshing for each church. I ask You to revive the people of Kermit. I ask You to breathe new life on each congregation and begin reaching out and saving those lost people. I ask You to begin in the schools. I ask You to start a new work among elementary, junior high, and high school students. I ask You to stir new fire in teachers, coaches, and administrators. I ask You to fill Your houses with Your glorious presence week after week as Your truth is expounded and as praise filled worship fills the room.

How many people carry a heavy burden for Kermit? I know You have set watchmen and watch women on the walls of Kermit to pray. I know You have a remnant who plead with You to revive that town. I ask You to strengthen them and allow them to see the fruit of their years of prayer. I ask You to fill that town with Your wonder working power.

Lord, You have targeted Kermit for something greater. You have chosen that town for something. For every shepherd there I ask You to encourage them. I ask You to not let them lose heart. I ask You to build them up and set a new vision and a new power in their ministries. I ask You to allow them to see the fruit of their labors.

I ask You to push back the Kingdom of darkness. I ask You to push back the darkness in individual hearts who get saved, in families torn apart by sin as You restore broken marriages, and in the work place as You set the tone for the work environment. I do not know when this will happen but I ask You to work in Kermit like they have never seen before.

I ask You to keep the burden heavy on my heart night and day so I continue to join the others there in prayer. I ask You to direct me in how to pray. Please do not let me lose the burden to pray for that town I have come to care so much about. I know You are at work. I give You praise for that. I bless Your name for Your faithfulness. I bless You for all You have done in Kermit and all You will do in the future. I trust You for all of this in Jesus' name, amen.

I've Had A Belly Full Washington

We are in another political season. Every newscast has something about presidential candidates or people in congress or the senate. There are scandals. Multiple scandals. Email scandals. Executive Order scandals. Legislature scandals. Budget wastes that working Americans cannot understand and have no clue are taking place. Planned Parenthood scandals. There is no accountability.

Yet politicians rule the airwaves making their putrid speeches. They talk with silver tongues and smile their plastic smiles. They say they care about the American people but once elected are immediately bought off by lobbyist who have agendas. Soon those campaign promises are forgotten until the next election. Where are the men and women in government and society with backbone who cannot be bought off, silenced, intimidated, or herded into politically correct points of view.

I AM SICK OF IT. I HAVE HAD A BELLY FULL OF PEOPLE WHO CONSTANTLY VOTE AND LEAD AGAINST DOING IT GOD'S WAY. I do not believe their slick presentations. I do not trust their statistics slanted to their advantage. I weary of promises made and promises unkept. Frankly, I've had it with campaigns. GOD IS THE ONLY HOPE FOR AMERICA. Politicians will not save us. Only God can rescue this nation from ourselves. Only God can get our attention, move us to repentance, and open blinded eyes. Who really cares about me and my family and you and your family in Washington? Jesus cares and knows my family by name. My trust is in Him.

I have multiple issues. If a city clerk can be forced to sign homosexual marriage certificates or be arrested and put in jail against her religious convictions, where does it end. Will I and my fellow pastors be arrested and jailed when we refuse to officiate homosexual marriages? That is the logical conclusion. How long before homosexual activist target churches and pastors to force their agenda. Pastors will become open targets. What is more sad, is many pastors will  cave into the peer pressure to save their own hides forgetting they will give an account to God for such cowardly actions. Fearing imprisonment pastors will violate God's law which always trump the laws of the land.

I am sickened that our barbaric country has been exposed for not only murdering unborn babies but for also selling their body parts. It is hard to believe that this travesty is actually taking place in modernity. Babies are born alive and brutally killed so body parts can be harvested. Yet Planned Parenthood is politically correct and powerful and few have the guts to say anything or stand against it. What sickens me more is that many people dismiss the whole thing and turn a deaf ear. There is little regard for human life. If this starts with babies and fetuses, the day will come when others will be targeted. It happened in Nazi Germany with the Jews. Will Christians be the next group silenced and exterminated because human life is not valued. Even as I write this there is a dog and pony show hearing on Capitol Hill where questions will be asked, lies and deception will be given in answers, all directed toward Planned Parenthood, but in the end nothing will change. NOTHING.

Washington politicians are largely only concerned with their personal gain and self promotion. Such theatrics and deception would never fly in normal work places. People get up and work hard for the money they make. They have to budget groceries, gas, housing, transportation, and other necessities. Most of us have a little extra we can play with and buy the things we want or spend money on fun. When that money is gone we are forced to quit spending. How in the world can Washington continue spend money they do not have. It is ludicrous. It is easy to write checks on accounts with your name not attached to it and with no accountability.

I've had a belly full of denying God, the truth of the Bible, promoting ungodly agendas and the remaking of a country that I grew up in and loved, and still love to this day. I do not love what our country has become. Sin abounds. Things once done in secret are now flaunted openly in the public square. We have shamed ourselves before a watching world. We have shamed Christ and painted Him as powerless and pathetic. Muslims have more convictions than many Christians.

I've had a belly of so called Christians who deny the principles of scripture to blend in with the times. If true believers would only stand up boldly, pray fervently and perseveringly, and hold Washington accountable, I am confident our nation could recover. II Chronicles 7:14 gives me this hope. "If My people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land."

Gutless Christians and politicians who cower under trial, persecution, and peer pressure will never bring about a much needed spiritual awakening to our nation. SHAME ON US! SHAME ON US FOR WHAT WE HAVE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN TO THIS NATION. SHAME ON US FOR WHAT WE ALLOW TO HAPPEN YEAR AFTER YEAR IN WASHINGTON. SHAME ON US FOR DENYING AND REJECTING GOD WHO FOUNDED THIS NATION AND HAS BLESSED IT SO ABUNDANTLY.

It is almost enough to make me want to run for public office to make a difference. I will not lower my purpose in life to do that though. There is no greater place for me to make a difference than in the local church, behind the pulpit preaching, and behind this computer screen calling people back to God. I don't ever want to be silenced by big crowds, big donors, or special interest members who want to muzzle the prophet. I want to shout as through a megaphone to America and Washington, "REPENT. HUMBLE YOURSELVES BEFORE ALMIGHTY GOD. CHANGE YOUR WAYS. SEEK GOD FOR HIS HELP, PROTECTION, PROVISION, AND LEADERSHIP IN THIS NATION." 

More than ever we need to hear, "Thus says the Lord." I am thankful for Dr. Robert Jeffress and his bold preaching and bold stand. I am also thankful for Jim Cymbala, Dr. David Jeremiah, and a host of other pastors who preach it plain and stand against the wickedness of our day. May the Lord raise tens of thousands more just like them.

What will it take for you to get a belly full of the foolishness of Washington and the sinfulness of this nation. Those politicians forget the government is supposed represent us. They want us for our votes and quickly forget all about us. They ignore God and the voice of Christians who speak for God.

In my little corner of the field I plow. It is not a big field and my influence is small. Yet if you plow in your part of the field and others do the same we can do something. We can pray and pray until God rescues our nation from ourselves. It will never happen as long as we remain apathetic.

God, give us a belly full of sin, lies, deception, greed, selfishness, wickedness, calling sin a new point of view, politicians, and political correctness in our own lives as well as in Washington. I ask You to gnaw our insides with your Holy Spirit, make us restless, provoke us to prayer, and to stand for You. In Jesus name.

A Story Of Revival

I have long been a student of revival. My bookshelves are lined with multiple volumes about historical revival. Some of these revivals are famous. Others are more obscure. Each tells its own story of the glory of God coming down and kissing earth.

This week I read of one such obscure revival. I've never seen this story in any other book. I found the story in Matthew Backholer's book Revival Fires and Awakenings; Thirty-Six Visitations of the Holy Spirit. 

In the early 1830's in a small mining town in Wales God showed up in a marvelous fashion and an unusual way. In the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, Wales wickedness abounded. The town was noted for its crime, gambling, cheating, sin, and prostitution. It looked like an unlikely place for a revival.

One Sunday evening a visiting pastor came to preach in the small Methodist Chapel. The service began at 6:00 p.m. The visiting minister asked a man in the congregation to open the service in prayer. This man had been praying for his town for a long time. Typically opening prayers to start a service last a minute or two. People begin to squirm if the prayer lasts longer. God definitely had something else in mind that evening.

On this night the Spirit of God moved in this man and his prayer lasted for twenty minutes. He asked God to sweep across the community saving people and turning people back to Him. As soon as he stopped praying another man rose to his feet spontaneously and picked up where the first man left off and continued in prayer. This scene was repeated. By this time the glorious presence of God filled the tiny chapel. People kept crying out to God.

Nine hours later! Let that sink in. For nine hours those people were caught up in the presence of God in prayer! Nobody preached. Nobody sang special music. No choir sang. People just prayed. For nine hours they prayed! That in itself would be revival enough but the story does not end there.

At 3:00 a.m. the church leadership decided to end the meeting due to the fact that the men had to go work in the mines at 6:00 a.m. The service was dismissed and as the people walked away from the chapel they came to a cross road where each would walk to their home. The groups dispersed in four different groups headed in four different directions. Each group only traveled about forty yards before four different prayer meetings broke out on the road. Soon each group returned to the chapel for more prayer.

Around 5:00 a.m. some of the men left the prayer meeting for work in the mines. When they arrived in the mines what happened next proved miraculous. As the men from the prayer meeting entered the mines their co-workers began to fall to their knees under conviction and cry out to God for mercy. The men from the Methodist chapel went around to their fallen colleagues to pray for them.  The owners of the quarries fell under conviction also and many were saved. It is reported the move of God spread as far as thirty miles away.

What an incredible story. Think about that the next time the pastor steps up in a Sunday evening service and calls on someone to pray. Think about how God used one praying man who remained sensitive to the Holy Spirit and prayed more than a token prayer that historic Sunday evening. God could do the same thing in your church as well as in Faith Community. That is exciting. What if God showed up this Sunday evening and called your church to pray for nine hours straight and then an additional two hours. Eleven hours of prayer! Would you attend that service? Would stay the whole night through even though you had to work the next morning.

I have written and preached this repeatedly for the past two decades. Revival is costly. We think we can ask God for revival and yet have it on our terms. When God really shows up everything changes. He takes over. I long to see those days again.

I am grateful that story did not get lost over the years. Nearly two centuries have passed since God moved so dramatically in that town. Oh, that He would do it again where we live for the glory of His name.

If It Comes To It - Choose Death!

Last night, after our Sunday night church prayer meeting, I drove home with Tanner and Tucker. The timing was perfect to talk to them about something heavy on my heart. The topic had never been discussed among us before and I needed to give them some parental guidance.

I talked to them about the end times and the things that will happen. My primary purpose was to instruct them under no circumstances to take the mark of the beast. I told them it would be better to choose death and have their head chopped off than to deny their faith in Jesus Christ.

They were very silent. The topic of choosing death over compromising your faith is sobering. Not something that 17 and 16 year old boys think about often. That is why I needed to talk to them about this all the more. None of us know when the end will come. People predict but they are always wrong. None of know. I don't know how long I will be around. This is not a conversation I could put off.

It is not a conversation you should put off talking about with your family and closest friends. In the moment of trial many people will give into the pressure. They might  wilt like flowers in the hot Texas summer. They will denounce Jesus and take the mark of the beast bowing to peer pressure. We must prepare ourselves to stand firm. Whether that be a couple of years or several decades.

I recently celebrated another birthday. One more and I will turn fifty. Fifty years old. It is hard to believe. Seems like not that long ago I was riding my big wheel in the Englewood Terrace neighborhood as a little boy. We played in the woods, played chase on our bicycles, and played whatever ball was in season at the time. Next thing you know I am playing varsity football for the mighty Lufkin Panthers. Time flew by. I remember my last high school football practice and last varsity game at 28-0 spanking of the Nacogdoches Dragons.

My whole life changed my junior year when a local youth minister introduced me to Jesus. Jesus saved me from my sins and made me a new creation. It was His leadership that led me to play football at Howard Payne University. God had much more in store. I studied for the ministry at Howard Payne and met Brenda there. We were married after we graduated. Then the kids came and then they grew up. Taylor graduated two years ago and Tanner will graduate this Spring. It is hard to believe.

One day I will die or Jesus will come get me along with the other saints. I will not always be here to give my kids guidance. I will not always be here to write or to preach sermons. This is something burning deep in my heart. A message I just had to get out.

If it comes down to a choice between compromise and denying our faith in Jesus Christ or death - LET US DETERMINEDLY CHOOSE DEATH! May our anthem be the same as Paul, "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain." [Phil 1:21] Should we be called on to stand firm or face martyrdom let us choose death with a smile on our face. In the twinkling of an eye we will say goodbye to this world and walk into another world we cannot imagine. The reward is well worth the risk. If it comes down to it, let us choose death.

What Will It Be Like In The End?

There is a lot of talk about the end times and the last days. It is hard not believe we are living in those days. You can read your Bible and the morning newspaper side by side and see things are lining up. God has already scripted the end.

There will be two beasts. One the Anti-Christ and the other the false prophet. There are some who believe both are alive today. In the end, the world will unite under a one world government. People will be required to take the mark of the beast to buy goods. There are many reports about remote frequency identification chips that are already available to be implanted. True followers of Christ are instructed not to take this mark of the beast even though it will result in being killed. It might even result in beheading.

The end times do not look so far away from where I sit. They look closer than ever. The drama is playing out just as God said it would.

There will be horrible persecution. It is hard to imagine it getting much worse than what we read about with ISIS and extreme Muslim groups, who not only arrest Christians, but also torture and murder them. In the end it will be much worse and martyrs will be multiplied by the thousands. In the end the masses will be deceived by a new world order leader. He will come with a eloquence and the promise of unifying leadership. He will deceive. He will be a pawn of Satan.

God will pour out severe judgements on planet earth. There will be natural and supernatural disasters abounding. It will be a horrific time to be alive. Those who follow Christ will fear for their lives. They will be hunted down like fugitives,  imprisoned, and murdered. Serving Christ will become increasingly costly.

We are already seeing this in our day. The end times are no longer something to be thought of way off in the future. The end times are upon us. It is time to wake up and be sober minded. It is time to discern the events of the day. It is time to recognize the signs of the times.

The End

Every story has an introduction which is the start,
The plot begins to thicken and the drama unfolds,
Life is a matter of what becomes of our sinful heart,
God's activity in lives make the testimonies to be told,
As the climax heightens and the story really begins,
The last chapter clearly comes into our focused sight,
Jesus will come- this will be the beginning of the end,
When we step out of darkness and into marvelous light,
Jesus will rapture His saints - take them all back home,
There will be tribulation lasting for several hard years,
The saved will gather to worship Jesus around His throne,
The end will come giving peace, joy, relieving every fear.

Disturbed and Provoked

I am deeply disturbed about the condition and direction of our nation. This is no secret. I have written about this extensively over the past few years. I have preached about this as well.

In recent days the burden and restlessness in my spirit has deepened. I am deeply disturbed down to the core of my soul. I see things more soberly. Many things that used to matter more in light of eternity do not matter as much.

This is a sobering thought. We are all just one heartbeat away from eternity. For followers of Jesus this is good news. For the lost this is horrific news. Horrific! I can sit here and write that but does it motivate me to action, to prayer, to share my faith with those around me. It must!

In these days so much is said and written about prayer but what disturbs me more is how many times I wake up and do not want to pray. There are days when I awake feeling lethargic, apathetic, and choose the path of least resistance. With everything that is at stake how can I give into these feelings. The soldier in battle may not feel like fighting but out of necessity he must continually fight the enemy for self survival, for the protection of family and friends, and for the protection of his country. How can it be that as a solider of Christ I would take the call to pray any less seriously.

There are disturbing things on the horizon. All you have to do is watch the news, read your Bible, and connect the dots. Things are lining up just as Jesus said they would. Discern the sign of the times. Anyone can look up in the skies and see dark clouds on the horizon and deduct that a storm is coming. Likewise, look around at the events of this world and wake up. There are very disturbing things happening all over the world.

Here is one of our problems. We are all desensitized to current events. Nothing shocks us anymore. If we hear of Christians getting beheaded around the world we hardly even take notice. If we hear about racial tensions building everywhere, even after decades of civil rights fighting, we are quick to dismiss it. Violent crimes dominate headline news but it no longer disturbs us. We have become an emotionally jaded nation and a very apathetic church.

What provokes somebody to action? What provoked Martin Luther to stand against the Catholic church when he shook a nation and ushered in days of reformation. What provoked Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. to stand against racial injustice. What provokes you? What truly disturbs you so deeply you are moved to action.

Seeing so much evil in our world I often feel helpless and wonder what I can do. What can a small town pastor of a few dozen people possibly do to make any difference? This kind of thinking can lead to despair and doing nothing. Many over the years have opted for this path.

Here is what I can do. I can keep praying. No matter what hour God awakes me I can keep praying for our nation, for suffering people, and for clear understanding of the times. I can keep writing. Writing this blog is doing something. I know it will not be widely read. Yet it is doing something. I can keep preaching fearlessly the truth of God's words. I can keep loving people. These little things in and of themselves do not make a huge difference. Yet it is doing something. I can keep telling people about the love of Jesus Christ and the offer of His grace and forgiveness. We all can do something.

Yes, these are disturbing times. That does not mean these times are hopeless or God is no longer in control. While we're facing disturbing times there is also reason to keep pressing on. We cannot shrink back in fear or apathy now.

Praise God I am disturbed. Praise God He is disturbing my soul. That means He is still working. He is always working. For that I give God praise. While I do not know what will happen today, tomorrow, a week from today, or a month down the road I know God is in control. I know He will not forsake His people in troubled times.

May each of us live out our days disturbed by the evil of our days and provoked to action.

Realizatoin

In the fifth chapter of 2 Samuels God fulfilled a long awaited vision in David's life when he was made  King over the whole nation of Israel. He had been reigning as king in Judah for seven years. Finally the day came when all Israel anointed and accepted David as King.

As God blessed David and Israel, David came to the realization of all God had done for him. The word realization means to consider, to contemplate, and to pause to take it all in.

That is what I am doing writing this. I am sitting at the local cafe here in Paradise, TX jotting down these thoughts. I recall four years ago coming back to this cafe with no home to live in, no church meeting place other than a daycare, and no office. All I had was a call of God, a dream to start a new church, and some faith to trust God to do it. I used this cafe most every morning to be my office. I Hs no place to go. Ray Ann Gentry, the owner, kidded me about paying rent because I sat here so long. I've had some wonderful times in this cafe. Brenda and I have celebrated birthdays, Valentine's Days, ordinary lunch dates, and Saturday morning family breakfasts with all the boys over the years.

Brad and Ray Ann Gentry have always treated us kindly. I am thankful for then allowing me to hang out here for breakfast and lunch meetings. They have allowed me to sit here hours uninterrupted to write both books and blogs. I have come here on occasion to study for sermons. The Finish Line Cafe is a second home to me. I love the wait staff and often engage them in lively conversations about the Lord.

Today, God has blessed me with a home. We prayed for two years before our house in Seminole sold but it did sell. I have a home office right off the master bedroom as well as an office in our rental space for the church. I rarely have to use this cafe as an office. It is a good reminder today to recall all the good work God has done over these past four years. Much has changed over these four years. We had one son graduate and have another one now going through his senior year. It is hard to believe how time has flown by. Even with all of that I am sitting here in this same little country cafe realizing all the Lord has done for me. I am a blessed man.

God blessed me with an incredible wife. SHMILY. Ask her what it means. My boys bless me in wonderful ways. I enjoy watching them learn of the Lord and serve Him. I enjoy watching them play ball. I mostly enjoy sitting around the table talking with them over dinner and laughing as we make memories.

I realize I have been blessed to serve wonderful churches in the past. I also realize God is allowing me to serve a wonderful group of people now. In a recent sermon I challenged people to get out of their comfort zones and go minister to people who are suffering. Two of the shyest women in our church went to the hospital to minister to a lady battling cancer who rarely gets visitors. I am so proud of both of them. I know that was not easy but what a joy to serve people who take listening to the Lord and obeying Him so seriously. I am proud of young men on the football team who take prayer seriously and living for God seriously. They have faced much adversity during this season but they have not given up on God, their head coach, or one another.

The people of Faith Community Church love me. Though they are not rich people they sacrifice in multiple ways to support, not only the church,  but my family also. They pray for me. They are patient with me. They follow and trust my leadership. They encourage me. We all get along. We are unified and do not have fussing and fighting like so many churches do. We have gone through hard times together. We have weathered many storms and trials that come with planting a new church. We are seeing the Lord turn things around for good. Worship services are exciting. Preaching has been joyful. God is moving among us. New faces are showing up.

I realize the blessing of living in a small town. This week I sat in a front yard to watch the small town homecoming parade. I have laughed with people, I'v had deep spiritual conversations with people. I have driven down the road and honked at friends and reconnected with people I have not seen in awhile. All of it just part of another day in Paradise.

Sitting before me is a plate of piping hot food and iced down unsweet tea. I realize many people will not even eat one meal like this today or any day such at the refugees flooding into Greece. I am blessed. I had a good breakfast. Enjoyed my private lunch and expect I will eat some supper after church tonight.

Tonight I will sit down in a padded chair and open my tattered Bible to teach timeless truths to adults. We will meet in a climate controlled room with beautiful wall decorations. Our students will gather in the warehouse where the temperature will be cooled. They will be surrounded by many adults who love them and given a great environment to have fun and be challenged by God's word. These are the facilities God has provided for Faith Community Church. They are simple, adequate, and blessed of the Lord.

I am a blessed man like David. God, thank you for bringing me to these realizations today. I ask You to do the same for multiple others during their day. In Jesus name, amen.

The Gift Of People

It is Sunday morning again. I sit here thinking about all the good people God put in my life along the way to encourage me and inspire me to keep going. There are far too many to mention here.

While I will be the first to admit, I am not an easy person to like much less to love, God has graciously gifted me with many wonderful relationships. Because I have always preached hard people tend to think I do not love people. Though I have no fear of men, God has given me a shepherd's heart for the people I have served. I love them deeply. Even those we had to leave I still love. I  have known the blessing of being loved by family, friends, and the flocks I have served. Churches from Faith Community, to FBC Seminole, FBC Paradise, CentrePointe, and Burke Baptist Church have all been used by God to enrich my life.

How can I ever truly give thanks to all of those wonderful  people in such a way that they ever know what they meant to me then and now? I cannot go back to them individually. I cannot mention them by name for fear of not including someone and hurting them. All I can do is say a big THANK YOU TO GOD FOR EACH OF THEM.

As I rewind the years in my mind ,I can recall wonderful people in each church I have served as pastor or youth pastor. I made many mistakes along the way. For the most part people were patient and loving toward me forgiving my mistakes and blunders. I am especially appreciative of those who encouraged me in the tough times, prayed for me consistently, and those who inspired me to keep going and not give up.

How could I ever say thank you enough for all those people who have stood with us financially over the years. Thousands and thousands of dollars have been sent to us in direct answer to prayer. Many have partnered with us to help me keep preaching the truth. Today,y as I have the joy of celebrating baptism, I wish each one of those financial partners could stand in the waters with me to celebrate God's new life in a sinner saved by grace.

There is a special kind of bond and love that can only be known between a pastor and his flock or the shepherd and his sheep. He laughs with them, weeps with them, grieves with them, celebrates with them, and teaches them Bible truth faithfully. He stands with the flock in life's best moments such as weddings and the births of children. He also stands with them in life's harshest moments such as disease, divorce, and death. Many faces flash across my mind now. Years of laughing, weeping, praying, and giving the hope of Jesus have made me a blessed man.

I have given my heart and soul to several churches. I have preached and taught with all the passion God welled up inside me. I did this with churches that numbered in the hundreds and churches that numbered only a few dozen people. In each of them God brought some loving people along side me to share the joys and sorrows of life. Each have a treasured part in my heart.

Today, I thank God for you. All of you. Even those who opposed me or betrayed me.  God used you to teach me to lean on God, to trust Him for refuge and comfort and to experience His faithfulness. These are lessons I would not have learned any other way. God used it all. Over the years God taught me how to love people. He even moved me to let my guard down and let other people in. My life has been richly blessed as a result.

God, thank You for the gift of people. Thank you for the many You have used to love me, encourage me, disciple me, shape me, and inspire me along the way. You have made me rich in relationships and for that I SHOUT THANK YOU! AMEN.

Comfortable In Sin

Do not get complacent and comfortable in your sin,
Enjoying yourself blissfully while the Devil just grins,
Do not lay your head to fall fast asleep in Delilah's lap,
Satan is no gentleman but a conniving enticing old chap,
From the beginning he was a liar, tempter, and a deceiver,
And we, his destruction are always the painful  receiver,
Lord, help us not grow comfortable in our transgressions,
You are our Deliverer, Savior this is our honest confession,
Please give us a hatred for sin burned with Your holy desire,
Purged and cleansed within from sin with Holy Ghost fire,
I ask You to make us truly uncomfortable in trespassing,
In Your presence, Lord, to find fullness of joy surpassing,
Awake us to the wicked adversary's hellish fiendish  schemes,
To the fact sin is never as rewarding as it often at first seems,
Please give us a hatred for anything not pleasing and unholy,
Until we are consecrated to You and we're surrendered wholly.

Head In The Devil's Lap

Samson was a man's kind of man. Strong. Courageous, bold, and unfortunately way too comfortable and complacent about sin in his life. He married a pagan woman just because she looked good to him. He had a weakness for women. He saw a good looking harlot and indulged in a night of pleasure with her even though he had been dedicated to God while still in is mother's womb.

Eventually he fell for a woman named Delilah. She was the devil in disguise. Satan comes disguising himself as an angel of light. [II Cor 11:14] How many times does Satan show up in a pretty or handsome face to entice people away from God and holiness of living. I have seen it more times than I can count. A smooth talking man takes a godly woman down a path of destruction and devastating. I pretty and seductive woman can manipulate and cause much misery.

Delilah sold Samson out for 1,100 pieces of silver. The Philistine lords wanted to know the secret of Samson's strength. She repeatedly pressed Satan to reveal his secret. Samson lied to her three times. Three times she tried to trap him to no avail.

Eventually she wore Samson down. Her nagging, pestering, and crying annoyed him to the point of death. When he could not stand it any longer he told her the whole truth. She set the plan in motion to capture him.

We learn in Judges 16:19 she lulled him to sleep on her lap. Many people have laid their heads in the devil's lap. They have been lulled to sleep not aware of the impending danger of sin.

We should not ever get comfortable, casual, and calloused toward sin. Sin kills. Sin destroys. Sin is dangerous. Samson had comfortable with loose women who had no regard for God. While Samson was dulled to sleep in Delilah's lap she set her sinister plan in motion to have his hair cut.

I wish someone could have been there to shout a warning to Samson, "WAKE UP! SHE DOES NOT LOVE YOU! SHE INTENDS TO HARM YOU. WAKE UP SAMSON AND FLEE! Get your head out of her lap before it is too late." Satan lulls us to sleep in sin with our heads in the lap of Delilah.

While Samson lived a life of compromise he never thought his profligate living would catch up with him. Sin will take you further than you ever wanted to go and cost you more than you ever wanted to pay. Delilah had his hair cut off. With this hair cut the Lord departed or withdrew from him. He had no more power.

When they captured Samson they gouged out his eyes, put him in chains and made him a grinder at the prison. The Philistines used him to mock and amuse them. Sin cost Samson more than he ever wanted to pay. He lost his eyes, his freedom, and his power.

Get your head out of the devil's lap. Get up and flee like Joseph did with Potiphar's wife. Run from sin. Run from temptation. Flee as fast as you can.

For some of you it is too late.. You kept your head in the devil's lap one day too long. You have paid a hight price for it.

Let us not end there. We learn in Judges 16:22 Samson's hair began to grow again. This is the grace of God. God would give Samson another chance. You know the rest of the story. The Philistine lords had a big party of about 3,000 people. They brought Samson out to amuse them. Samson cried to God to strengthen him one more time. He pushed against the pillars of the building with all the people on the roof. In the end he killed more people in his death than in his life. He fulfilled God's purpose for his life in his final moments.

Thank God for grace and second chances. We have all needed second chances. Truth be told, we have needed second, third, fourth chances, and so on. Praise God for infinite, marvelous, and matchless grace. THANK YOU JESUS FOR SECOND CHANCES!

Today, if you have your head in the devil's lap get up and get out as fast as you can. Do not get comfortable in sin. Do not get casual in your compromise of holy living. Get up and run away before it is too late. Never let yourself get lulled to sleep with your head in the devil's lap.

Fresh

Do not call to mind the former things or ponder things of the past. Behold, God will do a new thing; will you not be aware of it. [Is 43:18] 

The word "new" in that verse means fresh or current. Have you ever reached in the refrigerator and found spoiled milk,? Have you ever found food so old in the back that mold grew on it? 

That could define a lot of people's walk with God. Old. Stale. There were better days back in the past when these people were closer to God and their souls were on fire for the things of God. That was a long time ago. 

Life got in the way. Marriage. Work. Children. Mortgages. And somewhere the walk with God got stale. Worship took on a religious routine feel. Private devotions became hurried, shallow, and unsatisfying. 

Hear the Lord calling out today that He wants to do a new, a fresh, and a current thing in you today. He wants to show up in your life in a fresh way. He wants to infuse your day with His presence and His power. He wants to be fresh to you. 

As a child my grandparents had a large garden. I can still remember traipsing out int that garden barefooted with a salt shaker in hand heading toward the tomato vines. I would pluck those ripe juicy tomatoes and eat them with salt right off the vine. Nothing could beat those garden fresh tomatoes. 

Likewise, God is always working. [John 5:17] We may not be able to see what He is doing but He is at work. He is speaking. He is saving souls. He sparking revival in people's hearts. He is healing people. He is lifting burdens. He is comforting the grieving. These are just a few of the new, fresh, and current things He does everyday. 

When you open your Bible for a devotion is it fresh? Do you eagerly anticipate God speaking to you from the sacred text of scripture? As you go through your day, do you anticipate God showing up in various ways to use you to be His hands, His feet, and His heart for hurting, broken, and needy people? When you enter the house of worship to enter eagerly anticipating a fresh touch and encounter with God that is new and current. 

Our testimony should constantly be fresh and current because the Lord never quits working in our lives. He constantly reveals truth, guides our steps, calls us to step out in faith, responds to our faith steps, and gives us opportunities to join Him in His redemptive work around the world. Nothing can compare to the invitation God gives us to know Him and relate to Him. All of these things are fresh and current to the follower of Jesus who embraces them. 

Many people reading this would admit their lives are more like a wilderness, a desert, and a wasteland. You go through the external routines of serving God but nothing moves you. It all feels stale. 

O for a fresh work of God in our lives, in our churches, and across this nation today.

Gone

His death was way too premature gone forever,

Her death left a vast void to be forgotten never, 

Now only memories linger in pictures sadly behind, 

How I wish I could  go back and make time rewind, 

To cherish a touch, a hug,  a little talk, a gentle kiss, 

There are so many little things you did and said I miss, 

Like sharing a common ordinary home cooked meal, 

Most take for granted thinking not such a  big deal, 

Like sitting in the same room  in silence but together, 

Death cruelly noweparates but in Christ not forever,

The grief is hard - the days seeming unbearable at times,

The days seem darker now where their light used to shine, 

O God of comfort, God of life, healing, and God over death,

Please let me make the most of  life and every single breath, 

You see my broken heart, the sadness, sorrow, You see the pain, 

You see the tears that flow like a river and cheeks tear stained, 

It's hard to go on, to work, to live with such  wounded hearts, 

My heart is shattered into hundreds of  tiny grief filled parts,

I need You Lord, I need Your gracious help to intervene today, 

I need Your healing in my heart, please send it without delay,

When my grief overwhelms and my heart  does not quickly heal, 

When my heart gets so numb I can no longer love, serve or feel, 

You are my only comforter, You alone are my only true hope,

Like today when I 'm losing my grip at the end of my rope, 

They are gone, they shall never return again to hold in this life, 

The pain cuts as deep, so suddenly, as the cut of a butcher knife, 

I still trust You,  my God, though hard I'm still choosing to believe, 

You are my strength and my peace even while I still need to grieve.
Yes, my loved one died, they departed and  now are forever gone,
Still I praise You and love You - You shall  still be my morning song. 

Getting Up and Getting Out

The odds were beyond impossible. The prisoner on death row was next in line. Hope was gone. Unjustly arrested and imprisoned, the prisoner slept in chains.

People prayed like crazy for God to intervene. Things looked very bleak. Then God stepped in. What happened next is almost beyond belief. You could say God worked a miracle.

Here is the scene. As the prisoner slept a visitor showed up undetected by the guards. The chains were opened, removed. The visitor instructed the incarcerated man to put on his clothes and shoes and follow Him. They walked right out of the prison past guards and through iron gates that miraculously opened. Once outside the prison the mystery rescuer slipped away leaving the former prisoner alone and thinking it had been a dream.

You can read about this in Acts 12. Peter was not only imprisoned but had multiple guards watching him. A lot of people were praying. O praise God for prayer that makes the impossible possible, that turns the ordinary into the extraordinary, and can connect the natural with the supernatural.

When it looked hopeless God stepped in. When the angel of the Lord entered that prison cell undetected by anyone, but Peter, things changed suddenly. The chains fell off.

Now do not miss this. The angel told Peter to get his cloak, to put on his sandals, and gird his loins and follow him out. In other words the angel told Peter, "Get up and get out of here. You have been in this prison long enough. You have more to do. We're getting up and getting out."

That's where many of you are today. You are tired. You are boxed in by impossible circumstances. Things look bleak. Things look hopeless. You would give up except for this one thing. PRAYER. Prayer can change anything and anyone as God answers. Through prayer God steps down from eternity to invade our lives and our circumstances. Praise His name. Read what God is able to do. [Jer 32:17] [Jer 32:27] [Matt 19:26] [Eph 3:20] [James 5:16]

In your personal prison it is time to pray, trust God, gather prayer support from others and believe God for a miracle. He still does them you know. Expect God to step in to help and say, "It's time to get up and to get out!"

Let me tell you a quick story. This past July I preached at a youth camp in east Texas and took Turner with me. We had a great time together and Turner and I made some special memories.  At the end of the week over lunch the camp leadership slid an envelope with an honorarium in it to me. Turner pushed it back immediately and said we would not take it. He has seen us do this in the past and over meals. He is generous like his mother. I was flabbergasted. I had not told him to do that and the truth was we really needed that money. The cost of the trip itself to the camp had taxed us financially. The camp leaders slid the envelope again but Turner insisted we would not take it. The whole thing was very awkward and uncomfortable for me. By that time I could not take the money. Turned out God was in the whole thing.

Fast forward about three months. Things have been tight financially in our home. As usual we cried out to God for help. Yesterday I checked the mail and there was an envelope that caught my attention. When I opened it it was a card from the people of that youth camp thanking me for my service at the camp and an honorarium check enclosed. God heard our prayers. God stepped in. God stepped in. God showed up. God moved. God performed another financial miracle in our lives.

We were able to get up and get out of our troubled circumstances. I believe with all my heart God can step into your situation and help you get up and get out of your troubles too. Hallelujah. We are getting up and getting out!

Don't Give Up

Don't ever quit, don't give up nor ever give in,
God will show you His faithfulness once again,
Don't lose heart and don't throw in the towel,
Even while Satan roars and stays on the prowl,
Don't give up, don't lose heart, don't you ever quit,
Cling to God's promises by faith get a firmer grip,
Resolved plod ahead each day and fresh courage take,
Never giving up or giving in for Almighty Christ's sake,
The long awaited breakthrough will surely come at last,
Then those dreaded trials will be viewed only from our past.

Revival Is Costly

When a bomb goes off the effects are both obvious and devastating. Buildings are obliterated. People can be killed and injured. Craters are left. Debris is left scattered. Bombs do damage.

There is a lot of talk about revival. People often quote II Chronicles 7:14 in revival preparation or prayer. Preachers preach on, pray for, labor for, and read about revival. How few of us have ever been in the genuine supernatural move of the Holy Spirit called revival. Most of us have attended revival meetings. I have preached several revival meetings in dozens of different churches. Notice I am intentionally using the phrase "revival meetings" instead of the word revival. Why? I have only preached three revivals in my life. While I have preached revival meetings all over the state of Texas in many churches only three times did I see God bring genuine revival.

The first happened after a youth retreat in east Texas. Our students came back from the retreat pretty fired up. They testified in the evening meeting and the Lord began to stir us deeply. Something happened that night after service that has never happened at any other time in my ministry.

A group of people met me at the back door of the sanctuary and asked if we could meet the following Monday night for another service. We did this for three weeks. The crowds were not large. The worship moved our souls. Nobody got saved but the Lord stirred our hearts with fresh desire for Him.

Years later a religious organization from our local junior college invited to preach a campus revival meeting. Before the meetings started they held a prayer walk I attended. My expectations were very low. I did not know the amount of prayer put into that meeting. I remember a young student named Jonathan Baldwin the Lord used mightily in intercession during those days.

When I extended the invitation on that first night it felt like a bomb going off. The atmosphere changed immediately. The Lord exploded in that building convicting those few dozen students of their sin. Weeping could be heard all over the room. The presence of God was so thick in the room it felt as if you could touch it. The only thing that kept going through my mind was to get out of the spotlight. I fell on my face putting head under a chair on the front row to cry out to God. A friend of mine began to lead us in worship. With no one leading that invitation but the Holy Spirit the invitation alone lasted nearly two hours. Those revival meetings that were scheduled for three days ended up lasting three weeks. Services lasted anywhere between two to three hours.

My life changed. For those three weeks my life consisted of praying, studying for the next message, working out , and preaching. Night after night I waved goodbye to Brenda and the boys as we labored for and in revival. I had to cancel other revival meetings. I sacrificed financially as those college students did not have money to pay me. It did not matter. God supplied my needs. One night I found money in my front seat after the service.

The revival flame spread to one youth group close to twenty miles away. Many doubted. Many criticized. There were a few who experienced the genuine move of God during those days. Several were saved. Many were consecrated to the Lord. God moved in ways I could only dream about. As suddenly as it began it ended. I will never forget that night.

On that last night when I pulled up to the building a group of students were outside talking. This was not unusual. On this night one thing changed. As I approached the door one of the students asked where we were going to eat after the service. On other nights the focus had been on the holiness of God. Most every night after the services we went to eat. I never ate dinner before the services and we often were out late at night eating and talking about what God had done in the service.. I rarely got home during those weeks before midnight.

On that night the focus had changed. I knew it immediately once the service started. That same overwhelming sense of God's presence was not there. Everything seemed flat and I knew in my heart it was over. We had taken the move of God for granted and not bathed it  and sustained it in prayer. Just as quickly as it started it ended.

Years passed. About a decade to be exact. My family then served in a church in Seminole, TX out west. A church member  asked me to hold revival meetings in the church and to preach them. After mulling the matter over in intense prayer I felt the Lord's leading in it.

We prayed. We prayed some more. We held early morning prayer meetings. We held Saturday night home prayer meetings. We prayed privately. The week leading up to the revival we had people  sign up to read the Bible in the sanctuary from Genesis all the way to Revelation. People read scripture in that sanctuary from early morning to late at night for an entire week. In fact that last chapter of Revelation was read to start the first revival service. Right away I recognized that same sense of the powerful presence of God like I did back on that college campus. The altar filled with repentant people. Some prostrate before the Lord. Many weeping. People were saved. Senior adults were saved. Students were saved. Even one Sunday School teacher got saved.

The worship in those days moved the soul. Services lasted easily up to 2 hours. Powerful testimonies were shared. We met for 23 straight days. I will never be able to put those days into words. Before I left the church each night I went to my office and blogged about what God had done that night while it was fresh in my mind and heart. I wanted to capture the essence of what God did each night. I have not gone back to read those blogs written in late July 2010 and August 2010.

For 23 days I prayed my  heart out. I slept very little getting up all hours of the night to pray some more. My days were given to study. My nights were given to prayer meetings before the service and preaching like God has rarely ever gifted me to preach. God moved. God saved. God revived. One man heard about what God did and came from as far as Odessa, over an hour away, to attend several services.

God never failed to give me another message in those 23 days. I look back on those days in amazement. It took a toll on me though. Physically. Emotionally. There was a price to be paid. The day after the services ended Brenda and I went shopping. What really happened is she shopped and I slept in the car. I never want to forget what God did in Seminole.

In fact, in response to this blog I am asking those who attended the Angelina College Revival or those who witnessed what God at First Baptist Church Seminole in the summer of 2010, to comment on what you saw and experienced from God when I post this on Facebook.

Now, here is the point. When God shows up like that things change like a bomb going off. Things change on multiple levels. Priorities get rearranged. Sin gets exposed. Prayers are intensified. Worship takes on a new intensity. A hunger for God increases. Holiness returns to the people of God. The lost are saved. And something else. If you do not get anything else from this get this down pat. REVIVAL IS COSTLY.

It cost men and women in Seminole to give up their nights to play instruments, sing in the praise team, work in the nursery, televise the nightly services, and be available to counsel the lost. It cost people to rearrange their schedules to attend services often late into the night and still have to go to work the next day. It cost the church money to run the air conditioning and lights continuously for 23 straight days. REVIVAL IS COSTLY.

The next time you say you want revival or plan some revival meetings remember REVIVAL IS COSTLY. It will cost you hours in prayer. It will cost you pet sin and comfort. It will cost you emotionally. It may even cost you financially. When God sends revival things change. I praise the Lord He still shows up and explodes His presence on churches, communities and countries. O how we need it.

Jesus, I ask You to send genuine revival to Your church and to this nation once again. I ask You to usher in days of refreshing and repentance for Your people. I ask You to explode Your power on Your people once again. Please help us to be willing to pay the price for revival. Help me be willing to pay the price for revival. Do it again Lord as You have done the past. You are our only hope to renew, refresh, and rekindle fire in Your church. You are the only hope to turn this nation to repentance and submission to You. In Jesus name, amen.

If you have ever experienced genuine revival please comment on this for others to whet their appetite for a fresh move of God.

G2G

G2G. What does that mean? It is very dear to my heart. I have been peaching this truth to people of all ages for over a decade. I have proclaimed this truth both inside and outside the pulpit. I have shared this truth in revivals, at youth camps, on youth retreats, and even to sweaty haired little boys of all ages after grueling off season workouts or football practices.

G2G means glory to God. I take this truth from [I Cor 10:31]Here in Paradise G2G is more than just a slogan. Our coaches have embraced this truth from elementary age all the way to high school. Let me tell you what I mean. Lat night I went to watch our seventh grade boys play football. I coached them for several years teaching them devotions, praying with them, and challenging them to live and play for the glory of God. Last night Turner asked me after the game, "Did you hear us shouting GLORY TO GOD on the field?" Sadly I did not hear them saying that. It still fired me up. I got fired up when  I watched as them kneel in prayer before the start of the game.

I've heard other teams with older boys break out of their pre-game chant to "Glory to God!" Our girls cross country teams, who have been to the state meet for two straight years, also pray before practices and run for the glory of God.

Our varsity football team voluntarily wear the G2G symbol on their helmets even though it looks different. Nobody has to wear it. Each player has to choose to put that sticker on their helmet. What they wear is a G with a roman numeral II and a backward G. The coaches wear this on the back of their coaching shirts. Many are standing and playing for God in this community. It warms my heart. It is cultural change of playing for a cause greater then selfish accolades and school pride.

I personally saw one of our athletes bow his knee and lay hands on a fallen teammate, who hurt his knee as he  sat on the bench, and pray for him. I have seen multiple football players bowed on their knees at the altar in our church on a Sunday morning asking God to help them. I've heard stories of captains on the football team gathering players in a huddle on the field and praying together during official timeouts.

On the other hand , I have seen blatant spiritual warfare against these teams. Read this. During the first scrimmage one of the backs went down with an ACL knee injury after only four carries. Another player injured his hand. The next week another player injured his shoulder.  The starting quarterback injured his neck and back and had to be taken from the field house by ambulance. The next week two linemen got concussions rendering them unable to play tonight. A key linebacker hurt his knee and is out for a few weeks. Another two way starter is out indefinitely with some heart related issues.

While in the weight room lifting this past week, I saw close to a dozen people in the training room seeing the trainer with various injuries. This is not just on our high school football team. Two basketball players have hurt their knees during off season basketball practices. Two junior high football players have broken their wrists; one on a four wheeler and one during the game last night. You will never convince me, in a town as small as Paradise, on teams as small as ours that these things are all coincidence.

If coaches and players are playing for the glory of God then there will be Satanic opposition. This is my call for Christians to cover these boys and girls in prayer. This is my call to take the fight to our knees for God to protect them, for God to glorify His name in this community, in our churches, and on these teams.

Glory to God is more than just a chant for me. It is a motto for life. I teach it to young people as well as to adults. We should live for the glory of God. Do I think saying, "Glory to God"  is a good luck charm to help teams win games? No! Do I think God wants to glorify His name through young athletes, coaches, parents, and a whole community? Yes and a thousand times yes!

What if teachers taught for the glory of God? Ranchers raised their herds for the glory of God?Farmers plowed, sowed, and reaped the harvest for the glory of God? Police enforced the law for the glory of God? Barbers and beauticians cut and styled hair for the glory of God? Musicians played and sang for the glory of God.?Preachers preached for the glory of God? Politicians labored and served for the glory of God? Parents raised their kids for the glory of God? Business people made money for the glory of God?THAT IS WHAT I AM AFTER. THE GLORY OF GOD SPLASHED ALL OVER EVERY FABRIC OF SOCIETY.

That looks like revival to me. G2G FOREVER!

Freedom

O beloved, there is freedom in Christ. A freedom made possible because of His shed blood. A freedom available to the the most vile offender who believes on Jesus for salvation. The same Christ who forgives sinners is also the same Christ who sanctifies His people. He who began that good work of salvation will continue to work until our last day. [Phil 1:6]

Yet, many live enslaved. Enslaved to past hurts and wrongs. Enslaved to various sins. Enslaved to legalism. Jesus sets people free. Jesus sets people free indeed. "Therefore, if the Son makes you free you shall be free indeed." [John 8:36] The word "free" means to be exempt, not to be a slave, and not under restraint. If this is true, then why are so many living in bondage?

Bondage to past hurts and emotional wounds. Many people, including myself, have been hurt in our youth by some of the very people who were supposed to love us, protect us, and nuture us. How many have been physically abused, psychologically scarred, and sexually assaulted. The pains are real. The scars remain. Many Christian people are stuck right there.

Others have been mistreated by friends and business associates. The anger lingers. The seething hatred burns down deep inside. Bitterness destroys the work of God deep inside. Church houses are filled with people stuck in this type of emotional bondage. THERE IS FREEDOM IN JESUS. People do not have to live shackled to un-forgiveness  and bitterness. There is liberty from past hurts, wounds, and abuse for every child of God. Embrace that truth. Trust God for it. Live in it.

How many people live shackled to the ball and chain of sin. These same people will testify of a salvation encounter with Jesus. These same people will attend worship services and many even maintain the discipline of private devotions. Yet they continue to be enslaved to sin. As much as they hate it, as much as they have tried to change, as many times as they have repented and tried to start again, they are still enslaved. It does not have to continue this way. What Jesus did on the cross and the power of His resurrection is sufficient to set people free from alcoholism, drug addiction, pornography, gossip, lying, homosexuality, gambling, adultery, fornication, and any other sin known to man. This is gospel truth. There is freedom and freedom indeed. Addictions can be broken. Pet sins can be discarded.

What about those people enslaved to legalism. These are the people who have reduced serving the Lord to keeping rules and regulations. They want every "t" crossed and every "i" dotted. They get hung up on rules and regulations. They love to be in control and have missed out on the heart of serving the Lord. These people are big on duty but seldom enjoy the delight of knowing the Lord and worship of Him. Churches are filled with people like this. They want control. They manipulate to get into powerful positions. They can intimidate and run rough shod over congregations. These people can be pastors, deacons, charter church members. committee members, and elders. The title does not matter as much as the rottenness of the interior or their lives.

Jesus offers freedom to people like these too. They can be set free to love and serve the Lord without power, manipulation, rules, and regulations. I am not saying that churches do not need rules and regulations. God is a God of order. Jesus loves people. People with real flaws. People with real sinful failures. His marvelous grace is sufficient for all. The most vile offender who truly believes in Jesus will receive pardon, forgiveness, and liberty.

Hallelujah to the Lamb of God who offers freedom. Praise the name of Jesus for giving us liberty and breaking the chains of slavery to un-forgiveness, to bondage to sin, and to legalism.  Bless His holy name forever. Child of God embrace the freedom Jesus purchased for you and live in it forever.

Mad

Lord, I confess that I am often mad at You,
When I can't see what it is You are up to,
I get angry when I see others gripped in pain,
That no words of a preacher can really explain,
I get mad when the cancer disease takes away,
Those we love and can't hold for another day,
I get mad when things get obscured from view,
When I wonder what next You are going to do,
I get mad when death steals away too premature,
When doubts arise and Your word seems unsure,
I get mad when good people suffer in such sorrow,
When weeping endures with each and every tomorrow,
I know the enemy sows these seeds of anger inside me,
Blinding me in rage until Your goodness I cannot see,
I know this anger is self destructive to my weary soul,
That You alone can heal the hurts and make me whole,
I know that You are good - Your ways are faithful and true,
Why have these things become so clouded from my view,
Yes, I am angry because I am frail and can't understand,
What You have proposed and what all You have planned,
So I lay my anger down completely at Your glorious feet,
Believing You to sanctify and make me wholly complete,
I no longer will live mad, angry, and bitter toward You,
When Your last chapter is not done -You are not through.

This poem was inspired by a conversation I recently had with a suffering saint that loves God but cannot understand the sorrows of life. I think we have all been at this same place at one point or another. I do not throw stones for I know I have been in this place myself from time to time. Even in these seasons I believe God's grace is sufficient and He brings us through to victory. Press on dear ones. Press on until the light of God's glory breaks the dreadful clouds that hang over your life right now.

Abounding Trials - Triumphant Peace

Like few times ever in my life the trials are abounding. They come in various sizes and shapes. Some are personal. Some are family health related. Some are related to Faith Community Church. Some are related to the Paradise community and especially our athletic programs plagued with a rash of injuries. What is of greater importance is the number of other people I see suffering.

Cancer abounds. Often the doctors say it is incurable. In the small community of Paradise it is astounding the number of people fighting cancer. I have never seen anything like it. On top of this, I see so many of our athletes suffering injury. In all my years of playing sports and supporting my kids I have never seen anything like it. Knee injuries. Concussions. Heart problems. Ankle injuries. Pulled muscles. Broken bones. All for a team trying hard to play for the glory of God.

No family I know has suffered more than the Jones and Fisher families from West Texas. Watching them face trial after trial, grief on top of grief, sorrow multiplied with other sorrows has left me bewildered and asking God why. Why has one family been forced to endure so much suffering? I hurt for them and find myself at a loss for words. Nothing I can say or write will take away the pain. Only God can heal and comfort their broken hearts. Only God can answer their probing questions of why and why He did not intervene to stop the cycle of disease, accidents, and deaths in such a short span. All I know to do is to love them and lift them before the Father.

I am thinking of a single mother fighting breast cancer. She lost her job and insurance because she missed work so much getting treatments. She had to move back home with her parents. The trials were already abounding enough in her life just being a single mother without dealing with cancer and the loss of her job and insurance.

I am thinking of the many people I know facing financial trials because of the down turn in the economy especially related to the oil field and farmers. The trials abound for these families. Many have felt the pinch at work and others fear the loss of their jobs.

Where do I look for hope? I look to God's word. I find strength and hope from Phil 4:6-7, "Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." HCS

The only hope any of us has is to keep praying, keep pleading, keep interceding, and to keep trusting God to help in the trials. For the grieving that means asking God to comfort and heal broken hearts. For the financially strained that means trusting God for provision. For the ones fighting cancer that means trusting God for healing and to take care of loved ones.

I am writing this at a time when Faith Community Church has less than $150 in the bank. Yet ,I have never had more peace that I am supposed to be here. I have more peace that God will come through for us again. Over the past two decades I have seen Good do numerous financial miracles many of which I have recorded on these blogs.  At a time when things look bleak I have more peace that God is doing a great work in this church. I am excited for our future and the vision God keeps unfolding to me. Even with less than $150 in the bank I am able to sleep soundly at night. Thoughts of panic do not grip my heart. The peace of God triumphs. No matter what happens I know God will not forsake me. That does not mean that things at times cannot go from bad to worse. Many of you can testify of this fact in our own lives. I still choose to trust God and His peace literally is sitting guard over my heart and mind.

That is where Satan love to attack. Seeds of doubt creep into our thoughts. Our emotions deceive us. But when we lay it all before the throne of God and leave it with Him, His peace triumphs in us even when the trials are abounding.

As I stand in the gap for many people fighting cancer I have God's peace. As I watch people in my flock suffering from various things, I trust God on their behalves to intervene. I trust God to help, comfort, provide, rescue, deliver, heal, and protect.

Everywhere you look trials are abounding, but if you walk with God and trust Him, peace can triumph all the more. Jesus, please flood the hearts of the suffering with your peace that no man can manufacture, no self-help philosophy can create, and nobody can explain. I ask for Your peace to triumph over every single trial. In Jesus name, amen.

Lord, Send Revival

Lord, we cry and plead for You to send revival,
It is a matter of our local and national survival,
Please send waves of Your Holy Ghost revival fire,
Please strengthen Your church to pray and not tire,
Please convict of sin and rend our sin stained hearts,
Bringing us back to repentance and a brand new start,
We need an old fashioned revival spread across the nation,
That re-energizes the church with Your unbridled elation,
Please return holiness from every house back to the pews,
Also filling local streets with the pure gospel good news,
We plead for You to push back the darkness with Light,
As we stand firm against Satan fighting the good fight,
This is the day, this is the hour, this is the generation,
To believe You for a revival that engulfs all the nations.

Why Did You Enter The Pulpit Today

Preacher, why did you enter the pulpit today,
When you had no "thus says the Lord," to say,
Why do you go through the religious motions,
Devoid of real pathos or passionate emotions,
Why do you pass on empty religious cliches,
When we need to hear what God has to say,
To a hell bent world deeply entrenched in sin,
Ignoring God's call to repent again and again,
Preacher why do you preach the words of men,
That tickle the ears but rarely, if ever, offend,
Why do you preach to hear men's mass applause,
Instead of staying true to the Bible gospel cause,
Is it not time to go back to secluded secret places,
To pray with tears while prostrate on our faces,
Can we afford another dry sermon covered in ice,
That caters to the crowd in eloquence sounding nice,
Where are the sermons birthed in Holy Ghost fire,
Preaching a holy God and the holiness He desires,
Is it not time preacher to stop the religious charade,
To refuse marching in this unbiblical fanciful parade,
Preacher, will you once again enter your pulpit today,
When you know you have nothing from God to say!

Night Watch

Jesus,

You will not allow me to sleep and it is my turn to take my watch on the wall. I lift up my friend to You. With all my heart I ask You to penetrate his heart and mind with Your truth. I ask You to minister to Him even now while he sleeps. You love him. You pursue him. I ask You to penetrate his heart with You reviving Holy Spirit. I ask You to call Him to repentance and break through like a jack hammer on his heart. I ask You to relentlessly pursue him like a man being chased by rabid dogs nipping at his heels. I pray for this one You love to have no peace until he is fully aligned with You and Your purposes for his life. Until that day, I ask You to keep me up during the night watches to keep watch over his soul. May the burden You have given me for him never lighten or lessen. I pray it will only intensify until You win the victory.

I lift up the one overwhelmed this morning. As they battle despair, grief, sorrow, and doubt today I ask You to show up in their situations and manifest Your power and Your glory. I ask You to lift the heavy loads they bear and press them down. I ask You to come to their rescue and give them some relief, hope, and brighten their day with some good news for a change. I ask You to hold them firmly in Your hand and reassure them You have not forgotten them nor forsaken them in these painful days. I ask You to show Yourself to them as they struggle through the miry clay of confusion. You are the Lord of the universe. Nothing is impossible with You. I ask You to prove that today. Not that You have to or that we deserve for You to. You know we are frail. You know how often our faith is fragile. For everyone suffering today through overwhelming circumstances I ask You to step in and help. I ask You to turn the tide from bad to good, from loss to gain, from sorrow to rejoicing, and from doubt to faith. As if You personally came in the flesh to comfort and reassure, Holy Spirit, I ask You to come comfort, to console, and to encourage Your broken ones.

I lift up those battling cancer today. Jesus, I still believe You are healer.Not just You were healer or You will be healer in the future. You are healer today and in this hour.  Cancer is not bigger than You. Cancer is not an immovable mountain. You know the ones who need Your healing touch. I ask You to drive out every single cell  of cancer from their bodies for the glory of Your name. I ask You to minister to these in their excruciating pain. I ask You to supply hope to those facing hopeless diagnosis. I ask You to help those who have no other place to turn to for help but You because they have exhausted every other resource to no avail.

I lift up ailing churches. I lift up weary members who are tired of pleading for You to turn their church around but see conditions worsen. I lift up those who serve, give, labor, and plan but none of it has turned their church around. I lift up broken hearted people who recall the former glory days of their church home. I lift up those who sit in the pews brokenhearted over the spirit of apathy among members and the irreverence among worshipers. I lift up those who've devoted their lives to serving You in their local church but have seen the church fall on some hard and lean times. Jesus, I ask You to call the dead bones back to life. I ask You to breathe life into these daed churches again.

I lift up our sin sick nation. We continue to defy You and Your laws. We flaunt sin publicly. People openly mock You. We have legalized sin and called it a right. We have glorified Satan and the occult. We have murdered close to 200 million babies denying them the right to live and serve Your purposes in their generation. We have become obsessed with pleasure no matter how obscene or immoral it might be. We have defiantly ignored Your warnings and rejected the gospel in large part as a nation. I plead with You to send a tsunami wave of conviction all across this land. I ask You to bring this nation to our knees in repentance and submission to You. I ask You to start with pastors. I ask You to convict those going through the motions mechanically just to get a paycheck. I ask You to stir fresh fire in their souls and call them into account with You. I ask You to call them back to the prayer closet as they intercede for their congregations and communities. I ask You to rebuke the hypocrites in the pews and call them to repentance and holiness. I ask You to break the silence with the sounds of weeping and wailing of church members repenting of sin and getting right with You. I ask You to send another Great Awakening. I ask You to start pockets of revival fire in every corner of this nation and let the flames spread until the entire nation has been engulfed in revival flames.

None of us truly know what You will do today. Whether today is a day of blessing and rejoicing or a day of sorrow and trials, we want to trust You. We have nowhere else to turn. We have nobody else who can help us. YOU are our only hope as people, as families, as churches, and as a country. We know politicians will never save us. We know scholars will never solve all the problems. We know doctors and researchers cannot cure every disease. We know financial planners cannot save us from every financial disaster. In all these situations we only have You. And we sate that You are sufficient. You are enough. You are all we need.

So with all our hearts we turn to You. We cry out to You. We seek You. We submit to You. This is the day You have made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. We declare great is Your faithfulness and Your mercies are new every morning including this one. In Jesus name I pray, amen and amen.

Dying Wish

I recently sat in the living room with a woman diagnosed with a terminal disease. Before we had prayer I asked her what the desires of her heart were. I expected her to say she wanted to be healed, she wanted more time with her family, or she wanted to prove the doctors wrong.

Her answer stunned me. She wanted to see more souls saved. She went on to explain that she worried many people who sit in church and think they have come to a saving knowledge of the Lord have not truly been saved. She went on to explain many church goers have only made a decision mentally to become a Christian. They never came to genuine repentance over sin and truly turned to Jesus Christ as their only hope and deliverer from sin and the wrath of God.

What would your dying wish be? Would it be for more things, more memories with family, or more entertainment? How many of us could honestly say our dying wish would be for more souls to be saved?

I have been around several people over the years who knew they were dying. In almost every case facing their own mortality brought them to a clear sense of things. One man I ministered to years ago battling cancer sat down in his living room with a video recorder and taped a message for his family and closest friends challenging them to get right with God. In his last days he increasingly turned his heart toward spiritual matters. He truly wanted those closest to him to be right in their relationships with the Lord.

Another woman I knew, dying of breast cancer in east Texas, shared the love of Christ and the good news of His salvation with doctors, nurses, and anyone who visited her room. She died pointing others to Jesus her Savior.

The sobering truth is that we are all terminal. Some of us are more aware of it than others. Millions of people will enter eternity alienated from God. If you believe your Bible at this point, eternal suffering and agony of soul will be afflicted on them forever and ever. The anguish will never end. The suffering will never lighten. The torment will never lessen. Only Jesus can rescue people from such a terrible plight.

We don not have to wait until our last days to share this good news with people. Yesterday I had the opportunity to share this truth with a young man. Sadly, we were interrupted before I could finish and the young man left afterward. I trust God for another chance to talk to this guy about what really matters.

If you really care about people you cannot help but want to share the good news of Jesus Christ with others. IT TRULY IS GOOD NEWS! So what is your dying wish? I don't know who penned these words but I know they have left a deep mark on me. "Tis only one life to live and t'will soon be past, only what is done for Christ will last."

Storm Brewing

This past Saturday Brenda and I were driving home from Howard Payne University watching Taylor play in a football scrimmage. As Brenda slept and I drove, I saw dark clouds brewing to the west. In the distance I saw several lightening strikes and could make out the dark silhouette of rain falling.

Not long afterward we drove through a few sprinkles. The noise woke Brenda just in time to see a couple of flashes of lightening. Suddenly the winds heightened blowing debris all over the highway. The dirt began blowing so hard along with the rain I could barely make out the road. Brenda grew increasingly nervous but I could tell the thunderstorm would not last long. Within five minutes we drove through it and made it home the rest of the way without further incident.

Later that evening the same storm hit with a vengeance about half an hour from our home. People suffered minor damage from the storm.

Likewise, I see storm clouds brewing over America in every direction. It seems like our society is coming unravelled at the seams . Racism is escalating back to pre-civil rights days. The economy is volatile. Lawmakers are making deals that do not have America's best interest at heart. Presidential candidates have been caught in lies as well as the typical mud slinging that accompanies political campaigns. Cultural elitist have tried to redefine marriage. Occult activity is flaunted in public more and more by performers on stage. Vulgar and profane performances defy God and His law.

The storm clouds are brewing. Ominous days appear to be ahead. While all of this is happening what should the children of God do? Panic? Live in fear and anxiety? Give up? NO. We should pray for America to repent and return to God. [II Chron 7:14] We should share the love of Christ as I did with a high school athlete in the weight room today. [Rom 1:14-16] We should stand firm against the wicked schemes of the devil. [Eph 6:12] We should look at the scriptures to help us discern the times we live in.

Yes, I believe a storm in coming but I also know who holds storms in the palm of His hands. We can face the storm with His peace guarding our hearts and minds. [Phil 4:6-7].