Twenty-one days of fasting...

... to start January 1, 2018 and who can even believe that we are almost there.  How can we make our fasting more effective this year and what is it that God expects of us as we fast?  Isaiah 58:69 (NIV)  "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?  Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?  Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.  Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I...”

Please be aware that fasting is not intended to be a “quick-fix diet” for over eating during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year Holidays.  It is a time of seeking God with all your hearts and it is a time of searching our hearts and repenting for ourselves and our nation.  According to Isaiah, it is a time of seeing people set free by the power of God, a time of being compassionate to those in need, and about taking care of our own families.

I am praying this year that men will step up and take their spiritual responsibility as the leader in their homes.  I am also praying that women will adorn themselves with the glory of God and cause their homes to be a place of blessings and refuge.  I am praying that our children will seek God passionately and for those who are prodigals to return to the Lord with all their hearts.  Come on, Life Church Assembly of God, let us fast and pray as one in the Lord, let us see our light break forth in our community, and our healing to come quickly!!

There are many “catch phrases” that circulate...

... through Christendom...sometimes they have great meaning and other times not so much.  One such phrase is, “It is not about me” but reality tells us that most of what we do is about us and it is for us.  Max Lucado in his book with the same title as the phrase It Is Not About Me is attempting to help us see that whatever we do should be done for the glory of God.  Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NKJV) “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”  Whatever we do we should be doing for God’s glory but all too many times “me” gets in the way.

Lucado says, “Our society is not wired for this kind of thinking.  It’s a “me-centric” world out there, which destroys much of what should be good.  Marriages are ruined because one or both partners are focused on their own happiness.  Successful men and women are ruined by their own success, believing they don’t need anyone else’s input.  And for some, life’s troubles are magnified because they believe life is all about them.”  The Gospel of Jesus Christ seems to be completely backward to our self-centered lifestyle here in the United States of America.  We are taught and are even conditioned to believe that we have the right or entitlement to have what we want when we want it.

I have said for years that God is not so much interested in our happiness as He is our holiness.  He wants us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.  This seems so difficult when we are so comfortable taking care of number one.  Lucado says, “Our comfort is not God’s priority.  If it is, something has gone awry.  If we are the marquee event, how do we explain flat-earth challenges like death, disease, slumping economies, or rumbling earthquakes?  If God exists to please us, then shouldn’t we always be pleased?”  The truth is that God does not exist to make a big deal out of us but we should exist to make a big deal out of Him.  It is not about you and for a certainty it is not about me, it is all about Him.  Psalm 34:3 (NKJV) “Oh, magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together.” 

Joshua has always been one of...

... my favorite Bible characters, so much so that we named our second son by that name. I believe that Joshua (the one in the Bible) can be such an inspiration to us by the things that God commanded him and how he walked those things out in his life. Can you imagine trying to fill the shoes of Moses? Over and over in Joshua 1 God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous...I believe He is saying those things to us. As a review here are the points to the message God gave me to give to you comparing our lives to Joshua!

1. God wants us to put our past into perspective! Joshua 1:1-2(NIV)

2. God wants us to realize He has a place for us! Joshua 1:2-4(NIV)

3. God wants us to know that His power and presence will go with us to defeat our enemies! Joshua 1:5 (NIV)  

4. God wants us to know that He will keep His promise to us! Joshua 1:6 (NIV)

5. God wants us to have true prosperity! Joshua 1:7-8 (NIV) 

6. God wants us to take possession of what He has promised! Joshua 1:11 (NIV)

7. God wants us to be passionate about being obedient to Him! Joshua 1:16-17 (NIV)

A.W.Tozer said, “The true follower of Christ will not ask, "If I embrace this truth, what will it cost me?" Rather he will say, "This is truth. God help me to walk in it, let come what may!"  What I am saying is that this is God’s truth and with His help we can and will walk victoriously in it! Be strong and courageous!

Jim Cymbala says, “Prayer links us...

...to the promises and power of the Almighty.  Calling out to God threatens Satan’s kingdom because it brings the blessings of heaven to earth and grants salvation to the ungodly.” We have been speaking for some time of growing to one thousand and I truly believe that we are. The truth is that to grow in God’s way and grow biblically we must pray and invite Holy Spirit every day!

The early church devoted itself to prayer (Acts 2:42), it prayed the Apostle Peter out of prison the night before his scheduled execution (Acts 12), and they responded to persecution for the first time by prayer (Acts 4:42). God responded by granting them a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit and a boldness to witness for Christ. When Ananias was so fearful to go in obedience to Saul who became Paul God gave him this sign to let him know he had changed: Acts 9:11 (NKJV) “...behold, he is praying.”

We all in one accord say that we want to grow and we all agree in growing to one thousand plus but that will come thru Holy Spirit prayer. Listen to the exhortation of our Lord: Luke 18:1 (NIV) “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” If you have not arrived at your destination yet...do not give up and do not stop praying. The Scriptures we read about putting on God’s armor also tells us: Ephesians 6:18 (NKJV) “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.” Brothers and Sisters, keep praying and fasting and we will grow like they did in the Book of Acts! God multiplied His Church!

Today I want to do something that I have wanted to do for a long time...

...I want to tell all of you where to go!  Matthew 28:18 19 (NLT) “Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”  Jesus has told us to go and we must be obedient!  First, we must go after God with all of our hearts.  The truth is: we will never go after “them” until we go after Him! Tommy Tenny, “We must go after God until we catch Him or He catches us!”

Second, we must go after the lost. Ezekiel tells us there is a great and mighty army just waiting to come up out of their graves to be used for God. Ezek 37:13 (NKJV) "Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.” Third, we must go to the church and say it is time to wake up out of your sleep! Eph 5:14 (NKJV) “Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light." Fourth, we must go after revival!!! Revival is when you are tired of the status quo and you truly want Jesus to be Lord. It is when you are tired of altars not being filled with those who need salvation, when you want Holy Spirit to lead a service instead of a man, when dry bones come to life! It is when God’s Word is believed and acted upon with signs following, when children and adults alike are in the altars pouring out their hearts to God, and revival is a blast of the breath of God coming into a church and community changing everything in its path.

Fifth, we must go on to maturity. Hebrews 6:1 (NLT) “So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God.” Finally, we must go to the gates of hell and rescue those who are about to fall off the edge. Life Church, Jesus said we must go, so we must go!! 

In 2 Kings 6 there is an incredible story...

... about Elisha and the sons of the prophets. The sons of the prophets came to Elisha and told him that they needed more space and could they have permission to go down to the Jordan River and cut down trees for building them more room.  2Kings 6:5-7 (NKJV) “But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, "Alas, master! For it was borrowed."  So the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float.  Therefore he said, "Pick it up for yourself." So he reached out his hand and took it.” 

  Why in the world would God feel like it was important for us to know that He could make an ax head float?  Was it that He wanted the prophet to save face and not appear to be irresponsible?  I don’t think so.  God was wanting the prophet to know and is wanting us to know that He has the power of reversal, annulment, cancellation, negation, revocation, and undoing when it is needed in our lives.  If God has the power to reverse the natural order of gravity and make an ax head float then surely He has the power to reverse our situation.

The Word of God has to be our final authority when we face situations which need to be reversed. Listen to the faith of Abraham in these verses:  Romans 4:16 21 (NKJV) “...as it is written, "I have made you a father of many nations") in the presence of Him whom he believed  God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;  who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, "So shall your descendants be."  And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.”  Please know that God has the power of divine reversal in your situation as you choose to stand in faith like Abraham did.  Amen!

Maybe you have a desire...

... to be faithful to Jesus but you are confused by so many voices speaking into your life. We hear so much political correctness and we have a fear of being intolerant of those who may believe differently than we do. The fear is further propagated by saying if you speak against certain lifestyles or people who may seem compromising to you that you are guilty of a “hate crime.” Even in the church there is confusion of where the lines are to be drawn between showing grace and mercy and being accepting of things contrary to God’s law.

So what is our standard?  How do we measure what is right and where we are to stand as a church? We want to reach the lost but we do not want to compromise our convictions to do so. Our standard has always been and will forever be the Word of God. Jesus said in Matthew 24:35 (NKJV) “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” Political correctness should never dictate what our standard should be on abortion, same sex marriage, adultery, Israel, or any other social issue of our day.

We need to be so careful in these last days that we are not presuming on the grace of God by believing the doctrines of man instead of the Living Word of God.  The writer of Hebrews says: Hebrews 4:12 (NLT) “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” It exposes sin and righteousness. Paul says: Romans 6:15 16 (NLT) “Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.” Obey God and His Word and you will be faithful to Him!