Answering the Call

Well, that was a rough day yesterday. Yesterday, Sunday morning, we shared with our students and the congregation about the Lord calling us to serve on the mission field. One of the hardest things I've ever had to do. When the ministry and things are going so well, we love our church family and community, and not wanting to leave our family and friends...it's rough to announce you're leaving it. Selfishly we don't want to leave. We love it here. We love everything about our ministry, our church, our community. But...we must be obedient to the call that the Lord has placed on our lives.

What do you do when the Lord begins to speak to your heart about something? When you open your Bibles and spend time in prayer with Him, as He begins to soften your heart or pull your heart into a certain direction, what do you do?

^{Isaiah 55:8-9
8} “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

There have been many plans and desires in my life that I hoped for and wanted. Many of those plans have came true and many have not. I've learned to TRUST in my Lord and Savior. I've learned to listen to His gently whisper and hear when He speaks. I am a work in progress though. Not perfect, but doing my best. 
 I've learned that His ways and plans for my life are FAR beyond what I could ever imagine or dream up. My hope and prayer is that each day of life He gives to me that I make the most of it and not live it for myself, but for His name sake. 

My encouragement to those that might read this some day is to answer the call He puts on your life. He will call you to do amazing and wonderful things. Trust Him. Listen for His voice in every and all circumstances of life. He already knows what you might go through, He already knows the possible outcomes, He already knows how you might feel or think about whatever it is, so just say Yes Lord, I'm listening and I will say or do whatever you call me to do.

Growing Spiritually

If you have a relationship with Jesus Christ, do you desire to grow as a Christian?
To achieve success in a race, we must work out and practice and prepare. Much like in life, if we want to win and have the strength and preparedness to overcome our temptations and struggles, we must practice and grow as a believer.

This was from a devotional I recently read.

In Philippians 2:13-14, Paul says that the Christian life is a partnership involving God and you. God works in you to motivate you to desire to fulfill His purposes. Spiritual growth begins with God. God works in you before He can work through you.
The English word “energy” comes from the word translated “work” in verse 13. God’s divine energy is at work in you and through you. When you gave your life to Jesus, your eternal destiny was altered, a radical reorientation of priorities occurred, life took on a new purpose, and the Holy Spirit took up residence. But rather than providing instant liberation from every bad habit or character flaw you have ever possessed, what took place was more like the landing of an army on an island to establish a beachhead. It would take time for the army to root out the enemy. Likewise, it will take time for God to conquer your old, bad habits and flawed character traits.
Once God works in you, then you grow spiritually as you “work out” or “work to full completion” the traits God has instilled in you. When Paul writes, “work out your salvation” (verse 12), he is talking about a spiritual workout. What God has put in you requires time and training to work out. Spiritual growth necessitates ordering your life around the disciplines of prayer, solitude, Bible reading, worship, giving and serving. Allow God to work in you as you practice these disciplines, and you will see spiritual growth take place in your life.
Lord…help us to practice the disciplines that lead us to spiritual growth!!

The Power Is Within Us

For I can do NOTHING on my own. All that I do and accomplish for the Kingdom is because of the power of the Holy Spirit living in me. 2 Peter 1:3 says, "His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness." We cannot live this Christian life on our own. It is impossible! Sometimes I've fallen into the trap of believe that if I only read more of His Word, pray harder, do more for Him that I can do great things for the Kingdom. But in all reality...I can do NOTHING without him. 
The RELATIONSHIP that I have with Him is where the power is found.  And how I treat that relationship is what determines how I grow or stay where I'm at. When we spend time with Him in prayer and bible study and obedience, that's where the power is found.  That is where we become more like Christ. And the coolest part about that, it's also where we get to experience true living. We see fruits of the spirit being lived out in our lives.  We see God do great things that we cannot even explain. He doesn't call us to be more Christ-like and then leave us out in the middle of the desert. He gives us His Spirit to fight against evil and to follow in obedience.
"Will God ever ask you to do something you are not able to do? The answer is yes--all the time! It must be that way, for God's glory and kingdom. If we function according to our ability alone, we get the glory; if we function according to the power of the Spirit within us, God gets the glory. He wants to reveal Himself to a watching world." ~Henry Blackaby

Let the Lord be revealed in our lives today!!

Does your LIFE sing?

What consumes your mind from the time you wake up until the time you lay your head down on the pillow? Have you ever really stopped to think about all the things that cross your mind in a day?
Think about it for just a minute...
...Am I awake on time? ...What clothes should I wear? ...What time do I need to leave? ...What do I feel like eating for breakfast? Should I do my Bible Study now or later?  ...Did I grab everything I need before I walk out of this door? ...Do I have my keys? All the thoughts of seeings as you drive to work. What are my priorities for this day? ...What comes first and what needs to be done before I leave today? ...What's for lunch?  All the thoughts of business and work related tasks.  People you talk to and their stories. ...Did I finish everything that MUST be done today? ...Do I have everything I need to take home with me?  ...What's for dinner? ...What's on our schedule for tonight? ...Ballgames? ...Work around the house? ...Event or function? ...Did I spend time with my family? ...Did I show them and tell them that I love them today? ...Did I finish all my things around the house that needed to be done? ...Did I return all my phone calls and texts I was suppose to respond to today? ON and ON and ON!

Our minds can be FULL of thoughts in just one day. But the big question is... Who are we letting control our thoughts?
The Bible says in Psalm 119:9-11, "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.  I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."
Our purpose on this earth is NOT to simply live day to day just to get by.  Our God, Our Creator has designed us for bigger things.  He wants to use us EACH day to further His Kingdom.  In my own life, each morning, I am trying to wake up and the very first thing I am trying to think on is, "LORD, thank your for the rest you gave me.  Thanks for this brand new day. How do you want to use me today? What on YOUR agenda for me today."

When we find ourselves just going through day after day just to survive...that's not the life God intended for us.  He wants our life to sing.
For those that have began a relationship with Jesus Christ and you have trust Him to be the ruler and guide of your life...realize that our old self and old ways are gone.  Live each day with a fresh lease on life.  Realizing that your Creator purposed you to great things EACH day.  When you wake up let your attitude sing a song of praise to our King. Let your attitude at work and around your family sing a song of love and thanksgiving. Let your life sing today!! :)

Let's Be Real

There many people in this world that claim to be a Christian. They claim to have prayed a prayer or walked down to the front of a church and they have caused many people to be confused on what it truly means to be a Christian/Follower of Jesus Christ. Now this is by no means pointing fingers at just you. If you take offense to this, that's between you and the Lord. Don't shoot the messenger.

I am by no means perfect. I make my fair share of mistakes. God knows them all. But each new day, I'm growing closer and closer to the Lord and I'm discovering more about Him and about following Him. My heart is heavy today because I believe there are so many people out there that honestly believe they are going to heaven because they "prayed the prayer". Yet their life is FAR from following and pursuing God. This is not a one time deal. Daily we are to make the choice...Yes, I am trusting in you Lord. There is NOTHING in this world that will fill that God shape void in your life. The world will throw so many flashy things at you and try to get you to choose it to feel that need you have. Many of us over time have settled for casual Christianity. It's safe there. The world doesn't bother us if we are doing the same thing they are. (Drugs, alcohol, pornography, gossip, lusting, cheating, homosexuality, lying, hating, using the Lord's name as a curse word, laziness, selfishness, placing things [people, sports/hobbies, places, etc.] before the Lord. We little bits here and there enter our lives and before we know it, people cannot tell who are truly following the Lord and who are living just like this world.

Some people don't believe there is a God. Well ok. If they are right, then when I die, I will just be dead. Haven't lost anything.
But because I know there is, when we face death, there is going to be judgement. And who and how we follow while on this earth will determine where and how we spend eternity.
God will ask us...what did with do with my Son Jesus?
What will be your gift to God when we face Him?
A life well lived for His glory OR a collection of all your favorite things (pics from vacations? seashells? sports trophy? pile of movies?). All those things aren't bad, but they are if they come before your relationship with the Lord.

Each new day is a blessing. This day is not about you or me. It's about our Heavenly Father. About God. If every day you only wake up to go to school or go to work or seek pleasure...then what? We make money, we buy things, we travel...then what? we grow old, we settle down, we retire, we die...then what? Eternity. That's what.
When we began to look at our lives through an eternal perspective, things change. How we treat others, care for others, influence others. Our whole thought process changes.

This country is falling apart. And it needs people to stop living a casual Christian life. If you choose not to trust and follow the Lord, then don't claim to be a Christian. I pray you come to know Him! But If you are going to place the name Christian on your life...then please, seek after the Lord daily. Communicate with Him. He's calling all of us to rise up and stand firm on what we believe in. THE TRUTH HAS ALREADY BEEN SET. What's right and what's wrong has already been defined. What the Lord said was a sin, it's still a sin. The Lord does not change. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. Just because society changes, doesn't mean the truth does. This is not a debate between Methodist, Baptist, Catholics, etc. Scripture is scripture. When you seek the Lord you will KNOW and understand what it says. He's not trying to hide anything from us. But when we take a scripture and try to twist it to make our current way of doing things correct, that's wrong. There is a reason why we feel guilty for doing certain things. The Lord is trying to tell us something.

My prayer is that those who read this needed to hear from the Lord today. Again, I am sharing what the Lord has laid on my heart with you today. If you are angry and want to talk to me about it, please personal message me. There is no need to start a war about this if you agree or disagree. 

God bless each one of you. This is the day the Lord has made for you. :)

A Christmas Blessing

O Lord, My soul is filled with joy!

Today as I sit and write this post my heart is filled with peace and joy.  I...ordinary old me...have a loving Savior.  I have a Father in Heaven who is watching out for me.  His Spirit guides my every move.  Sometimes I'm distracted and cannot hear Him.  Other times I hear Him perfectly clear and embrace the truth He is sharing with me. Right now the truth is that I am blessed beyond my comprehension.  While I sit here in my cozy office working away the time, anxiously waiting until I can leave the office to go be with my family, I realized that I am blessed. Today, this 24th of December 2012, is a day for all who are living. Everyone around the world are experiencing this day. And everyone's day is different. Some are facing persecution...being persecuted for trusting in our Savior Jesus.  Other are living in sin...not knowing the true peace or the reason for this season of celebration. Many are in deep depression because of financial bondage. Regardless of our life circumstances...we are blessed.  We are ALIVE and living and breathing because our creator, God the Father, chooses to give us this day.
It's easy to think about all the negative things in our world today.  It's easy to fall into the trap of making my problems and troubles seem HUGE.  When in all reality, my problems would be a welcomed problems for some who are facing even greater challenges.  I am so thankful for God sending His precious Son Jesus to save the world.  His Son, the Savior of the World, so freely gave His life so that I might be blessed and have eternal life.  He gave His life so that I might be alive and living this day. I am still alive and breathing because my God has a purpose for me.  My purpose is to KNOW Him and to make Him KNOWN.
This Christmas, I want my family to know Jesus.  I want my family to know that He is the reason we get together and love one another.  He gave His life, what more could He give? The gifts we give are not even comparable to the gift that God gave.  When God sent His Son Jesus, He knew that Jesus would pay the price so that the gift of eternal life could be offered to us. Out of all the gifts that you will receive this year, be a blessing to someone and share Jesus with them. Tell them all of who He is and all that He wants to be in there life. Be a Christmas Blessing! God bless you all this Christmas.

A Singing Soul

This morning started off to an early start.  I woke up at 5:30AM to go and drive a bus for the school.  It was still dark outside and kind of cool.  I arrived and the bus barn and greeted the few that were waiting to leave the school, grabbed my keys to Bus #2 and headed out to the bus.  I checked everything over and made sure it was good to go.  I waited for the bus to warm up a bit and then for my departure time. As I was waiting I just began to talk with my Father.  "God, this is going to be a great day.  Let me be a blessing to these children as they get on this bus today."

The route began and I picked up the first 2 students.  I asked one of them to help guide me on this route because I had never driven this route before.  So this 10th grade boy said he'd help me.  He did a great job and I arrived at the school to drop off the students safe and sound.

After the route I headed to my office to spend time with the Lord.  I've been reading in Hosea and it has really been grabbing my mind and heart.  Even though it is hard to understand, with the study helps, I am understand what's going on.  The people of Israel were still disobeying God and still trying to do things on their own.  God was trying to get their attention, but they kept refusing and giving their sacrifices and worship to their man made idol, Baal. I finished the book of Hosea today and began to write in my journal.  I was writing all that I had understood and learned and expressing to God my love and thankfulness for all that He's done.  As I wrote the words, "You are the Only LIVING God..." The presence of the Lord came upon me.  I was speechless and awestruck with wonder of my God.  I began to weep.  Suddenly it hit me.  This is the God of Moses, the God of many great people in all history. This is MY God.  He speaks to me.  He hears me when I call Him.  WOW!!!!! I was overwhelmed with joy and amazement at His presence.  The lyrics to an old hymn began to flood my heart.

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

How GREAT my God truly is!!  Words cannot describe how my heart fills this very moment.  There are no words in the human language to describe how I feel about my King, MY GOD and Savior.


Wherever you are at today in your walk with God.  Know that He is alive and real.  He loves you and wants what is best for you.  Just as He spoke over and over to the people of Israel, wanting them to realize that He was their provider and wanted them to return to Him, He may be calling you to do the same.  Worship your King today!  Give Honor and Glory to your King today!  Let your heart and soul sing out to Him today!! <><