Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Doubts”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “God wants to be heard and understood by us.”

 

One of the greatest truths in the Bible is that God wants to be understood by His people. He wants us to hear Him and He wants us to understand what He is saying to us. He can’t expect us to obey Him and to correctly follow His will if He doesn’t first clearly communicate His desires to us.

 

In the devotional message two days ago we read about the young man Gideon and his genuine desire to simply be sure he understood God correctly. He asked God for clarity and confirmation, and God gave it to Him. That’s a pattern we see repeated all throughout the Bible and it’s what Jeremiah meant in Jeremiah 33:3. Call to God with a sincere heart and in His way and in His time, He will reveal to you things you didn’t know or understand.

 

In James 1:5 the Apostle tells us that if we lack wisdom (or have doubts about what to do), we only need to ask God and He will give to us the wisdom we seek.

 

Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most popular verses in the Old Testament: “For I know the plans I have for you’ – this is the Lord’s declaration, plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Unfortunately many people stop there and they don’t continue on to verses 12 and 13. They should consider those verses as well because they are an important part of the promise:

 

“You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you – this is the Lord’s declaration …” Jeremiah 29:12-13

 

God wants to be heard and understood by us so we can then obey Him. But it takes effort on our part. We have to want to hear and understand Him.  Every one of the verses I cited, and many others in the Bible teach us that we have to desire to hear and understand God and we have to go after that understanding, we have to make the effort to seek it out. Having such an encounter with God is the reward of diligent and passionate faith.

 

Tomorrow, as we continue to consider ways to deal with our doubts and find answers from God, I want to revisit a lesson from Andy Andrew’s wonderful little book “The Traveler’s Gift”, and another from Henry Blackaby’s excellent Bible Study, “Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God”.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Doubts”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “For it was You who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise You because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well. My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began.” Psalm 139:13-16 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “You are not a mistake.”

 

Psalm 139:13-16 is a beautiful passage of scripture which teaches primarily about the great truth that God is sovereign over each individual life. He knew you before He even formed you in your mother’s womb. He saw you as your pieces and parts slowly developed over nine months. The color of your eyes, the texture of your hair, how tall you would be – everything about you was within His control. You are a miracle of His creation.

 

If you would like to read a much more complete description of the miracle that is you, I encourage you to Google “The God Memorandum” by Og Mandino.

 

It’s far too common a story for a person to be unhappy with who they are. They wish they were taller, thinner, prettier, stronger, a different skin color, blue eyes instead of brown. They wish they had different parents, or different ethnicity, or a different country. And so they doubt themselves. They think they could be better, happier, more successful, if only …

 

God is sovereign over your life. You are not a mistake. It is possible that you have made mistakes; and it is possible that you haven’t taken full advantage of your opportunities; but God is still sovereign and He isn’t done with you yet.

 

Read “The God Memorandum”.

 

Today is the 4^th of July. It’s the day that we here in the USA celebrate our Independence as a nation. Here’s more evidence of God’s sovereignty over your life. He could have chosen for you to be born in any country on earth, at any time in history, but He chose for you the United States of America in this age of history. Praise Him for His goodness and grace. Praise Him for allowing you to be here instead of somewhere else.

 

Over the last forty-five years I have circled the globe and visited thirty-four different countries, some of them multiple times. I can tell you there is no place I would rather live than right here in the United States of America.

 

As you celebrate this holiday, take a few moments to thank God for this great nation of ours. Then thank Him that He chose to allow you to be born here, in this land, at this time in history, rather than anywhere else on earth, or at any other time in history. Then also thank Him for who you are as a person – because you are not a mistake.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Doubts”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.” Judges 6:17 (NIV)

 

Our thought for today: “You may doubt yourself but don’t doubt God.”

 

One of the greatest and most perplexing doubts that Christians wrestle with is whether or not God is really speaking to them about an issue and if He is, what exactly is He saying?

 

That was the case with young Gideon. At that time the entire nation of Israel was living in great sin, worshiping other Gods. In punishment God was allowing them to suffer at the hands of the cruel Midianites. It was an awful time in the history of the nation. Everyone was suffering.

 

When it was time for the punishment to end and for deliverance to come, God called Gideon to lead the people in a revolt against the army of Midian and to thereby bring His people relief from their oppressors. But Gideon couldn’t believe it. He was young and untrained and weak. Therefore he doubted if God was really telling him to do this thing. So Gideon essentially tested his call. He asked God to confirm it for him and to remove his doubts. And God did.

 

Please note that Gideon didn’t doubt God, he doubted himself. Gideon wasn’t testing God, he was testing the accuracy of what he believed he might be hearing. There’s a big difference there.

 

If God has already made his will clear to you, and you continue to ask for more clarity and confirmation anyway, you are simply being disobedient. Many people use the desire for “more clarity” as an excuse to avoid doing something they don’t want to do. But when your genuine desire is just to make sure you understand Him correctly so that you can obey Him, then you can and should ask Him for clarity and confirmation.

 

In such cases you can trust God to make Himself clear to you. But be sure your heart is right. Make sure that the only thing holding you back from taking action is a genuine desire to be sure you do understand Him correctly, and that you really do intend to obey Him once you have clarity and confirmation.

 

If you read the story of Gideon in Judges Chapters six through eight, you can see the method he used to gain the clarity and confirmation he needed. It involved putting out a fleece – but that was unique to his situation. It’s not a method I recommend for you to try. And if you were to use it, I doubt you would get the results that Gideon got. Instead, there are other ways God has given us to gain the understanding we need and to remove the doubts.

 

One way of hearing from God involves just placing yourself in a position before Him whereby He has your undivided attention and He can speak to you. Often that will happen in church. So how about if you go to church this Sunday, pay attention to what God might want to say to you, and then on Monday we’ll talk about another method you can use to help gain clarity and understanding that will help to alleviate your doubts.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Doubt”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Immediately Jesus reached out His hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:31 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Doubt is the opposite of faith.”

 

When we have doubts it simply means that we don’t have enough information about something, or enough experience with it, to be convinced it is true. Doubt leaves us uncertain and undecided, and it causes us to hesitate or even to do nothing at all.

 

Doubt is something we all struggle with at many times, in many ways, and about many things. It can be about small and relatively unimportant things, such as if today’s weather report is accurate or not, or it can be about big and important issues, such as whether or not there really is a God or whether the claims of the Bible can be trusted.

 

Doubt is the opposite of faith. If you doubt someone or something then your faith in that person or thing is weak or nonexistent. Doubt also bothers us. Doubt begs for resolution and therefore we find ourselves restless, mildly agitated (or perhaps not so mildly), and we’re not able to see a clear way forward.

 

Doubt can sometimes be a good thing. It can cause us to be cautious rather than impulsive and it can move us to use our brains as we dig deeper, do research, ask questions, and strive to discover what is really true about a person or thing.

 

But doubt can also hamper us, much as it did to the Apostle Peter in Matthew chapter 14. In that scene Peter was in a boat with the other disciples on the Sea of Galilee and they were caught in a storm. Suddenly, in the middle of the storm, in the middle of the night, Jesus came walking towards them on the water. Peter called out and asked Jesus to empower him to walk on the water too. Jesus agreed and encouraged Peter to get out of the boat. He did and for a moment, while he kept his eyes on Jesus and trusted in the power of Jesus, Peter was fine and he walked on the water too. But then doubt set it. He took his eyes off of Jesus and focused on the storm instead. His faith then faltered, his doubts and fears took over, and he began to sink.

 

That’s the story of my life. More doubt than faith!

 

All this month we will apply ourselves to gaining a better understanding of this issue of doubt. We’ll consider what doubt is, why it’s a problem, what we can do about it, and also how it can help us in positive ways. We’ll also consider many of our most common doubts and fears and we will expose them for the phantoms God says they are. I look forward to exploring this subject with you.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Self-control”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “This is the territory that remains (to be conquered): all the regions of the Philistines … Joshua 13:2 (NLT)

 

Our thought for today: “The lack of self-control can have long-term consequences.”

 

In Joshua Chapter 13 we read about Joshua, as an old man and nearing the end of his life, being told by God about the parts of his assignment that had yet to be completed. Joshua’s task as a young man was to lead the nation of Israel in the conquest of the Promised Land. He did do that, but not completely. The nation did end-up taking possession of large portions of the land, but then they settled-down, settled-in, got comfortable, and stopped. They never conquered the rest of the land.

 

The failure to follow through on what God clearly told them to do resulted in some bad long-term consequences for them. For instance, the land of the Philistines was never conquered. Consequently the Philistines ended up being a major source of conflict and heartache for the Jews throughout their entire history, right up to present times. That portion of land is known today as the Gaza Strip and if you’re up-to-date on current events in the Middle East, then you know that more than 3000 years after the time of Joshua, Palestine is still a hotbed of conflict for the Jews.

 

Just like doing something we shouldn’t do represents a lack of self-control, not doing what we are supposed to do is also an example of a lack of self-control. And like the example of the long-term consequences suffered by the Jews for not fully conquering the Promised Land, the lack of self-control can produce long-term consequences we never anticipated either.

 

As we conclude this month of considering the spiritual discipline of self-control, let me take us back to where we started. Self-control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It’s a character trait that the Spirit develops in our lives which results in us becoming more spiritually mature, and slowly becoming more and more like Jesus. Self-control is also something we can desire, seek, pray for, and work at developing. It’s something that God wants you to have and it’s therefore something the Spirit will develop in you if you will cooperate with Him and do your part.

 

I encourage you to spend extra time in prayer today. Ask God to help you identify one or two areas of your life in which you need more self-control. Then identify some practical steps you can take to do your part on becoming more self-controlled in that area. If you will do that, then in the days, weeks, and months to come, as you pray about it and as you do your part, the Holy Spirit will do His part in bringing about that transformation and you will become a more self-controlled person.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Self-control”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord. Then Joshua made a peace treaty with them and guaranteed their safety, and the leaders of the community ratified their agreement with a binding oath.” Joshua 9:14-15 (NLT)

 

Our thought for the day: “Take the time to pray first.”

 

In Joshua Chapter nine we find the nation of Israel in the process of occupying the Promised Land. God had told them that as they went forward, taking possession of the land He had given to them as a gift, they were to completely wipe-out the current occupants of that land. The reason God issued such a draconian degree is that those nations were tremendously wicked. They engaged in evil practices that were very offensive to God, and so as punishment He decreed that they be completely wiped-out.

 

When the people of the land of Gibeon heard what was happening they were afraid. They realized that Israel was unstoppable and that they themselves would be wiped-out. So they devised a scheme to fool Joshua and the Jewish leaders. They sent a delegation to meet with them and they pretended to be from a land far away. They claimed that they had heard of the greatness of the Jews and of their God and they wanted to make a treaty with them. They claimed that since they lived in a land far away, God’s decree to destroy the evil current residents of the Promised Land didn’t apply to them.

 

It was a lie, a ruse, and Joshua and the other leaders fell for it. Why did they fall for it? Verse 9:14 tells us that they didn’t pray about it first. They made their decision without consulting the Lord. As a result they ended up with very close neighbors who were among the evil people God had said were to be wiped-out. Those evil neighbors ended-up creating all sorts of problems for the Jews for generations to come.

 

We do this all the time too. How often do we rush right into making a decision without even bothering to pray about it first? Certainly we do it many times every day on all sorts of little issues, but we do it with big issues too. How often do we stake-out a position on something based upon emotion or stubbornness, a position that’s really petty and small, a position we would never have taken if we had prayed about it first and truly sought God’s will on the issue?

 

One of the most beneficial aspects of self-control we can develop is to slow down long enough in our decision-making to pray about it first. Doing so would save us from all kinds of poor decisions and many unintended and unpleasant consequences.

 

Take the time to pray first.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Self-control”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” John 10:10 (Amplified Bible)

 

Our thought for today: “Life lived according to God’s Word is the best life.”

 

I recently read a great illustration which helps us to understand why God has given us so many instructions for living in the Bible. The author asked, “What does the highway patrol in your state require of motorists? Stay within the speed limit; don’t endanger others; keep your car under control; don’t drive without a license – simple things designed for the well-being of all. Would you say that the highway patrol is heavy-handed and unfair to make such demands of motorists, or that their intent is to ensure that everyone is able to use and enjoy the highways to the fullest? The latter, of course.”

 

God is the author of life and He knows exactly what’s needed in order for us to live a safe, full, rewarding, and enjoyable life. So in the Bible He has given us written instructions for living the life that Jesus came to make possible for us.

 

Satan, of course, hates God. And since you and I have been created in the image of God, and since we are so important to God, Satan hates us too. Satan is also a master deceiver. He uses his great skills in deception to draw us away from God and into patterns of living that are sinful, and therefore offensive to God. That’s why things like illicit sex, and over-indulgence, and the love of money and possessions, have such a strong appeal for human beings. That’s Satan’s work in our lives, deceiving us into desiring things that God forbids, or to use good things to excess.

 

The solution for us is to know God’s Word – to know it very well – and then to live our lives in a way that conforms to the instructions He has given us. Doing that will always result in the best life you can possibly have.

 

God’s instructions to us are not overly restrictive and they are not heavy-handed. Instead they come out of Divine wisdom and are designed to protect us and to lead us into the fullness of life that God wants for us.

 

When it comes to developing self-control in your life, begin with diligent study of God’s Word. Then prayerfully invite the Holy Spirit to identify those areas of your life that need work. Through the Spirit’s transforming power at work in your life, combined with your own best efforts, you will move steadily in the direction of developing the life God wants for you.

 

I want to leave you this morning with the words the Lord spoke to Joshua (and to you) about the importance of knowing and obeying His word: “This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in what you do. Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-9

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Self-control”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:4 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Dry seasons can result in deeper roots.”

 

Did you know that some of the strongest, most durable trees in the world are those that grow in hot, desolate regions? The reason is because since there is so little water available on the surface, those trees have to send their roots deep into the soil in search of any moisture that can be found. As a result the roots are thick and tough, deep and far-reaching, and that tree is solid and strong. Even the strongest desert winds can’t knock it down.

 

There’s a spiritual metaphor in that example. The same thing happens to the people of God when we go through extended dry seasons in life. I’m talking about the tough times when difficult problems seem to last forever. It’s during such times that we have to dig deep in search of spiritual refreshing that will keep us healthy and strong. But that requires the discipline of endurance and self-control. It requires a determined effort to continue praying, to continue your Bible study, to continue your faithful attendance at church and your participation in ministry, and you do it in spite of the fact that life is tough at the moment.

 

If we do that, then when the dry season ends we find ourselves to be much stronger than we were before. Our spiritual roots are deeper and we are a stronger and more durable Christian as a result, one who is better prepared to weather future storms. And also, because you are stronger and healthier, more stable and more durable, you are also more fruitful. Your life will be better and more productive because you persevered through the dry seasons of life.

 

However, as James implies in James 1:4 above, this must be an intentional act on our part to use the dry seasons in life to dig deep so that we can grow and become stronger. We have to be self-controlled and determined to endure and to stay close to God through it all.

 

Not everyone does that. Some people allow the tough times and the dry seasons to draw them away from God rather than to Him. Some people get bitter and even angry at God, to the point of walking away from Him. When they do that not only are they sacrificing God’s help and blessings in the moment, but they’re also missing all the potential growth in their personal lives that could be occurring, and which would bear great fruit for them in the future.

 

James’ point (and it’s a point that the Apostle Paul and Jesus also taught), is that the storms of life present us with the opportunity for great spiritual growth. But you have to take advantage of the opportunity. Control yourself. Endure. Make sure you’re drawing closer to God and not away from Him. The dry season will pass and when it does, you will be a stronger, better, more durable and more fruitful Christian, because your spiritual roots will be deep.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Self-control”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Be careful you don’t forget the Lord your God by failing to keep His command – the ordinances and statutes – I am giving you today.” Deuteronomy 8:11 (HCSB)

 

Our thought for today: “Don’t get spiritually lazy”

 

The Old Testament book of Deuteronomy was intended by Moses to be his final words to the people of Israel. He was about to die, and they were about to go forward into the Promised Land. So in Deuteronomy Moses summarized the essential instructions they would need to remember in order to live in a way that honored God.

 

The Old Testament Law of Moses contained a lot of detail that applied only to them in their day and not to us in our day. But in Deuteronomy Moses also issued several important general spiritual truths that do apply to us, and which we would do well to pay attention to.

 

In Deuteronomy 8:1-18 Moses warned the people that they had better not let the good life in the Promised Land cause them to get spiritually lazy. He reminded them that when they were wandering in the wilderness and were faced with frightening enemies and hard times, they relied heavily on God. But once they were in the Promised Land and they had comfortable homes, and steady incomes, and plenty to eat, and life was good, they would be tempted to ease-up on their spiritual disciplines and not pay as much attention to God.

 

Moses warned them that if they did that, God would eventually withdraw the blessings in order to draw them back to Himself. If the only time they would be faithful and attentive to God was when they were in suffering and in great need, then God would keep them in suffering and in great need. His point was that “If you can’t enjoy your blessings and be faithful to God at the same time, God will withdraw your blessings”.

 

Ouch! Anybody out there feeling convicted? How many of us, when life is hard and we’re in great need, rush to church and plead with God for deliverance? How many promises are made in the middle of suffering but then when things change, and the problems are resolved and life gets better for us again, we start to get spiritually lazy?

 

This is not uncommon. When a person is struggling with difficult life issues it’s not uncommon to see them right there in the front row at church, Sunday after Sunday after Sunday, paying attention and taking notes. But once the storm passes and life is good again they get lazy and become less faithful. It’s as if since they’re not hurting now, they feel they don’t need God as much.

 

The lesson Moses taught to the nation of Israel in Deuteronomy 8:10-18 is an important spiritual truth that applies to all of God’s people in all places at all times. If you can’t enjoy your blessings and remain faithful to God at the same time, God will withdraw the blessings. If that’s what it takes to bring you back to full and passionate seeking of Him, then that’s what He’ll do.

 

When times are hard, seeking after God with passion is easy – we’re naturally drawn to Him in such times. It’s when times are good that we have to exercise the self-control to be diligent in the spiritual disciplines.

 

Don’t put God in the position where He has to withdraw His blessings in order to get your attention.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

 

Good Morning Everyone,

 

Our theme for this month: “Self-control”

 

Our Bible verse for today: “Then Moses summoned the leaders of the tribes of Israel and told them, ‘This is what the Lord has commanded: A man who makes a vow to the Lord or makes a pledge under oath must never break it. He must do exactly what he said he would do.” Numbers 30:1-2 (NLT)

 

Our thought for today: “Keep your word.”

 

Not long ago a politician was being interviewed on national television. The reporter challenged this person regarding some of the outrageous campaign promises the candidate had been making. The reporter asked the candidate if he really expected to be able to follow-through on the things he had been promising if he were to be elected.

 

In a somewhat surprising bit of candor and transparency for a politician, this candidate admitted that his promises may or may not be kept. He said that as far as he was concerned everything is negotiable and that when it comes right down to it, he might or might not stick to his promises – we would just have to wait and see.

 

While it’s true that politics is the art of compromise, and that in a democracy like ours the only way any legislation wins approval is through the give-and-take of negotiation, it’s also true that we expect our leaders to have foundational principles upon which they base their promises – principles that are so important that they won’t compromise on them. And, we expect people to keep their word.

 

In generations past a popular motto commonly held by men and women of integrity was “My word is my bond.” It meant that “I am a man (or woman) of my word. If I give my word, I keep it.” Of course written contracts existed and were used too, but they were much less necessary than they are in our day.

 

Today we’re cursed with the malady of “situational ethics”. It means that a person’s ethical conduct varies from situation to situation depending on what’s in it for them. It’s the concept of situational ethics which has led us to the point where people so frequently and so easily break their promises and don’t keep their word – and apparently aren’t bothered by it in the least.

 

In the Bible we’re taught to be men and women of our word. God keeps His word to us and He expects us to keep our word to Him, and to others. Your word needs to be your bond. That’s what Moses meant in Numbers 30:1-2 when he instructed the people to “do exactly what you say you will do.”

 

Jesus addressed this too in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5:37 He told us, “Simply let your “Yes” be “Yes”, and your “No”, “No”; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” In other words, “Say what you mean, mean what you say, and let the chips fall where they may.” The Apostle James gave us this exact same counsel in James 5:12.

 

As the people of God we have to have the self-control to limit our words to what is actually true, and the character and integrity to keep the promises we make. I encourage you to be a man or woman of your word. Let your word be your bond.

 

God Bless,

Pastor Jim