Category: when you feel His call in your heart

Pain and healing


God is with you in all of your struggles, no matter what may be going on. I know that there are many people who are hurting in many different ways today. Some because of the loss of a loved one, some because of health issues, many because of the lack of food and other things. So…why is it so hard for people in the church, regardless of denomination, to help those in need? I know that many churches do have programs and monies given to charities as well as food banks and other charitable functions, but the number of those doing this is small compared to the actual need that is out there.

The church, the body of Christ on Earth, is responsible for those who need His presence in their lives. Whether it is by food or medicine or whatever it may be, those in need truly need us to be Christ to them. After all, we may be the only representative of Jesus that they ever see in this world.

While it is true that some pain is useful to bring our faith up to a level which we can be more useful to God’s purposes, He doesn’t cause the pain but allows it just as He did with the prophet Job. Job faithfully served God in all of his work and yet the Accuser challenged God in this saying that “he will curse you” if you will allow me to afflict him. Satan could not touch Job without God’s permission as He had placed a hedge about him because of his service to God in being a priest for his family.

Our purpose as Christians is to be priests in the world wherever we may serve. In the boardroom or in hospitals or police stations or whatever job that we hold, we are to be His light in those places. While it is true that today showing your faith in God can get you fired from your job, if that happens then God will place you in a place where you can do His will in that place.

God’s will for each of us cannot be stopped or thwarted by Satan or by anyone else, if God has ordained that you should be His representative in a place then that is where you will be. If He calls you to be an evangelist or a pastor then whether you refuse the calling at first or not, it will come to pass in time when you realize that your running from His call will avail you an escape from it!

In my past, I felt the call to become a minister long before I surrendered to that calling, but I decided that I wasn’t ready for it. The thing which I didn’t know at the time was that my decision of readiness wasn’t mine to make…the call had been made and it wouldn’t be revoked. The only time that God ever repented of anything was in creating mankind, because of their evil and wickedness, yet He still saved a remnant on the ark. God’s call on the church to be what He intended hasn’t been rescinded in two thousand years and it won’t be until He calls us to immortality and we are bound for Heaven.

No boundaries


In the world today there are borders which are not visible on the ground which separate nations from each other. But there is no boundary between us and God Himself, at least not anymore. When Jesus said that “It is finished” on the cross the curtain between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies ripped from top to bottom. This didn’t happen because of an earthquake or by someone cutting it but because of the Holy Spirit giving access to God’s mercy seat.

Why did this happen? Because the sinless Lamb of God had died and paid the price for all of mankind, not just a few people but for all who had lived and died in the past, the present and in the future where we are today! God’s love doesn’t have any boundaries, regardless of the rhetoric that we hear in the world. His love is such that He gave a part of Himself, His Son, to pay for all of our sins so that we can have access to Heaven and to Him. Nobody else would do that!

The question for us today is this: Do you set boundaries in your life where God is NOT welcome? If you do then you are limiting His work in your life and through you for the world around you. God loves each of us and He will draw each of us to Him when we feel the conviction of our sinful ways. That conviction comes through the Holy Spirit and each time that you feel it, if you have pushed it away or ignored it, it will get a little bit weaker and not quite as loud. Until one day, you may not feel it or hear it at all.

Don’t push Him away. Listen for His call on your life because it doesn’t matter what you may have done in the past, God is willing to forgive and take you into His family. Paul and Moses had both committed murder, yet God used them in mighty ways! Your life can be a witness to others who may believe wrongly that they can’t be saved, but they can be if they are willing to repent of their sins and follow Jesus.

The Bible is God’s Word and it is not just some old dusty book written by a bunch of old men! It is the Living Word! The Bible is a testament of God’s love for us and it is the tangible representation of the Son of God that we have today. John called Him the Living Word and that is what the Bible is as well. Each person who reads it gets a different message from the same passages because He speaks to each of us differently.

Don’t turn away from Him or the study of His Word because it is the mind of God which was given to us for instruction and training and for wisdom in this life! There is no education in the world which contains the wisdom in this Book except maybe a few seminaries where future pastors are trained. God loves us and He is coming back soon, so be watchful and be praying for those who haven’t given their lives to Jesus.

Today…


For those of us in America, today is Mother’s Day and it was celebrated in most churches this morning.

Mother’s do an amazing job of being much more than just a wife or a mother. They are teachers, housekeepers, taxi drivers, coaches, nurses, chefs, gardeners, and so much more. Do they do all of these jobs? Yes, many of them perform all of these jobs during the school year and every day during the summer too. When do they find the time for themselves? Most of them make the time in small increments…a little bit here or there.

The time which they give to themselves is tiny compared to the time that they give to their children and family, but they manage it in stride usually without missing a beat. God gave women a remarkable amount of strength and fortitude and so many talents until many of them are overflowing with it. Mom’s are the original multi-taskers and they have been doing it for a long, long time!

God shows much of His ability and love through the actions and the abilities of our mothers because that is how we perceive Him and get a small glimpse of His love for us. For many of us, our mother’s love may be the only human manifestation of God’s Love that we feel during our life. Many fathers are too busy or maybe they were raised to not show their emotions to others.

I could tell that my Dad loved me when we were together, but he rarely said so. My grandfather wasn’t so open with his feelings either but I could tell that he loved me and was proud of me. God loves each of us more deeply than we can understand or know until we are in His presence. Yet, God’s love is evident in the Bible because of all of the things which He has done for the world even if most of the world doesn’t love Him or follow Him. God still cares for us which is why He sent Jesus to die on a cross and rise again…just so we could have a hope of eternity!

His love is deeper and wider than we can know until we are with Him, so make sure of your salvation while there is time. Life is short, eternity is not, so make sure of where you will spend it.

 

God’s Love


God’s love is more than we can believe or understand and that is why we have so much trouble believing. Even when you read the “Love chapter”, 1 Corinthians 13, most of us think this is referring to love that we have toward each other. In reality, it is a human description of God’s Love for us. Why do I call it a human description? Because the Bible was written with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, just as the words here are, but our vocabulary is limited by the words that we use.

God’s love for us is so…deep and unknowable until we can’t begin to describe it in terms which we can understand. We can compare it to our love for our children, whether we are a father or a mother but even that falls terribly short. Yes, we love our children but God loves each of us in a deeper way that we just can’t comprehend. Does He really love those who hate Him? Yes, and He loved the world enough that He sent Jesus to die in our place to provide each of us a way to come to Him through His Son. Whether we accept that invitation or not is still our choice though.

God doesn’t want slaves or instinctual service from us, He wants a relationship with us! It doesn’t matter what we have done or who we are, He wants to know you and He wants you and me to get to know Him!

1 Corinthians 13 New International Version
13 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

This is the description of how we should be to our wives and our children as well as toward each other in the church. It is a description which falls short of the love which God has for us, but it is how we are to be toward each other in Christ. Can you do this without Him? Partially, but not completely. Living and loving in this manner is not something which we are able to do on our own. God designed us to be this way but when sin entered the Garden our Spirit was cut off from God until we realized that we truly need Him in every way, every single day!

Don’t turn away from God and His love for you. He longs to show it to you in ways which you may not be able to see right now, but He will if you just give Him a chance in your life to change your heart and draw closer to Him each and every day.

Pathways to eternity


I know that most of you have heard the songs about the respective pathways to eternity. There is a “highway to hell” and a “stairway to heaven”, but have you ever wondered why such a difference? Well, it likely has something to do with this…
Pathways2Eternity It kinda makes sense when you read it in the Bible because it says that the road which leads to hell is a broad road and many will find it. The pathway (stairway) to heaven is narrow and there will be few who find it.

God and Jesus never said that the way to Heaven would be an easy path to find or to travel on but the gateway to Heaven is a narrow gate or road and few will find it.

Many people in the world will find themselves on a road with many other so-called “believers” yet they are on the road to hell. Why do I say it this way? Because there are many people who think they are Christians just by attending church services, whether they do so regularly or just occasionally.

Becoming a Christian is not so easy as just attending church, it requires that you turn to Him when you feel His calling on your heart. If you sit there with white knuckles and decide not to give your life to Him, then you have refused His calling. If you do this each time that you feel His call, the call on your heart will get weaker and weaker. That is how we quench the Holy Spirit’s power in our lives, even before it has a chance to change our hearts.

Please, seek Jesus and His Spirit to change your heart because eternity is a very long time to pay for a decision against accepting Jesus as your Savior.

 

 

Depart from Me!


That is a terrifying pronouncement that I pray that no one will hear, but there will be many of them because Jesus said that there would be.

“21 Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.’  Matt. 7:21-23

Have you done anything in Jesus’ name or for His Kingdom? Have you given your life and heart to Him for your salvation? Today is the very day of salvation, do not wait because you do not know whether you will have tomorrow or the next day in which to do this. God loves each of us yet He knows which of us will give our hearts to Him and which of us will not. Make sure when you feel the calling of the Holy Spirit, don’t turn away and ignore it because you may not get another chance to repent and learn to walk with Him.

My life has been given to me to preach the gospel and if I don’t, then I will be responsible for those who could’ve heard it and did not. Jesus is enough for each of us because He is our Savior and King. We have all that we need in Him because of His riches in glory, no matter our position in life on this Earth. God knows our needs and He will provide those for us as we need them. Luxuries and “wants” do not fall into the need category.

Does it take a highly religious person to serve God? What about a person who doesn’t know Jesus, can they serve Him? Both of them can serve a purpose in His plans and His dealings with others but unless they are saved by their knowledge and their acceptance of Him as Lord and Savior, they will not actually benefit from their service in eternity. Even the king of Egypt was useful to God while He was liberating the Israelites from slavery because He used him to turn down Moses’ requests so that He could bring down the gods of Egypt in the process.

Yes, God can use many people and even animals in His purposes, such as the donkey in the story of Balim and for Jonah to be swallowed by a great fish. The donkey carried our Lord’s mother to Bethlehem and carried Him into Jerusalem on the day of His triumphant entry prior to His crucifixion. Anyone can be used by God for His purposes but it is our job to accept His call and follow His lead in life so others will see Him through us.

Monday

How little we are


In the world today we live and love at God’s grace and discretion. Although many do not see it this way, it’s our life which comes to us through Him and no other. We are not in control of our lives even if it seems to be that we are, but God in His Mercy gives us those things which are needed at the time that we need them.

Should we work toward that goal of becoming more like Jesus? Yes, we should because it is our calling and our duty to do so. Little by little we should become more like Him, if we determine to walk in His light each day, yet not in our strength but by depending on Him for each step. Why do I say that we are little and cannot walk in our own strength? Because it is true!

DontLetGoWe aren’t strong enough to withstand the devil’s temptation and the arrows which he flings in our direction each day. Because Satan knows each person’s weakness and frankly our weakness boils down to pride and greed. Usually, our greatest weaknesses are linked to at least one of those if not both! Alone and without the Holy Spirit we can’t resist our greatest temptations, especially on a bad day but also on a good day as well!

Jesus can give us the strength through the Holy Spirit and help us to walk in His strength and His light each day but we must determine to do so each day. Life is hard on individuals in this world and without Jesus in your heart and His Spirit getting you through your trials each day then more people fail and fall for the temptations of Satan. We are small and little compared to God and His Spirit. Yes, we are weak in our faith and in our walk with Him too. Very few people can claim to walk in His steps each day and if you tell others that you do then they look at you like you are bragging or you are crazy.

It is best to keep your walk in faith a secret between you and God. Others will see the results of that walk as long as it is real and genuine. Even if your faith feels small to you, God knows where your faith is placed and Who it is placed in…Jesus. Don’t underestimate even tiny faith. Remember, even faith no bigger than a mustard seed is enough to move mountains IF we do not doubt that God can do what we are asking.

Some people may say something like, “Where was He when my wife/daughter/father was dying?”; did you blame Him for what was happening or did you stand in faith that no hair would be harmed and meant it?

Our God and Savior, Jesus the Christ, is the only way to get to Heaven so don’t ignore His call in your heart and your life. Seek Him during your life here because there are no second chances once your life is over!

God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself because it is not there.

C. S. Lewis

Who is Jesus?


John 8:12-29

12 Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not valid.”
14 Jesus replied, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is valid because I know where I came from and where I am going. But you do not know where I came from or where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. 16 But even if I do judge, My judgment is true, because I am not alone when I judge; I am with the Father, who sent Me. 17 Even in your own Law, it is written that the testimony of two men is valid. 18 I am One who testifies about Myself, and the Father, who sent Me, also testifies about Me.” 19 “Where is Your Father?” they asked Him. “You do not know Me or My Father,” Jesus answered. “If you knew Me, you would know My Father as well.”
20 He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts, near the treasury. Yet no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come. 21 Again He said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for Me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 So the Jews began to ask, “Will He kill Himself, since He says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23 Then He told them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 That is why I told you that you would die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
25 “Who are You?” they asked. “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. 26 “I have much to say about you and much to judge. But the One who sent Me is truthful, and what I have heard from Him, I tell the world.” 27 They did not understand that He was telling them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He and that I do nothing on My own, but speak exactly what the Father has taught Me. 29 He who sent Me is with Me. He has not left Me alone, because I always do what pleases Him.

Why is the title of my sermon, Who is Jesus? Well, I want to know Who He is to you! Is He your Savior? Is He a prophet or a man? Is He the Son of God? Is He all of these?

YES!!! Jesus is all of these and more!

But…how many people think that He was just a prophet like Moses? There are many in the Middle East who think this way. The Jewish people mostly think that He was just a prophet like Moses. The descendants of Ishmael, those who are Muslim, believe that He was only a prophet and a servant of their prophet.

Jesus is part of the Trinity and the Son of God and yet He was also human, which is why He could understand us and our temptations and pain and our limitations in this life. But, He was also God and He proved it through His actions like healing the sick, bringing people back from death, and walking on water. Jesus also proved that He was more than a man in that He was able to hear and listen to God and to do everything that His Father told Him to do.

We may try to do those things and truly we can hear from God in our prayer time and we can try to do the things which He tells us to do but can we do them completely? No, we can’t be completely in His will and do His will every day, all of the time and accomplish it without mistakes. We are human and because of this and because of our human nature, we can’t perfectly be obedient to God’s will each and every day of our lives! But Jesus could do these things because He was fully human and fully God too.

Here is another proof of Who Jesus was and is:

The Way, the Truth, and the Life

5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

So…what are we to do with Jesus? Are we to keep Him in our hearts and never tell anyone that we know Him? Do we ignore what the Bible says about Him and live our lives as if Jesus and God Himself don’t matter in our lives today? Do you know Jesus?

If you do know Him then tell others about Him and what He has done in your life. Do you live your life without Him? That is a very dangerous thing to do. Have you accepted Him as your Savior but you haven’t told anyone about Him. Why?

Living without Jesus is dangerous because when your life is over and you are standing before Him…what can you possibly do to justify your life’s choices? If you have accepted Him and have not told anyone about His influence in your life then you are being disobedient to His command to tell others about Him. Being a Christian by giving your life to Him and repenting of your sins is a gift from God and it is your choice when the Holy Spirit convicts you of your NEED of Him. Choosing to live without Him is a foolish choice in this world so I urge you to choose Jesus as your Savior before it is too late to make that choice.

 

 

 

Are you walking in faith?


John, the disciple of Jesus, wrote the smallest book in the Bible and yet it is a most profound and humbling book because it convicts us who are not walking in His Truth and shows us where our faith should be placed.

2 John 1

Greeting from the Elder

(3 John 1:1-4)

1 The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth; 2 For the truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us forever. 3 Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

Walking in the Truth (John 8:31-41)

4 I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father. 5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

Beware of Deceivers

7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an Antichrist. 8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. 9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

Final Greetings

12 Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full. 13 The children of thy elect sister greet thee. Amen.

GodsBlessingThe second or third smallest book of the Bible but very profound, in wisdom and truth from the only disciple which died of natural causes also known as old age.

God blessed John with a ministry which spanned the known world around him at the time. Since he was also one of the youngest disciples he was able to go and tell others about his Lord and Savior. He was also the shepherd of a number of churches before his death at the end of the first century.

John wrote and testified that Jesus was the Light of the World, not because of hearsay but because he had lived and walked with Jesus during His ministry. John was a dedicated disciple, fully committed to His Lord and Savior and He walked with Him while His time on Earth was fulfilled and He took the message of the gospel with him wherever he went later in life.

John’s exhortation to the lady and her house is the way that he greeted another worker for the faith and this letter was to encourage her until she should meet her risen Lord. Truly, it is the same with us. We are to stay true to our faith in Him until He comes or until we are called home to be with Him. What does this letter encourage us to do in light of where we are in the history of the world?

Mainly, to be steadfast in our walk with Jesus. Keeping to the faith and taking it and our testimony with us wherever we may go regardless of the time we may have left on this Earth. Because we don’t know how much time we have regardless of our age or health. It could be weeks, months or years until our date comes to meet Jesus or until He comes to call each of us home.

Your life and your testimony are important because your experience in this life is unique, just as your salvation is unique. Nobody else has had your experience or your successes and your failures, and God can use those to bring a specific message to someone, probably someone that only you can possibly reach. Your mission in this life is to serve God in whatever capacity that He asks you to serve in. It could be as a teacher at a high school or a Sunday school teacher. Maybe you are friends with a certain person that God wants to reach and only you can do that.

But…you won’t know for sure if you don’t step out in faith and use your testimony to bring Jesus’ message to at least one person. Then tomorrow see if you can find someone else to talk to about what Jesus has done for you. It doesn’t have to be a daily thing, but considering how much Jesus gave to save you and put you in this place…why not?

What is your experience?


Have you thought about your experience with Jesus? What about your salvation? The reason that I am asking this question is that each of us experiences each one in a different way. Some of us get emotional and nearly fall apart because of the grace that is given to us when we accept Him. Some of us fall down and worship Jesus and walk away from the experience a changed person and one which will do all that they can by telling others about Him.

The experience, especially if it is truly genuine, changes your heart spiritually and your life permanently! Salvation is not an experience which you can go through without the Holy Spirit and choose to turn it on or off when you want to go back where you were. True salvation begins when your heart is broken because of the Holy Spirit showing you through faith that your life is sinful and it needs to change. Sometimes this realization is brought about at a church service other times it is by a night or three or more in a jail cell. God will use whatever is necessary to get your attention and sometimes it is painful.

God loves us but like any Father or Mother, He sometimes has to use tough love to get a stubborn child to listen! Many times…we truly need this tough love and until God has your undivided attention, He will bang your head against whatever is necessary to make you listen. Why do I say this? Because, when God wants you to listen and He has a specific lesson or purpose for you, that only you can fulfill, He will not let go until you come around.

God knows the talents and gifts which He has given to you. You may not be aware of them until you have given your heart and life to Him, most of us aren’t. I never would’ve gotten in front of a group of people to speak for ten minutes or more if I had not been called by Him to be a preacher. I struggled against this calling for years until finally He got my attention enough and didn’t really give me a choice about it.

Some people think that God forces us to salvation, but that isn’t true. He will call to you and prod your heart, sometimes for years, but until you realize that you need Him in your life, it won’t make much difference. If you think that you have an arrangement with God and consider yourself good enough without accepting Him as your Lord and Savior, you may never hear His call on your life because you don’t think you need Him or the salvation that He is offering.

At that point, you are just like those Pharisees in Jesus’ day…too religiously minded to be any Earthly good to themselves or to anyone else! God only uses those who know that they need Him. Truly our Creator doesn’t need us in any way other than what He can see in your heart and your life. He can cause things to work out in His time so that your life or mine will line up with His will and purpose. He has already given you a talent or gift that He can use in His Kingdom but only if you answer the call on your life to change like the disciples did.

Peter denied the Lord three times on the night of His “mock trial” before going to Pilate. Paul was a Pharisee and was doing everything that the priests would give him permission to do in order to get rid of the “Jesus followers” or the Way. Both of these men were changed by the Lord’s actions of redemption and healing toward Peter and by Jesus’ confrontation of Paul on the Damascus road. Both of these men became true witnesses to the Gentile world as well as to the Jews after their redemption and conversion.

So…what about you? Are you willing to give your heart to Jesus as a follower and a disciple? If you have felt His call on your life, don’t put it off or ignore it. God loves you.