Why Pray?
And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. John 14:13-14
What a powerful statement by Jesus! You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it! Wow! What an encouragement to pray. I think the Church as a whole needs this encouragement. This is written in our Bibles. Why would we not pray? I think the same reasons we don’t pray are the very reasons we should pray.
One of the reasons we don’t pray is because the enemy has told us that God is sovereign and because He’s sovereign there really is no need to pray because after all since He’s sovereign He’s going to do what He wants to anyway and so there is no need to pray. The truth is that because He is sovereign is the main reason we should pray. Sovereignty means that God is the Supreme Ruler of the universe. When we pray we have the Supreme Ruler of the Universe working on our behalf! Hallelujah! What a reason to pray! God has a will and we are made in His image. When we pray, we are aligning our will with God’s will!
Another reason we don’t pray is we have believed the lie of the enemy that God is unchangeable. So if He’s unchangeable then why pray. We can’t change God. God is unchangeable in His character. However, we have several examples in the Bible where God changed His mind when His people prayed. God was going to destroy the people of Israel in Exodus because He was sick of their murmuring and complaining, but Moses prayed and the Bible says God changed His mind. How about Jonah? God sent Jonah to Nineveh to preach a message that in 40 days Nineveh will be destroyed. Was Nineveh destroyed? No! God changed His mind. The people responded properly to the message. They responded with repentance and prayer and fasting! God relented! He changed His mind. So while His character is unchanging, that doesn’t mean He won’t change His mind!
Many things in the world we live in look bad. There is much to be discouraged about. Even the condition of our country makes us think we are headed south in a hurry. But it’s never too late with God. We have more reason that ever to pray! We have loved ones that don’t have a relationship with Jesus. The future of our country is at stake. Our freedom and liberties are at stake. We have been commanded by our King to pray! Is there a need? Is there a cause? Let’s purpose in our hearts to pray like we’ve never prayed before! The King of the Universe is listening!
Consumed by the call,
Pastor Marty
Friday, January 20, 2012
Saturday, November 19, 2011
A Thanksgiving Life
A Thanksgiving Life
Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Throughout Scriptures God instructs his people to be thankful & to give thanks. All of the feast days the Israelites have celebrated have been put into place by God so the people could use the occasion to give thanks for all that the Lord has done for them. Americans have celebrated Thanksgiving for over 400 years. When the first settlers came over on the Mayflower, over half their company died the first winter, but in the spring & summer they had a great crop & declared 3 days of Thanksgiving celebration so they could publicly demonstrate & declare their thanksgiving to God for His great provision. Throughout our short history as a nation, Americans have always seen God’s hand of provision & protection on our nation.
In the verse above, God commands his people to always be joyful, pray continually & to give thanks in all our circumstances. God desires for His people to be thankful regardless of our circumstances. Anybody can be thankful when everything is going good, but only God’s people can be thankful even in the midst of trying circumstances. When we are thankful in trying circumstances, we are declaring our trust & confidence in God. This pleases Him.
We set aside one day that we declare a national day of Thanksgiving, but the truth is, we as Christians, should live a life that is thankful everyday of every year! Whether things are going good or even if we are living in trying circumstances, we should be thankful. I challenge you to make a list of things you are thankful for & begin to thank God for them everyday. You will soon see that you are so busy thanking God for all your blessings, that you won’t have time to dwell on the negative things or the things you don’t have. Let’s purpose in our hearts to be thankful in all our circumstances & our attitudes will soon be a pleasing aroma to our Lord!
Consumed by the call,
Pastor Marty
Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Throughout Scriptures God instructs his people to be thankful & to give thanks. All of the feast days the Israelites have celebrated have been put into place by God so the people could use the occasion to give thanks for all that the Lord has done for them. Americans have celebrated Thanksgiving for over 400 years. When the first settlers came over on the Mayflower, over half their company died the first winter, but in the spring & summer they had a great crop & declared 3 days of Thanksgiving celebration so they could publicly demonstrate & declare their thanksgiving to God for His great provision. Throughout our short history as a nation, Americans have always seen God’s hand of provision & protection on our nation.
In the verse above, God commands his people to always be joyful, pray continually & to give thanks in all our circumstances. God desires for His people to be thankful regardless of our circumstances. Anybody can be thankful when everything is going good, but only God’s people can be thankful even in the midst of trying circumstances. When we are thankful in trying circumstances, we are declaring our trust & confidence in God. This pleases Him.
We set aside one day that we declare a national day of Thanksgiving, but the truth is, we as Christians, should live a life that is thankful everyday of every year! Whether things are going good or even if we are living in trying circumstances, we should be thankful. I challenge you to make a list of things you are thankful for & begin to thank God for them everyday. You will soon see that you are so busy thanking God for all your blessings, that you won’t have time to dwell on the negative things or the things you don’t have. Let’s purpose in our hearts to be thankful in all our circumstances & our attitudes will soon be a pleasing aroma to our Lord!
Consumed by the call,
Pastor Marty
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Spirit Man
Spirit Man
But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. James 1:13-14
We have three primary enemies. The first and probably greatest enemy is our flesh. We spend a lifetime feeding and pampering our flesh. He grows strong! Because he is so strong he rules and dominates our lives. The second enemy is the world. The world influences us in ways we don’t even recognize. It controls our thought patterns in many different ways. The third enemy is the devil himself. He is always looking for a way to enter our lives. He can’t do it without our permission, so he looks for weaknesses and then tempts us to open those doors. We foolishly fall for it many times, often without even recognizing what we have done.
To grow spiritually, we must feed our spirit man and cause him to grow to the point that he stronger than our flesh man. This is a process that takes time. Nobody is born spiritually mature. Nobody becomes spiritually mature overnight. We must start somewhere and build our spirit man brick by brick or step by step. In Genesis Chapter 4 we read the story of Cain and Abel. Abel brings a sacrifice to God and God is pleased. Cain brings a sacrifice to God and God is not pleased. Cain becomes angry and his face is downcast and God approaches Cain and asks why are you downcast? If you do right you will be accepted. But if you don’t do right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it. Jesus said if you want to follow me, you must deny yourself and take up your cross and follow me.
In both cases, we must be willing to crucify our flesh man. We must die to our desires. We must master our sin nature and choose God and His ways. I heard a man say this week that God told him this. Would you rather have an easy road with less fruit or a harder road with more fruit? If we want to live the victorious life that Jesus died for us to have, then we must be willing to crucify our old man and live in the spirit. To live in the spirit we must make some hard choices. While these choices may hurt, the end result will be much more satisfying. Is our vision good enough to see the big picture? Or are we constantly staring just at what is right in front of us?
Consumed by the call,
Pastor Marty
But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. James 1:13-14
We have three primary enemies. The first and probably greatest enemy is our flesh. We spend a lifetime feeding and pampering our flesh. He grows strong! Because he is so strong he rules and dominates our lives. The second enemy is the world. The world influences us in ways we don’t even recognize. It controls our thought patterns in many different ways. The third enemy is the devil himself. He is always looking for a way to enter our lives. He can’t do it without our permission, so he looks for weaknesses and then tempts us to open those doors. We foolishly fall for it many times, often without even recognizing what we have done.
To grow spiritually, we must feed our spirit man and cause him to grow to the point that he stronger than our flesh man. This is a process that takes time. Nobody is born spiritually mature. Nobody becomes spiritually mature overnight. We must start somewhere and build our spirit man brick by brick or step by step. In Genesis Chapter 4 we read the story of Cain and Abel. Abel brings a sacrifice to God and God is pleased. Cain brings a sacrifice to God and God is not pleased. Cain becomes angry and his face is downcast and God approaches Cain and asks why are you downcast? If you do right you will be accepted. But if you don’t do right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it. Jesus said if you want to follow me, you must deny yourself and take up your cross and follow me.
In both cases, we must be willing to crucify our flesh man. We must die to our desires. We must master our sin nature and choose God and His ways. I heard a man say this week that God told him this. Would you rather have an easy road with less fruit or a harder road with more fruit? If we want to live the victorious life that Jesus died for us to have, then we must be willing to crucify our old man and live in the spirit. To live in the spirit we must make some hard choices. While these choices may hurt, the end result will be much more satisfying. Is our vision good enough to see the big picture? Or are we constantly staring just at what is right in front of us?
Consumed by the call,
Pastor Marty
Saturday, October 15, 2011
The Bait of Satan
The Bait of Satan
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:11
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15
In Luke chapter 17 Jesus says it is impossible but that offenses will come. One thing we are guaranteed by Jesus is that there will always be people who try to offend you. If you want to be offended you will never have to look very far. Flesh & hatred abound everywhere we look. Our closest friends & family will often do things we don’t agree with. They will often do things that are flat out wrong. They will say things that are mean & hurtful. They will disappoint us & sometimes even betray us. How are we to respond?
Well, first let us look at Jesus. Among his very best friends, the ones he had painstakingly invested in for over 3 years, one denies him, one betrays and they all abandon him in his time of need. The Pharisees and they Sadducees lied about him & framed him so he would get the death penalty. The Romans crucified him. And in his dying breath, he said, Father forgive them for they know not what they do. Wow! That is pretty powerful. Who can do that? Apparently, we can too or else he wouldn’t have told us to do so in His Word. Love your enemies, bless those who persecute you. It seems to be pretty important to Jesus that we love God & people and that we are quick to forgive them. Look closely at the first above. Jesus says, forgive men when they sin against you & your Father will forgive you of your sins. BUT if you don’t forgive men their sins then your Father won’t forgive you of your sins! Wow! It must be important!
Paul said, they we are not to be ignorant of the enemies schemes. Satan is going around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He’s out to steal, kill & destroy. How does he do that? He lays traps for us & tries to get his to fall for them. Now traps can’t be obvious or no one would go for them. So what does he do? He decorates them with just enough truth to make them believable.
As Christians we must not be offended. Jesus said, offenses will come of this you can be sure. But we will never fall for them if we do what Jesus told us to do. When men sin against you & they will. We are to forgive them immediately. When we operate on this principle then according to this Scripture we can be sure God will forgive us our sin and we need this assurance, but if we don’t the opposite is true according to this Scripture. If we refuse to forgive and we take offenses then God will not forgive us our sins! Let’s purpose in our hearts right now that we will not be offended no matter what & we are going to begin to live a life of forgiveness. We will forgive immediately & leave no room for the devil!
Consumed by the call,
Pastor Marty
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:11
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15
In Luke chapter 17 Jesus says it is impossible but that offenses will come. One thing we are guaranteed by Jesus is that there will always be people who try to offend you. If you want to be offended you will never have to look very far. Flesh & hatred abound everywhere we look. Our closest friends & family will often do things we don’t agree with. They will often do things that are flat out wrong. They will say things that are mean & hurtful. They will disappoint us & sometimes even betray us. How are we to respond?
Well, first let us look at Jesus. Among his very best friends, the ones he had painstakingly invested in for over 3 years, one denies him, one betrays and they all abandon him in his time of need. The Pharisees and they Sadducees lied about him & framed him so he would get the death penalty. The Romans crucified him. And in his dying breath, he said, Father forgive them for they know not what they do. Wow! That is pretty powerful. Who can do that? Apparently, we can too or else he wouldn’t have told us to do so in His Word. Love your enemies, bless those who persecute you. It seems to be pretty important to Jesus that we love God & people and that we are quick to forgive them. Look closely at the first above. Jesus says, forgive men when they sin against you & your Father will forgive you of your sins. BUT if you don’t forgive men their sins then your Father won’t forgive you of your sins! Wow! It must be important!
Paul said, they we are not to be ignorant of the enemies schemes. Satan is going around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He’s out to steal, kill & destroy. How does he do that? He lays traps for us & tries to get his to fall for them. Now traps can’t be obvious or no one would go for them. So what does he do? He decorates them with just enough truth to make them believable.
As Christians we must not be offended. Jesus said, offenses will come of this you can be sure. But we will never fall for them if we do what Jesus told us to do. When men sin against you & they will. We are to forgive them immediately. When we operate on this principle then according to this Scripture we can be sure God will forgive us our sin and we need this assurance, but if we don’t the opposite is true according to this Scripture. If we refuse to forgive and we take offenses then God will not forgive us our sins! Let’s purpose in our hearts right now that we will not be offended no matter what & we are going to begin to live a life of forgiveness. We will forgive immediately & leave no room for the devil!
Consumed by the call,
Pastor Marty
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Own Your Attitude
Own Your Attitude
…the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. John 15:11
One of the most famous lines in the history of literature is found in the Declaration of Independence which was written in 1776. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Happiness & joy can often be inter-changed. The Bible talks a lot about joy. Two of the more famous scriptures are quoted above. Jesus talked a lot in John 15 about staying attached to the vine with Him being the vine. He even called us friends if we obey His commands. The purpose of all this is that His joy may be in us & our joy would be complete. Nehemiah said the joy of the Lord is our strength!
Own your attitude and you can always own the outcome! Is the glass half full or half empty? It’s all in our attitude. Whenever someone asks me how I’m doing I always say the same thing. I’ve never seen a better day! Why? Because I decided a long time ago that my attitude is mine. I can choose it to be whatever I want it to be & it doesn’t matter what my circumstances are. So even if my world is falling apart I’ve still never seen a better day. My circumstances will not control my attitude!
So I want to encourage you today to let the joy of the Lord be your strength! It’s what God intended for you! Abraham Lincoln said, We are as happy as we decide to be. That doesn’t mean you can’t discuss your issues with friends or deny anything is wrong. But it does mean you decide your own attitude. Most of us let how we feel determine our attitude. I think we should let our attitude determine our feelings! Bless you as you let the joy of the Lord be your strength!
Consumed by the call,
Pastor Marty
…the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. John 15:11
One of the most famous lines in the history of literature is found in the Declaration of Independence which was written in 1776. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Happiness & joy can often be inter-changed. The Bible talks a lot about joy. Two of the more famous scriptures are quoted above. Jesus talked a lot in John 15 about staying attached to the vine with Him being the vine. He even called us friends if we obey His commands. The purpose of all this is that His joy may be in us & our joy would be complete. Nehemiah said the joy of the Lord is our strength!
Own your attitude and you can always own the outcome! Is the glass half full or half empty? It’s all in our attitude. Whenever someone asks me how I’m doing I always say the same thing. I’ve never seen a better day! Why? Because I decided a long time ago that my attitude is mine. I can choose it to be whatever I want it to be & it doesn’t matter what my circumstances are. So even if my world is falling apart I’ve still never seen a better day. My circumstances will not control my attitude!
So I want to encourage you today to let the joy of the Lord be your strength! It’s what God intended for you! Abraham Lincoln said, We are as happy as we decide to be. That doesn’t mean you can’t discuss your issues with friends or deny anything is wrong. But it does mean you decide your own attitude. Most of us let how we feel determine our attitude. I think we should let our attitude determine our feelings! Bless you as you let the joy of the Lord be your strength!
Consumed by the call,
Pastor Marty
Friday, September 23, 2011
What is True Repentance?
What is True Repentance?
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17
Rosh Hashanah has its origins as the Feast of the Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23-25; Numbers 29:1-6). At some point, the Feast of the Trumpets became the day on which the Jewish New Year is celebrated. Today, it is known as Rosh Hashanah, meaning, literally, “head of the year.”
While Rosh Hashanah is a day of celebration, blessing, and joyful anticipation, it also begins a time of earnest reflection and repentance culminating in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the Jewish year.
The ten-day period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is called the “High Holy Days,” or “Days of Awe.” These are the most widely observed of all Jewish holy days. The Hebrew month of Elul, preceding the High Holy Days, is set aside as a time for reflection and soul-searching. The dominant them during this 40 day period from the beginning of Elul through Yom Kippur is teshuvah, or repentance. Repentance is more than just a “change of mind.” True repentance involves a “change in action” as well, a turning away from bad and a turning toward good. In the words of the psalmist, “Depart from evil and do good” (Psalm 34:14)
I’m reminded of King David when he sinned with Bathesheba and had her husband killed. When the prophet Nathan came to him and told him the story of the lamb and then declared to David he was the man. Immediately David recognized his sin and began to fast and pray. You can see the heart of a man who is truly repentant. This is why I think later God said, “David is a man after my own heart.”
Over the next few weeks as the Jewish people celebrate Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur it would do us good to do some of the things they will be practicing. One of those is internal reflections. During these days they will spend time before God reflecting and repenting from their sins and bad choices and putting themselves in a position to receive from God and get directions for the New Year. God loves it when his people have a repentant attitude and heart. May God richly bless you as you endeavor to do His will.
Consumed by the call,
Pastor Marty
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17
Rosh Hashanah has its origins as the Feast of the Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23-25; Numbers 29:1-6). At some point, the Feast of the Trumpets became the day on which the Jewish New Year is celebrated. Today, it is known as Rosh Hashanah, meaning, literally, “head of the year.”
While Rosh Hashanah is a day of celebration, blessing, and joyful anticipation, it also begins a time of earnest reflection and repentance culminating in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the Jewish year.
The ten-day period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is called the “High Holy Days,” or “Days of Awe.” These are the most widely observed of all Jewish holy days. The Hebrew month of Elul, preceding the High Holy Days, is set aside as a time for reflection and soul-searching. The dominant them during this 40 day period from the beginning of Elul through Yom Kippur is teshuvah, or repentance. Repentance is more than just a “change of mind.” True repentance involves a “change in action” as well, a turning away from bad and a turning toward good. In the words of the psalmist, “Depart from evil and do good” (Psalm 34:14)
I’m reminded of King David when he sinned with Bathesheba and had her husband killed. When the prophet Nathan came to him and told him the story of the lamb and then declared to David he was the man. Immediately David recognized his sin and began to fast and pray. You can see the heart of a man who is truly repentant. This is why I think later God said, “David is a man after my own heart.”
Over the next few weeks as the Jewish people celebrate Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur it would do us good to do some of the things they will be practicing. One of those is internal reflections. During these days they will spend time before God reflecting and repenting from their sins and bad choices and putting themselves in a position to receive from God and get directions for the New Year. God loves it when his people have a repentant attitude and heart. May God richly bless you as you endeavor to do His will.
Consumed by the call,
Pastor Marty
Friday, September 16, 2011
Crucified with Christ
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6:14
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20
The Bible says we are a three part being. We are a spirit, soul and body. When we are born again, we are given the spirit of God. Our soul is our mind, will and emotions. Our soul must be transformed. It is transformed by the Word of God. We must relearn how to think. As we submerge ourselves in the Word of God it changes us. Our eyes begin to be opened and we begin to see things from God’s perspective. Before salvation, God’s ways were beyond us. We had no comprehension of His ways. As we learn His Word it begins to change us. We are changed to the degree we accept His Word as truth and begin to apply it to our lives. We begin to be transformed by His truth.
God designed us this way as three part beings and His purpose for us is for our Spirit man to be king, our soul to be a servant and our body to be a slave. We start out really weak spiritually. We are born again and we are instantly filled with His joy! It feels so good to have our sins forgiven, but we have little knowledge and we have spent years and decades developing certain ways that are contrary to God. We must feed our spirit man so he can grow and become king. We must transform our soul man so he can learn to become servant to the spirit man. We must crucify our flesh so our flesh man becomes slave to our spirit man.
In the verses above Paul says, “the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” He no longer lives according to His old ways. He no longer lives based on the culture. He has died to that and his boast is in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. He said, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Let us make Paul’s conviction our own. I no longer live for myself. I live for Christ. I am dying to the world and its system and its culture. My boast is in the cross of Christ! I am dying so I might truly live!
Consumed by the call,
Pastor Marty
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20
The Bible says we are a three part being. We are a spirit, soul and body. When we are born again, we are given the spirit of God. Our soul is our mind, will and emotions. Our soul must be transformed. It is transformed by the Word of God. We must relearn how to think. As we submerge ourselves in the Word of God it changes us. Our eyes begin to be opened and we begin to see things from God’s perspective. Before salvation, God’s ways were beyond us. We had no comprehension of His ways. As we learn His Word it begins to change us. We are changed to the degree we accept His Word as truth and begin to apply it to our lives. We begin to be transformed by His truth.
God designed us this way as three part beings and His purpose for us is for our Spirit man to be king, our soul to be a servant and our body to be a slave. We start out really weak spiritually. We are born again and we are instantly filled with His joy! It feels so good to have our sins forgiven, but we have little knowledge and we have spent years and decades developing certain ways that are contrary to God. We must feed our spirit man so he can grow and become king. We must transform our soul man so he can learn to become servant to the spirit man. We must crucify our flesh so our flesh man becomes slave to our spirit man.
In the verses above Paul says, “the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” He no longer lives according to His old ways. He no longer lives based on the culture. He has died to that and his boast is in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. He said, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Let us make Paul’s conviction our own. I no longer live for myself. I live for Christ. I am dying to the world and its system and its culture. My boast is in the cross of Christ! I am dying so I might truly live!
Consumed by the call,
Pastor Marty
Saturday, September 10, 2011
The Unstoppable Christian
The Unstoppable Christian
Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:11-12
I heard a story this week about a lion in the Serengeti who was just standing there looking awesome when he spots a lizard approaching him. The lion just stands there and looks at him as he approaches. The lizard never wavers from his line of walking which goes right through where the lion is standing. The lion never moves, just stares at the lizard. The lizard gets right up to him and looks up like “are you going to move or what?” When the lion doesn’t move the lizard begins to crawl right up the lion’s leg and up on his back and when he gets toward the end of his back, he looks back as if to say, “What are you going to do about it?” The whole scene is kind of hilarious because here’s the king of the jungle just watching as the lizard walks all over him. The lizard crawls down his hind legs & carries on the same line he had wanted to travel. Now, what the lion knew & I didn’t know was that this lizard has poison spikes all over his back & if the lion had swatted him or tried to eat him the poison would have killed the lion.
I immediately thought the lion knows who he can eat and who he can’t. This is just like the devil. He knows whom he can devour and who he can’t. How does the devil know? Then I begin to think about how people hunt coyotes. They make these wounded rabbit sounds. To the coyote this sounds like lunch to him. Then I begin to think that is how the devil knows whom he can devour and who he can’t. Many Christians sound just like these wounded rabbits. The Christian whines, complains, murmurs, gossips and sounds just like a wounded rabbit. Here comes the devil to devour.
Satan walks around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He can’t devour just anybody. It’s only those whom he can trick, deceive and manipulate. He makes a lot of noise but really has no power unless he can trick us or deceive us into giving him that power. The other scripture listed above says we are not to be ignorant of his schemes. We should know how the enemy operates and realize our battle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers. We should always cling to God who has all power and authority. We are safe in the arms of Jesus!
Consumed by the call,
Pastor Marty
Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:11-12
I heard a story this week about a lion in the Serengeti who was just standing there looking awesome when he spots a lizard approaching him. The lion just stands there and looks at him as he approaches. The lizard never wavers from his line of walking which goes right through where the lion is standing. The lion never moves, just stares at the lizard. The lizard gets right up to him and looks up like “are you going to move or what?” When the lion doesn’t move the lizard begins to crawl right up the lion’s leg and up on his back and when he gets toward the end of his back, he looks back as if to say, “What are you going to do about it?” The whole scene is kind of hilarious because here’s the king of the jungle just watching as the lizard walks all over him. The lizard crawls down his hind legs & carries on the same line he had wanted to travel. Now, what the lion knew & I didn’t know was that this lizard has poison spikes all over his back & if the lion had swatted him or tried to eat him the poison would have killed the lion.
I immediately thought the lion knows who he can eat and who he can’t. This is just like the devil. He knows whom he can devour and who he can’t. How does the devil know? Then I begin to think about how people hunt coyotes. They make these wounded rabbit sounds. To the coyote this sounds like lunch to him. Then I begin to think that is how the devil knows whom he can devour and who he can’t. Many Christians sound just like these wounded rabbits. The Christian whines, complains, murmurs, gossips and sounds just like a wounded rabbit. Here comes the devil to devour.
Satan walks around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He can’t devour just anybody. It’s only those whom he can trick, deceive and manipulate. He makes a lot of noise but really has no power unless he can trick us or deceive us into giving him that power. The other scripture listed above says we are not to be ignorant of his schemes. We should know how the enemy operates and realize our battle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers. We should always cling to God who has all power and authority. We are safe in the arms of Jesus!
Consumed by the call,
Pastor Marty
Saturday, August 27, 2011
The Cost of Discipleship
The Cost of Discipleship
And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:27
In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:33
Salvation is a free gift. There is absolutely nothing we can do to earn our way into heaven. Jesus did the work and He alone paid the price for our entrance into heaven. However, if we are going to follow Him and be His disciple then there is a price to be paid. We 21st century American Christians really don’t want to hear that. Nevertheless, it is the truth. If you read just the words of Jesus, you learn some interesting things. For instance, he never sugar coats being a disciple. Many American preachers are more interested in growing their Churches and becoming the CEO of a major corporation! But Jesus said if you want to follow me there will be a price to be paid. He never promised us a rose garden. In fact, quite the opposite. He said in one place that if they hated Him, they will also hate us. If they persecute me, they will persecute you. How many times in the gospel did He say, If you want to be my disciple, you have to take up your cross, deny yourself and follow me?
God’s ways are very different than our ways. For instance, if you want patience, how will God bring it into your life? He brings trials and tribulations to develop your patience. There is a price to be paid to become a disciple! All of the original disciples (The Twelve), paid a heavy price to follow Jesus. They all died gruesome deaths and went through immense persecution. Now the flip side of that is they saw many awesome miracles and healings.
In Luke 9:57-62 Jesus talked about the cost of following Him. One man came up to Him and said, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” To another he said, Follow me, but the man replied, Lord, first let me go and bury my father. Jesus said, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” Jesus said, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the service in the kingdom of God.”
Do you see here all the excuses people are giving Jesus? It reminds me a lot of us. I’m always giving Jesus excuses of why I can’t do this or that. His answer is still the same. No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the service in the kingdom of God. Our excuses are pretty lame. If not now, when? If not us, then who? Let’s get rid of all our excuses and begin now to do the things God is calling us to do. You are the one God has called! You will be equipped when you step out in obedience and begin to do what you know to do!
Consumed by the call,
Pastor Marty
And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:27
In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:33
Salvation is a free gift. There is absolutely nothing we can do to earn our way into heaven. Jesus did the work and He alone paid the price for our entrance into heaven. However, if we are going to follow Him and be His disciple then there is a price to be paid. We 21st century American Christians really don’t want to hear that. Nevertheless, it is the truth. If you read just the words of Jesus, you learn some interesting things. For instance, he never sugar coats being a disciple. Many American preachers are more interested in growing their Churches and becoming the CEO of a major corporation! But Jesus said if you want to follow me there will be a price to be paid. He never promised us a rose garden. In fact, quite the opposite. He said in one place that if they hated Him, they will also hate us. If they persecute me, they will persecute you. How many times in the gospel did He say, If you want to be my disciple, you have to take up your cross, deny yourself and follow me?
God’s ways are very different than our ways. For instance, if you want patience, how will God bring it into your life? He brings trials and tribulations to develop your patience. There is a price to be paid to become a disciple! All of the original disciples (The Twelve), paid a heavy price to follow Jesus. They all died gruesome deaths and went through immense persecution. Now the flip side of that is they saw many awesome miracles and healings.
In Luke 9:57-62 Jesus talked about the cost of following Him. One man came up to Him and said, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” To another he said, Follow me, but the man replied, Lord, first let me go and bury my father. Jesus said, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” Jesus said, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the service in the kingdom of God.”
Do you see here all the excuses people are giving Jesus? It reminds me a lot of us. I’m always giving Jesus excuses of why I can’t do this or that. His answer is still the same. No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the service in the kingdom of God. Our excuses are pretty lame. If not now, when? If not us, then who? Let’s get rid of all our excuses and begin now to do the things God is calling us to do. You are the one God has called! You will be equipped when you step out in obedience and begin to do what you know to do!
Consumed by the call,
Pastor Marty
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Stand Up 4 Jesus
Stand Up 4 Jesus
If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Luke 9:23-26
Most of the problems we encounter in life are of our own doing. When I do marriage counseling for instance, almost without fail the number one problem is selfishness on parts of both spouses. Most marriage issues could be solved if just one of the spouses would put this verse into practice. Deny yourself and take up your cross daily & follow Jesus! To deny yourself simply means to quit doing what you want. Taking up your cross daily means to bear up under and plow through whatever you have to crucify your own flesh and feed your spirit man so you can follow Jesus in every situation!
These verses help us to put things into perspective. When this life is over and we are standing face to face with the King of kings and the Lord of lords how pitiful is all our acts of selfishness going to look. Will the excuses we give each other be brought up before the Lord? I think not. I think when we look Him in the eye, we will know even as we are known. Jesus will look right through us and see directly into our soul! What’s the condition of your soul this morning?
If we don’t like the consequences we are reaping right now, then it’s time to look at the decisions we’ve been making and the seeds we’ve planted and correct those decisions and make them right and begin to start planting good seeds so we can reap good things in the future! It really is as simple as the choices we make! If we will deny ourselves and take up our cross daily we will like the decisions we make much better and we will also like the consequences of our choices much better. Not to say that life will suddenly be a bed of roses because it won’t, but we will start to see the big picture a lot better and our focus will be on heavenly rewards instead of earthly rewards. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:34
Consumed by the call,
Pastor Marty
If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Luke 9:23-26
Most of the problems we encounter in life are of our own doing. When I do marriage counseling for instance, almost without fail the number one problem is selfishness on parts of both spouses. Most marriage issues could be solved if just one of the spouses would put this verse into practice. Deny yourself and take up your cross daily & follow Jesus! To deny yourself simply means to quit doing what you want. Taking up your cross daily means to bear up under and plow through whatever you have to crucify your own flesh and feed your spirit man so you can follow Jesus in every situation!
These verses help us to put things into perspective. When this life is over and we are standing face to face with the King of kings and the Lord of lords how pitiful is all our acts of selfishness going to look. Will the excuses we give each other be brought up before the Lord? I think not. I think when we look Him in the eye, we will know even as we are known. Jesus will look right through us and see directly into our soul! What’s the condition of your soul this morning?
If we don’t like the consequences we are reaping right now, then it’s time to look at the decisions we’ve been making and the seeds we’ve planted and correct those decisions and make them right and begin to start planting good seeds so we can reap good things in the future! It really is as simple as the choices we make! If we will deny ourselves and take up our cross daily we will like the decisions we make much better and we will also like the consequences of our choices much better. Not to say that life will suddenly be a bed of roses because it won’t, but we will start to see the big picture a lot better and our focus will be on heavenly rewards instead of earthly rewards. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:34
Consumed by the call,
Pastor Marty