Step Out Even When Others Won’t!

We live in a society that encourages us to remain in our comfort zone. Simply find that place where you feel most secure and stay right there. Problem with that mindset is, you are never challenged to stretch your legs and discover there is a great deal more to life than the comfort zone offers.

Great scientific discoveries were made by individuals that left the zone and set out believing there was so much more. Worlds were discovered by men who went against the flow, against the better judgment of others—men who found out their dreams could become realities.

Twelve men sat in a boat rocking in a storm troubled by the adversity of the waves. A “ghost,” as they called Him, came out of the darkness towards them, bringing even greater fright upon them. Peter began to recognize that figure not as a ghost but as the Son of GOD, JESUS CHRIST!

What to do, what to do in such a situation! Faith or fright? Peter, being the adventurous one who was never quite satisified with the status quo, said: “Lord, if it’s You, command me to come to You on the water” (Matthew 14:28 HCSB). Now in human terms and apparently the thinking of the other 11, Jesus was on His way there, so just hurry up and wait! But, Peter wanted something more. He wasn’t content to just wait.

The status quo wasn’t enough. Just sitting around waiting for something to come his way wasn’t his way of doing things. He understood that if you want something great to happen, you step out and instigate it—you make it happen!

The Scripture tells us that Jesus said: “COME! And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus” (vs. 29). I would imagine as he climbed over the side, the others were trying hard to talk the crazy man back. But, he wanted more and by his faith, he got more. He got up on the water and headed out towards JESUS! Even though he suffered some failure during the experience, that experience prepared him to become the great man of GOD the early church would need as a leader.

You don’t have to stay right where you are, even if the world or your church for that matter encourages you to. They will tell you to just wait on the LORD and eventually He will lead you where He wants you to go. Millions of churchgoers have departed this life “still waiting”—slipping off into eternity with absolutely nothing to show for years of “being a Christian.”

I want to encourage you to “Step out even when others won’t!” Take that step today and discover GOD has so much more for you than simply a pew to occupy on Sunday mornings! The side of the boat may be tall, the others may be encouraging otherwise, but listen for the LORD to say “COME” and step out into a world of greatness in service to the LORD and others.

Don’t Hold Back!

Occasionally, I run across individuals who have special giftings and talents from the LORD that are so vital and necessary in today’s world and yet not being used. When confronted about the situation, the answer normally revolves around the issue of “feelings of inadequacy”—a lack of education, experience or similar reasons.  

Gaps Need Filling!

As we take a serious look at our nation today, we recognize very quickly that as a nation, we are in serious trouble. We sit and listen to those who are running as candidates to oversee our nation’s future and we quickly realize the agendas of the majority of them are not centered upon bringing our nation back to its grandeur and place of prominence worldwide that has been lost.

As I consider the state of the church in America today, I recognize why our nation is in the situation it finds itself in today. Certainly, the position of “President of the US” is extremely important and the occupier of that position should have the well-being of America at heart. Whether you agree or not, this nation was founded upon Biblical principles and standards and as such should be overseen by an individual who stands behind those principles and standards.

However, the root cause of America’s trouble today is the condition of her church. So many have sold out to political correctness, to whitewashing the gospel and the truths of the Word of God, to preaching a gospel that doesn’t offend anyone. Men are filling pulpits across America who have no spiritual calling on their lives to do so. The anointing and infilling power of the Spirit of God is not upon them. They have simply discovered an easy way to spout untruths and mistruths essentially leading people astray while lining their pockets.

The only hope for America today is for a body of true believers to rise up and fulfill the Words of the Lord that was delivered through the prophet Ezekiel. The Lord said: “I searched for a man among them who would repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land so that I might not destroy it, but I found no one” (Ezekiel 22:30).

The Lord is looking for gap-men today—sold-out men and women of God who will rise up and take a stand against the evil pervading our society. Men and women who recognize the trouble the church, as well as America, are in today and refuse to allow this cycle to continue by praying, then standing up and speaking out against the evil. There are so many gaps in the wall that need filling today.

Are you one of these individuals? Do you care about the future of the church and America? Do you have what it takes to fulfill this role that is so desperately needed in America today? Prayerfully consider the message in Ezekiel 22:23-31 and how it corresponds to the plight the church and America are in today.

Keep It Up, You’re Gonna Get Burned!

As a very young boy, I had often watched my dad fix our flat bike tires by heating the area to be patched with a quick burst of fire. It made the patch stick better. One day my dad wasn’t around and I needed my tire fixed and I couldn’t get the area to be patched to catch fire so I poured a little gasoline on it. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! It burst into flames and I slung it and the burning rubber stuck to the wall of the garage. Thankfully, a man was repairing the roof of the home next door and saw what was happening and came down and put the fire out. Learned my lesson quick from that one!

The problem with sin in our lives is we often DON’T learn our lesson and continue dabbling in it. As the saying goes, “You play with fire, sooner or later you’re gonna get burned!” We press it just a little further each time trying to see just how far we can go. Nothing new about this. Jesus addressed it often in various ways. On one occasion He asked this question: “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say?“ (Luke 6:46). He is asking many in the church this same question today!

As “Christians,” we often have this idea that we walked the aisle and gave our hearts to Jesus, now we are alright to continue living on the edge—like salvation is some kind of insurance policy that guarantees us eternal life simply because we walked the aisle and repeated the words after the preacher—like I can go right on living the way of the world cuz I got Jesus now! Hmmm!!!

Salvation is a guarantee of eternal life for those whose lives are lived in accordance with GOD’s Word. When Jesus asked that question, He was trying to get the listeners, including you and I, to wake up to reality—to live in accordance to His Word in order to reap the promises of eternal life found in His Word.

Carefully consider what Paul said in Romans 2:6-8: “He will repay each one according to his works: eternal life to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but wrath and indignation to those who are self-seeking and disobey the truth, but are obeying unrighteousness” (HCSB).

Don’t get so caught up in your idea of eternal security that you think you can go right on living like the world and its ok. God’s righteous judgment is coming! He will repay those who have lived righteously with eternal life. But for those who have lived in disobedience to His laws and commands, His wrath will fall harshly. A simple word of warning: You keep it up, sooner or later you’re gonna get burned!

It’s Not My Fault, I Didn’t Know Any Better!

A young man in a class I was teaching cussed incessantly throughout the classtime. I asked him to please refrain from such language and his response was that one that has become so common in our world: “I can’t help it. It’s not my fault. If you were raised in my house with the parents I have, you would be the same way.”

Certainly, my heart goes out to this young man and so many others raised in terrible situations. I feel sad for them and the hurt they are suffering through. However, continuing to blame others for who you’ve become rather than distancing one’s self from the cycle of bad behavior is without excuse. Continuing that cycle by becoming another home that destroys another generation is without excuse. Our society is wreaked with that mindset as we see the rebellion going on in the streets; the crimes and savagery of our younger generation is appalling.

We are also without excuse when it comes down to our understanding of GOD. We like to blame others, including GOD, for who we are and what we have become. Fact is, our society has drifted overtly into such a pattern of thinking and the lives people are living are the evidence to prove so. The idea that “I didn’t know any better!” or “I can’t help how I’ve turned out!” or “My parents made me this way!” is without excuse and the society we now find ourselves in is the direct result of that mindset. 

Cleaning Up the Attic!

Have you ever given your attic a good cleaning? You work all day organizing, wiping out the dust, cleaning out the cobwebs; yet, you climb back up tomorrow only to discover the dust and cobwebs are right back. Keeping your attic clean and in order, involves a commitment to cleaning it up on a regular basis.

Keeping our hearts and minds clean is similar to cleaning up that attic. We spend time praying, confessing our faults and sins, reading GOD’s Word, living according to GOD’s standard; yet, we discover the worldly thoughts and the grime of the world have returned soon after. Discouragement can easily set in which can easily lead to complacency and a desire to just give up.

It seems it would be easier to just go back to living the old life at times. Yet, we know in our hearts that is not the answer. GOD has brought us too far to return to the old life and ways. We need to recognize that the attic of our mind simply needs a daily purging of the cobwebs and washing down by the truth of the Word. The heart needs to cleansed by the power of GOD’s Spirit.

Paul instructs us to: “not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2 HCSB). Cleaning up the attic of our mind involves two things according to Paul—determining to not be conformed to the ways of this world and determining to be transformed by the ongoing process of mind renewal.

Like cleaning up the attic, mind transformation and renewal is an ongoing process. Paul recognized this fact in his life and determined to continue moving forward. We can learn to do likewise by considering his instruction found in Philippians 3:12-14: “Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus” (HCSB).

Begin to decide today that your heart and mind are not where they should be. Decide you are going forward nevertheless. As you consider the prize of heaven, forget your past and its ways and keep pressing on to the prize ahead. Allow the Word of GOD to purge your heart and mind of this world’s ways as you continue to clean up the attic of your mind.

Go to Your Secret Place!

In the recklessness of the world we live in, it is easy to become spiritually drained. The wickedness of the world around pounds us daily with its lies, deceit and awfulness. It is easy to find ourselves so beat up from society’s evil that our spiritual being is desperately craving refreshing and renewal.

The Scripture tells us: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed” (Mark 1:34). Jesus understood the importance of finding His secret place while society was still asleep. He went there early so He could commune with His Father without any disturbances—being renewed and refreshed from His Heavenly Father.

You and I need our secret place. We need that place where we can free our lives and minds from the bombardment of the world around us. We need to find it at a time when our minds are fresh and open to all GOD desires to share with us and pour into us. It will most probably involve some personal sacrifice. But, you need it!

For too many, the secret place has become wherever the individual finds themselves when the battles begin. Rather, than preparing for the battle in advance, you wait until it begins and yourself totally unprepared. The Bible indicates a need to be prayed up and prepared—being fully clothed in the armor of GOD—with a complete understanding of Satan’s plans and tactics.

Jesus went into His secret place early and came out prepared for everything the world intended to throw at Him. You need to set up a place that becomes your secret place—a place where you and GOD can commune and He can refresh your spirit, renew your soul and prepare you for every evil that the enemy has set against you. I encourage you to go to your secret place and pray!

Getting Good Enough!

Oftentimes when inviting people to church, they will respond with something like, “I’m just not good enough to go to church. Let me get my act together and then I will join you.” You have possibly been told the same thing or maybe you are reading this and similar excuses keep you from attending.

The truth is not one of us is “good enough” to enter the presence of GOD—within ourselves. Paul wrote: “There is no one righteous, not even one“ (Romans 3:10). Nothing you and I can do to ourselves will make us “good enough.” There is nothing good in man. Man’s heart and ways are bent towards doing what is evil and wrong.

Only as we recognize our sinfulness and our need for a Savior, do we begin to crack the door open to understanding. Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:8-9: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

It is only through the blood of Jesus Christ that we become “good enough.” Jesus did for you and I what we could never do for ourselves. He paid the price with His own life—His own blood. Getting good enough involves turning to Jesus Christ, asking for forgiveness of your sins, accepting His sacrifice as the sufficient payment for your sins and surrendering your life completely over to Him.

Don’t live your life making excuses. Eternity is a long time. Your decision today could make the eternal difference you need right now. Getting good enough comes through Jesus Christ. Surrender to Him.

Take that First Step!

The army uses the slogan: “Be All You Can Be!” to draw in fresh recruits.Behind that slogan is the impetus to take a step forward in order to become something more than you already all—even more than you could ever be otherwise. But to do so, you’ve got to take the initiative to take that first step!

Moses had been out in the wilderness tending sheep for forty years. He was now well along in years and had become content to simply be a shepherd. But GOD had something more in store for his life.

GOD had much bigger plans for Moses than he could’ve ever imagined. When GOD spoke to Moses through the burning bush, he laid out a great adventure to still be carried out even in his old age.

As part of the adventure initiative, GOD also spoke to Moses’ brother Aaron and sent him out into the wilderness to meet up with Moses. The Scripture says it like this: “The LORD said to Aaron, ‘Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.’ So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him” (Exodus 4:27).

When they got together, Moses informed Aaron of GOD’s plans and back to Egypt they both went. You see, Moses would have never had his adventure of a lifetime serving GOD had he refused to take that first step. And, of course, you know the rest of the story.

GOD has bigger plans for you as well. I always tell people, “If you still have breath in your lungs, GOD’s not through with you yet. He’ll take you on to glory when He is, so keep busy for Him now.”

You may feel insecure about yourself. You may feel inadequate. You may feel that GOD could never use somebody with the past you have. Moses killed a man. Moses couldn’t talk well in front of people. But, GOD used Him in spite of his past and inadequacies and He will do the same with you!

Today, I want to encourage you to “Be All You Can Be” (and so much more) in the army of the LORD. Simply “Take that First Step” in faith and GOD will be right there moving you into the adventure of a lifetime He has for you—in service to His Kingdom!

He’s Still Workin’ on Me!

I remember as a child singing the little chorus: “He’s still workin’ on me. To make me what I ought to be. It took him just a week to make the moon and the stars….” We seemed to sing it with an anticipation of the day when we got older and GOD finished up with His work on us.

As I was reading Scripture this morning, I found myself encouraged once again by Paul’s admonition in Philippians 1:6: “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.“  It took me back to the “He’s still workin’ on me….” song. I began thinking that no matter how mature I may consider myself to be in Christ, He still isn’t finished—He’s still sanding off the rough edges, cleaning up all the gouges.

Paul was nearing the end of his life when he penned the words in Philippians and I realize quickly that he was far advanced in his spiritual maturity in comparison to me. But, he still recognized that GOD wasn’t finished workin’ on him and that He would continue workin’ until the day Paul entered glory.

It’s exciting to know that GOD still has greater things to do. It’s so thrilling to realize that He isn’t giving up—in the midst of my failures and circumstances and situations—GOD is still workin’. Even when I fail Him, He continues workin’—molding and making me—perfecting me for His glory.

Just a word of encouragement today, hang in there, continue to serve GOD. Don’t get down and depressed over your times of failure. Rather,understand and hang on to the promise that He’s still workin’ on you and even in those times, He can turn them out for His good. And when He’s all done—He’s gonna take you to glory, there to be with Him forever!