Searching You Out from Among the Multitudes!

The holiday season tends to be a time of raised depression levels among a lot of people. Sadly, rather than bringing joy and happiness, many find themselves sinking deep in thought and longing, and feeling as though nobody cares. Maybe that is you today? Or, someone you know? Maybe thoughts of harm have entered your mind as a means of escape—simply getting away from the string of problems that have enveloped you?

I am here to offer you hope in your time of crisis today. There is hope. There is Someone who cares for you more than you will ever know and I am certain there are others who care a great deal for you as well in the midst of your struggles.

Luke tells about the religious folks who had been hanging around keeping an eye on Jesus—waiting for any opportunity to accuse Him or condemn Him. Their complaint against Him was: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them!” (Luke 15:2 HCSB). Why? Because He cared for them—He cared for their souls and their lives as indicated by His time spent reaching out to them and putting His own life into theirs.

To their accusation, Jesus responded: “What man among you, who has 100 sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the 99 in the open field and go after the lost one until he finds it?” (v. 4). Jesus pointed out the great importance He placed upon all humans—His willingness to step out of His place of comfort to go out and search for the lost one regardless of the situation or circumstances. The lost one had to be found! And, that is how Jesus feels about you today!

Jesus cares about your struggles, problems, and situations. He is not content to allow you to drown in your sea of difficulties; rather, He comes to your rescue and draws you up out of the mess, cleans you up and walks with you. While others may condemn Him for wasting His precious time, He never sees you as a waste of time.

Jesus sees you as precious as we see in verse 5-6 where He says: “When he has found it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders, and coming home, he calls his friends and neighbors together, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep!’” You are precious to Jesus and He, as well as all the host of heaven, rejoices when you are rescued and delivered from your struggles and problems.  

Jesus calls you precious today! Jesus calls you worthy today—worthy of His life’s blood shed on the cross to rescue you. Jesus searches for all of us among the multitudes, set upon rescuing us from our pasts, our problems and an eternity without hope.

I don’t know where you are in your life-walk today, but I do know that Jesus cares and He wants to walk that walk beside you—all the way! Trust Him! Do not be overcome by despair, fear or dread. Rather, turn it all over to Jesus and enjoy what this season of Thanksgiving and a remembrance of the birth of the Savior into this world have to offer you for all eternity.

May you be blessed with the riches of the fullness of His grace and glory in this blessed season and every day of your walk in this life (Ephesians 2:7). Find someone today who you can reach out to and touch their life with the joy and happiness of Jesus!

Scripture Reading: “I will give You thanks with all my heart; I will sing Your praise before the heavenly beings. I will bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for Your constant love and faithfulness. You have exalted Your name and Your promise above everything else. On the day I called, You answered me; You increased strength within me. All the kings on earth will give You thanks, Lord, when they hear what You have promised. They will sing of the Lord’s ways, for the Lord’s glory is great. Though the Lord is exalted, He takes note of the humble; but He knows the haughty from afar. If I walk in the thick of danger, You will preserve my life from the anger of my enemies. You will extend Your hand; Your right hand will save me. The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me. Lord, Your love is eternal; do not abandon the work of Your hands” (Psalm 138 HCSB).

Personal Prayer: Father in heaven, I praise You for caring enough for me to come searching me out and helping me to discover I do have worth and value—that You saw enough in me to not only send Jesus to die for me but also to draw me unto Yourself. Lord, I pray You would give me the strength to overcome and the power to face my troubles and problems and know that You have already taken care of them for me. Help me, Lord, to stay focused upon You and Your goodness and mercy always. I love You and praise You, Lord…in Jesus’ name…AMEN!

Restoration Belongs to You!

Where are you in your walk with Jesus today? Do you feel the intimacy and closeness that He desires for the both of you? Or, is there something that has grown up between you—maybe unconfessed sin or habitual sin or too much worldly influence in your life? Maybe you have simply drifted away? Your prayer life has dwindled and you rarely, if ever, spend time in fellowship and communion with Him? Maybe you have lost all sense of intimacy with Him and you are not even sure if you can ever get it back?

A great many Christians are walking around through life today simply surviving. The fellowship they once had with Jesus has waned and faded from their daily existence. Their own personal failures have led them to see themselves as failures before God leading to these feelings. Maybe I am talking to you today? Maybe you long to be back in relationship with Jesus? Maybe you feel there is no hope?

Following their release from Egyptian captivity, the Israelites wondered to and from their relationship with God. As you read the adventures of these people, you wonder how and why God would even continue to give them another chance. It seemed every time they ventured away from God, their trip took them a bit further than before.

By the time Jeremiah came on the scene, their rebellion and sin had become so offensive to God that His judgment was imminent. Why did God let them go so far? Why didn’t He just cut them off completely earlier on? Why did He continue to put up with their antics and forgive them when they pleaded for mercy?

Jeremiah 30 closes with the gavel being dropped as the Lord proclaims: “Look, a storm from the Lord! Wrath has gone forth. A churning storm, it will whirl about the head of the wicked. The Lord’s burning anger will not turn back until He has completely fulfilled the purposes of His heart” (vv. 23-24 HCSB).

But even before He pronounces judgment, He promises restoration. God proclaims: “I will bring you health and will heal you of your wounds… I will certainly restore the fortunes of Jacob’s tents…You will be My people, and I will be your God” (vv. 17,18,22).

Following the pronouncement, the Lord promises: “Look, the days are coming when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah…I will place My law within them and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people” (Jeremiah 31:31,33).

How can such a thing be? How can God restore a nation back to Himself that has shaken its fist in His face, cursed His name and chased after every other god the world had to offer? What kind of love, mercy and grace is it that flows from the heart of God to allow Him to act in such a marvelous way?

The same grace and mercy that saves us, that redeems us from the penalty of our sins and that reconciles us back to Him. That same mercy that restores us when we venture away from Him and chase after the ways of the world. Notice His words and feel His heart in verse 3: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you.”

God’s love and mercy are beyond our human ability to comprehend but evident throughout Scripture and in our own lives. As we look at the condition of our own lives, our churches and our nation, we wonder why God continues to shed His grace upon us; but, we come to understand that it is His heart of love that motivates Him to do so.

I don’t know where you are today or what you need in your life, but God knows and God cares. His love is everlasting and ever-enduring and faithful unto You—regardless. God desires to restore you back into fellowship with Himself. He loves You with an everlasting love. He is not interested in your past; He is interested in your future. He is interested not only in your future here on this earth but your eternal future with Him in heaven.

Turn back to Him today. Allow His Spirit to overwhelm you with His love and to draw you from your life of failures back to a life of victory in and through His Son, Jesus Christ. Discover God’s restoration today! His restoration belongs to you!

Scripture Reading: “Listen, Shepherd of Israel, who guides Joseph like a flock; You who sit enthroned on the cherubim, rise up…Rally Your power and come to save us. Restore us, God; look on us with favor, and we will be saved…Return, God of Hosts. Look down from heaven and see; take care of this vine, the root Your right hand has planted, the shoot that You made strong for Yourself. It was cut down and burned up; they perish at the rebuke of Your countenance. Let Your hand be with the man at Your right hand, with the son of man You have made strong for Yourself. Then we will not turn away from You; revive us, and we will call on Your name. Restore us, Lord God of Hosts; look [on us] with favor, and we will be saved” (Psalm 80 HCSB).

Personal Prayer: Father in heaven, I have wandered from You. I feel so lost without Your strength and power, without Your guidance and direction. Please restore me to the place I once was in You. Forgive me for my failures; forgive me for my past ways and bring about a complete restoration that I may once again find myself cradled safely and securely in Your arms of love and protection. I love You and praise You for Your unfailing love, for never giving up on me, for always being there just for me. I praise You in all things…in Jesus’ name…AMEN!

But I’m Just a Nothing

Do you ever feel unequipped? Unprepared? A nothing in the face of the mounting problems around about you? It seems the enormous amount of conflict encircling you is far more than you can handle? The weight and the severity of the problems are more than you feel you can ever overcome?

Sometimes you find yourself throwing up your hands in defeat, in essence, revealing your most hidden fears that you’re a nothing? That’s okay. There is nothing inherently wrong with those feelings! I don’t believe that most ever truly discover victory until they have first discovered a sense of defeat.

Let me bring some clarity to this as it may be shaking some of you up a bit. Think about David for a moment. He was a small shepherd boy. He was untrained militarily. He had never been forced to encounter a human enemy in battle. He had no knowledge of military weaponry and tactics. As far as being a warrior was concerned, David was a nothing.

When he heard the giant, Goliath, taunting the Israelites and cursing His God, what he did have sprang to life. This boy of nothing was not about to allow the evil one to have the victory. His heart for God and for his people was gigantic. Regardless of how loud he could shout or how big he appeared, David refused to allow this enemy of God and of his people to continue to carry on with this wicked behavior.

As David approached the battlefield armed with a slingshot and a few stones, the giant stepped out and stared him up and down. The Scripture tells us: “the Philistine despised him…and said to David, ‘Am I a dog that you come against me with sticks?’ Then he cursed David by his gods. ‘Come here,’ the Philistine called to David, ‘and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts!’” ( 1 Samuel 17:42-44 HCSB). In the eyes of the giant and all the spectators standing around gloating over the situation, David was a defeated nothing!

The problem with what others may be thinking is their thoughts can be dead wrong. David entered the battlefield with defeat written all over him. His size, his capabilities, his lack of training and experience—all signs of defeat.

The naysayers failed to realize what David did have. He was not dependent upon his weaponry, skills or abilities. “David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with a dagger, spear, and sword, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel’s armies- you have defied Him’” (v. 45). David recognized he was a nothing within himself; but, he also recognized what it was that made him a something! It was the power of God residing in him and working through him that gave him confidence to face off with the giant.

He didn’t falter or fret as he approached the behemoth; rather, he declared with complete confidence: “Today, the Lord will hand you over to me. Today, I’ll strike you down, cut your head off, and give the corpses of the Philistine camp to the birds of the sky and the creatures of the earth. Then all the world will know that Israel has a God, and this whole assembly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the Lord saves, for the battle is the Lord’s. He will hand you over to us” (vv. 46-47).

It is God’s power that turns our nothingness into something mighty and powerful. It is God’s power that enables you and I to stand against whatever mountainous problem looms in our path. It is God’s power that defeats the giants that life throws at us day after day after day. And, it is for His glory and for His name’s sake that we are victorious!

Quit looking at yourself the way the world views you. Maybe you have been criticized, ridiculed, beat-down and overwhelmed by the giants of this world? Maybe you see yourself as a nothing? The truth is: GOD sees you as a something—something worth His Son, Jesus Christ, dying for. As you learn to turn your problems, difficulties, hurts, trials and tribulations over to Him, He will enable you to walk away in total victory. While the world views you as defeated, GOD has already declared you a victor. And that, my friend, is all that matters!

Scripture Reading: “Be gracious to me, God, for man tramples me; he fights and oppresses me all day long. My adversaries trample me all day, for many arrogantly fight against me. When I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not fear. What can man do to me? They twist my words all day long; all their thoughts are against me for evil. They stir up strife, they lurk; they watch my steps while they wait to take my life. Will they escape in spite of such sin? God, bring down the nations in wrath. You Yourself have recorded my wanderings. Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your records? Then my enemies will retreat on the day when I call. This I know: God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not fear. What can man do to me? I am obligated by vows to You, God; I will make my thank offerings to You. For You delivered me from death, even my feet from stumbling, to walk before God in the light of life” (Psalm 56 HCSB).

Personal Prayer: Father, today I find myself overwhelmed by a mountain of troubles. Problems are everywhere. I need Your help bad right now. The giants are roaring and my soul is in dire need of some relief. I feel like a nothing and I know this is not how You desire for me to be. In You is victory! In You is the power to overcome! Lord, please grant me Your relief as You step into my problems and alleviate them. Lord, I call upon You. I trust in You and I believe in Your victory over all my issues today. Grant me Your strength, Your wisdom, your help in my time of desperation. I lay it all down before You and walk away knowing that I am walking away in victory right now…in Jesus’ name…AMEN!

Buffeted by the Winds of Adversity

How often do you find yourself in the midst of a life-storm and when things really should be getting better, they only seem to get worse? The winds of adversity are buffeting you and blowing you about, appears as though life has reached its apex of disaster and can’t get any worse, then you are hit by another, larger gust.

Life had been going along great. No trouble; no problems; just you and Jesus moving along in harmony together. Then, it hit! Like a tsunami out of nowhere. Blindsided! Lord, what is going on here? Why is this happening to me? You know what I’m talking about.

If you have ever attempted to grow close to the Lord, to grow in your Christian influence, to move forward in your Christian walk—you have discovered very quickly it’s not a straight easy path. It quickly becomes a winding path filled with ups and downs, valleys and potholes and hills and mountains, and then the occasional strong wind of major adversity that attempts to knock you from the path you are struggling to follow.

When you have a mountaintop experience with the Lord, you will discover quickly that the winds of adversity will normally follow suit. The disciples had been out with Jesus all day. They had seen Him heal sick people. They had witnessed and actually had a part in feeding a great multitude of people numbering over 10,000 strong with five bread loaves and two fish. They were on the mountaintop. Things couldn’t get any better.

As evening approached, Jesus sent His disciples out on the lake in a boat while He went off to pray and receive much needed spiritual nourishment from the Father. The winds and waves of adversity began to rock the little boat and the men became frightened. Jesus approached, walking on the adverse waves, adding to their overwhelming sense of fright.

Peter cried out over the howling winds: “Lord, if it’s You, command me to come to You on the water” (Matthew 14:28 HCSB). Jesus responded: “Come!” (v. 29). “Climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid. And beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’” (v. 29-30).

Peter saw the “strength of the wind” and he became afraid. He took his eyes off of Jesus and began to focus upon the adverse winds that were howling around about him. The force of the buffeting winds diverted his focus and stole his victory. The wind itself did not overwhelm him; it was his own thoughts about it that took control and led to his loss of focus. The buffeting winds were merely a diversionary tactic of the enemy.

The winds of adversity come roaring into our lives to divert our focus. More often than not, they follow a mountaintop experience. They come roaring in while we are exuberant and excited totally ignoring the onslaught that is about to strike. Peter warned us of this impending danger with these words: “Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, firm in the faith” (1 Peter 5:8-9).

Just when you think everything in life is great, the devil will strike like a serpent! While you are rejoicing in a great spiritual victory, the enemy is reloading and preparing to attack with ferocity. Peter experienced this time and again in his life; thus, the warning to always be sober, ready, on the alert. The enemy seeks to devour the children of God but we have the power to resist him through our faith in Jesus Christ. We must learn to stand strong. We must learn to remain focused upon Jesus.

Paul encouraged our faith with these words: “overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us” (Romans 8:37 NLT). He continued writing: “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (vv. 38-39).

The buffeting winds are simply a diversionary tactic. When you learn to focus on Christ regardless of your situation or circumstances, you will discover that “you have conquered them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4 HCSB). Stand your ground by faith and trust in Jesus Christ—the One who has already won the victory!

Scripture Reading: “My heart is confident, God; I will sing; I will sing praises with the whole of my being. Wake up, harp and lyre! I will wake up the dawn. I will praise You, Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your faithful love is higher than the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches the clouds. God, be exalted above the heavens; let Your glory be over the whole earth. Save with Your right hand and answer me so that those You love may be rescued. God has spoken in His sanctuary: ‘I will triumph! I will divide up Shechem. I will apportion the Valley of Succoth. Gilead is Mine, Manasseh is Mine, and Ephraim is My helmet; Judah is My scepter. Moab is My washbasin; on Edom I throw My sandal. Over Philistia I shout in triumph.’ Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? Have You not rejected us, God? God, You do not march out with our armies. Give us aid against the foe, for human help is worthless. With God we will perform valiantly; He will trample our foes” (Psalm 108 HCSB).

Personal Prayer: Father in heaven, as I move out into the world today, I realize the enemy is already making plans to come against me. I understand that as Your child, he will not give up so I pray that I will remain mindful of his actions against me so his feats end only in disaster and defeat for him. May I be constantly aware that I am more than a conqueror through my Lord Jesus Christ. May the enemy recognize me as a formidable enemy that refuses to slack down or be diverted from my tasks by his loud roaring and his deceiving ways. Help me to go forth in victory and to remain in victory through my walk with Jesus. Help me to impact my world with the gospel message of love, mercy and compassion. Father, help me to change my world by allowing the Spirit of God to work in and through me always. I love You and praise You for giving me another opportunity to shine the Light of Jesus…in Jesus’ name…AMEN!

Developing a Culture of Christ

The chaos and mass confusion that has inundated our American culture is indicative of Paul’s words to Timothy concerning these times in which we are living. He wrote: “in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly” (2 Timothy 3:1-5 NLT).

The ungodly behavior being played out on our streets across this nation are the result of years of brainwashing by the media, Hollywood, the radical music culture and the rise of a socialistic belief system. The school systems have been utilized as a training ground implementing these beliefs into the minds of our youngest.

But, what we must understand, if we are to overcome, is the true nature behind this cultural shift which America has been drug through. Paul incites us to understand that the true struggle is not the human on the street but the evil that is driving that individual that has pervaded our world from the spiritual realms. He wrote: “Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens” (Ephesians 6:12 HCSB).

The evil and chaos we see being played out in our streets is a physical display of the spiritual battles being levied against our society by demonic agents. These have been dispatched to bring destruction to anything and everything and will not cease in their onslaught.

As Christians, we have a responsibility. We have a responsibility to develop a culture of Christ wherever we go. It will not develop if we spend all of our time cringing and praying the Lord returns quickly to rescue us from this mess but according to Paul it comes about as we learn to suit up for battle. He declared: “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil” (Ephesians 6:10-11 NLT). He emphasizes the believer’s readiness for battle through the use of such phrases as: put on your armor, stand firm, stand your ground, be fully prepared and stay alert (vv. 10-18).

The reality of it all is—“we are in a battle.” Believers across this nation are waking up to this reality. Churches are beginning to come alive once again. The silent majority of believers is beginning to realize their potential when they come together. It is time to continue this move. It is time to step up, speak out and make an impact in our slice of this world.

As we suit up for battle, we need to understand our ability to overcome is not within ourselves. Paul tells us that “overwhelming victory is ours through Christ” (Romans 8:37 NLT). Thus, we must maintain lifestyles that honor GOD. David Jeremiah writes: “As Christians we need to take responsibility for our walk with God, seeking to be more like Him, sharing our faith and serving others…. Be diligent to serve the Savior.”

Peter encouraged us in this way: “For it is God’s will that you, by doing good, silence the ignorance of foolish people” (1 Peter 2:15). We are to live as Jesus lived. He went about doing good (Acts 10:38). When we do so, the ignorance that drives foolish people to adopt and live out foolish practices will be silenced. We must learn to live upright, in purity and holiness, seeking always to do the will of the Father above.

To help develop a culture of Christ, Peter tells us: “For His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. By these He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:3-8).

GOD has supplied the resources for life for each of us. We simply need to plant these words into our hearts and lives and begin to live them out in our daily walk. We are overcomers. We are not of this world, but we are responsible for sharing Jesus to this world regardless of the world’s feelings or response. Each of us must do our part!

Scripture Reading: “May the Lord answer you in a day of trouble; may the name of Jacob’s God protect you. May He send you help from the sanctuary and sustain you from Zion. May He remember all your offerings and accept your burnt offering. May He give you what your heart desires and fulfill your whole purpose. Let us shout for joy at your victory and lift the banner in the name of our God. May the Lord fulfill all your requests. Now I know that the Lord gives victory to His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with mighty victories from His right hand. Some take pride in a chariot, and others in horses, but we take pride in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand firm. Lord, give victory to the king! May He answer us on the day that we call” (Psalm 20).

Personal Prayer: Father in heaven, I lift up America and its leaders to You right now. I pray for each of them that their hearts will be softened and they will recognize the Biblical principles upon which this nation was founded to be a necessity even today. Lord, I pray for my fellow believers that each of us will put away our worldly ways and seek only to do Your will and to bring glory and honor to You through all that we do. May our lives reflect grace, mercy, and holiness so a culture of Christ may develop around about us. May our words be tempered by the Holy Spirit so that what we say will only be words that have the power of change and transformation within them. Father, bring us together in Your power and help us to live as such. I love You and praise You for all You do…in Jesus’ name…AMEN!