Tossed by the Wind!
“Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind. For truly, let such a person not imagine that he will receive anything [he asks for] from the Lord.” James 1:6-7; Amplified Bible (AMP)

I know that every person is racked by doubts at some time in their life. Doubt comes in like a flood when it appears that our life is out of control. We want to believe but it appears the more we try the more we seem to sink. So, you ask yourself how one can truly believe? I think there are several things that must be addressed for us to understand the nature of faith and confession.

First, we must have a promise to base our faith on. Scripture states in Heb. 11:1, “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” To have faith we must find a promise in the Word of God to base our faith. Let’s say you are ill. God says that we are already healed in Christ. That is what we confess no matter what! No matter what your body says you confess that you are healed in Christ according to the promise of God.

Second, we can’t move by our senses. Scripture states 2 Cor. 5:7, “For we live by believing and not by seeing.” We are socialized by the things we see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. To us that is reality. And this is true in the physical world but in the spiritual world it is not. Thomas didn’t believe the Lord resurrected until he saw Him. But the Lord said, “Thomas, blessed are those who believe and have not seen.” That means we can’t guide our lives by circumstances but by the promises in the Word of God.

Third, we need to battle against doubt. Satan is the father of lies. He will try to steal your faith and peace of mind by showing you everything that is negative. He will fill your mind with doubt, fear, and even rage. We need to SPEAK the promise of God continually to him to break down those strongholds of fear and doubt that he wants to establish in our minds. There are times that I might repeat a promise of God fifty times in one day to fight against those negative things that try to invade my mind. Remember that it is an on-going battle.

Once again scripture states, faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. We need to fill our hearts and minds with faith and not doubt. Praise God continually for the answer to that promise. The answer to your prayer is just on the other side of those negative circumstances.

How Do You Think?

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything, worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
Phil. 4: 8

The way we think will affect the way we talk. The way we talk will affect the way we live. Many of us don’t realize that we can think on purpose. Our thinking will determine our circumstances and how we respond to them. God has given to each of us an imagination that we can use to build or destroy our selves and God’s plan for us. Why is it that our mind can see the worst in ourselves or others? We have been programmed to only see the worst in ourselves and others. How does that programming take place? It has come in the form of negative words spoken over us by family, friends, teachers, and the media. We are bombarded by negative messages every day. For example, we feel pain in our body and our imagination can dream up the worst scenario that will take place.

I have ministered to a lot of people over these last 53 years and I have seen people who live victorious lives and others who wallow in their pain and misery. Those who understand that way they think will determine their speech. And their speech will determine how they will live. If you speak and think doubt you will live doubt. If you think and speak faith you will live faith.

The Apostle Paul exhorts us to think only about the positive attributes of ourselves and others. He Is not saying that we should ignore those areas in our lives that we need to grow. We need to say to ourselves, “Maybe I am not where I need to be in the things of God but at least I am not where I was.” We need to say out loud every day, “I am getting better every day in every way.” Train your mind to think positive thoughts. Refuse to think negatively about yourself or others. Your thoughts will determine the life you lead. If you think that you can’t then you are already defeated. Say every day, “I am well, complete, victorious, and well able to do all things through the power of God.”

How you THINK is how you will SPEAK, and the way you speak will determine the way you LIVE!

And they Complained!
“They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses…” Numbers 21:4.

We live in a culture and mentality that we want instant answers and instant success. We want everything, we see on TV. We want everything we can have but we don’t want to pay
for it when times get tight. Over the years, various choices have led us into challenging situations, and now we often hope for swift solutions. Can you imagine as parents if we bailed our children out of every mess instantly not letting them learn their lesson. I can guarantee they will be doing the same thing again, thinking my dad will get me out of this mess again. I remember that when I was about 10 years old, I stole a dog collar from a supermarket. I was caught by store security and they called the police and my father.

My father arrived first and then the police. The police officer asked my father what he wanted them to do. He told them to arrest me. They handcuffed me and put me in the back of the police car. Boy, was I scared! I want you to know that I am 75 years old and I still can see my father’s face and feel those handcuffs as I sit here and write to you. I probably would have done even more things if I had not taught this lesson.

Many of us have gotten ourselves into terrible debt by unwise spending and now we want an instant miracle by God to deliver us. Why, so we can spend money we don’t have and get back into financial problems. We get ourselves into these problems and when things go wrong, we blame everything and everyone except ourselves.

Israel spent 400 years in captivity in Egypt because they left God for other gods that the world had offered them. God was delivering them, but they became impatient and began to complain
because they felt He was not moving quickly enough. They spoke against God and against Moses who tried to lead them in God’s ways. How many times have we made very selfish and unwise decisions and when things go bad, we blame God! How many times we don’t think God is moving fast enough to answer our prayers and we begin to complain. God says, “can two walk together if they don’t agree?” (Amos 3:3). You know the answer to that one. God wants to deliver you but you MUST SURRENDER your favorite sin. You must submit to Him to have a fruitful life. There is much you need to learn and do along the way!

They Won’t Let Me In!
“Remember to welcome strangers into your homes. There were some who did that and welcomed angels without knowing it.” – Hebrews 13:2

It was a beautiful Sunday morning. People were filling the church to its full capacity! As they entered, each were given a bulletin filled with announcements, topic of today’s sermon, what songs they would sing and who to pray for.

At the end of the line stood an older man. His clothes were filthy and you could tell that he had not bathed in days. His face was covered with whiskers, for he had not shaved for a very long time. When he reached the usher, he removed his tattered old brown hat in respect. His hair was long, dirty, and a tangled mess. He had no shoes on his feet, and wore only soiled black socks to cover the sores upon his feet. The Usher looked at him turning up his nose at the old man and said, “Uh, I’m sorry sir, but I’m afraid we can’t let you in. You will distract the congregation and we don’t allow anyone to disrupt our service. I’m afraid you’ll have to leave.”

The old man looked down at himself and with a puzzled look on his face, he placed his old brown hat back upon his head and turned to leave. He was sad as he loved to hear the choir sing praises to the Lord. He loved to watch the little children get up in front of the church to sing their little songs. He carried in his pocket a small worn-out Bible and loved to see if the minister preached a passage from the Bible that he had underlined. But he was respectful, and didn’t want to cause any commotion, so he hung down his head and walked back down the steps of the big brick church.

He sat down on the brick wall near the edge of the church yard and strained to listen through closed doors and windows to the singing going on in the church. Oh, how he wished he could be inside with all the others.

A few minutes had passed by when all of a sudden, a younger man came up behind him and sat down near him. He asked the old man what he was doing? He answered, “I was going to go to church today, but they thought I was too filthy, my clothes too old and worn, and they were afraid I would disrupt their service.

Sorry, I didn’t introduce myself. My name is George.” The two men shook hands, and George couldn’t help but notice that this man had long hair like his. He wore a piece of cloth draped over his body tied with a royal purple sash. He had sandals on his feet, now covered with dust and dirt.

The stranger touched George’s shoulder, and said: “George, don’t feel bad because they won’t let you in. My name is Jesus, and I’ve been trying to get into this same church for years — they won’t let me in either.”

The Enemy You Can’t See!
“We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning
and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. And after you have become fully obedient, we will punish everyone who remains disobedient.” 2 Cor.10: 3-6, (NLT)

I need to remind everyone that every minute of every day there is a battle going on for your thoughts• Have you ever had the experience that you are going alone minding your own business and some terrible thought comes into your head? This is because there are three voices that are speaking to us. It is God as we mediate upon His word. These are positive thoughts full of confidence and victory guiding us through the day and different situations. The second voice is that of the devil who wants to instill doubt,
fear and negative thoughts. And the third voice is that of ourselves that mull over the
results of that which we are thinking.
We need to become aware when the devil is speaking to us. There are a lot of people who don’t even believe that he exists. But he does and wants to kill you and your families, steal your dreams and desires, and destroy your life. God on the other hand wonts you to have an abundant life overflowing with blessings so you can also bless others.

Our job is to recognize these negative thoughts, reasoning’s, and rebellious arguments that contradict the word of God. We fight them by confessing the word of God says and repeat it several times a day if necessary. Let’s say a thought comes to you saying you are a failure and you can’t do anything right. You need to say out loud, “I am victorious in Christ. I can do all things through God who gives me strength. I am the masterpiece of God. I am valuable and have worth in the sight of God. God’s loves me and meets all of my needs through Christ Jesus!”

Remember there is a battle going on for the thoughts of your mind. You don’t have to let the enemy control your thoughts. You fight back by speaking the word of God. This is how you take these negative words captive and teach your mind to obey the word of God.

If you like to give your heart to God and be forgiven, please say this prayer to God. Dear God, I ask for forgiveness for my sins. I believe that Jesus Christ was sacrificed for my justification. Come into my heart. I give you my life. Amen

The Battle is not Yours!
This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 2 Chron. 20:15.

Israel was facing an enemy of great force. They were outnumbered but God was on their side. God told them that they would possess the Promised Land but in the natural it did not look like they were able to take possession. Their enemies were trying to get Israel out of the promise land. Have you ever felt that you are so overwhelmed that you can’t go on one more day? Have you ever felt that everything and everyone is against you? Have you ever felt that your problems are so great that there is no escape? There are many people who are in heavy financial distress. There are others who have received a bad report from their doctor. Others have lost their jobs, homes, and family members.

Fear is a terrible thing indeed. Did you know that there is actually a spirit of fear? The devil uses fear to torment us. He uses fear to get our eyes off of God and only see the problem. He uses fear to make us think that we are all alone and defenseless. He uses fear so people even commit suicide. I have good news for you. You don’t have to fight your battle. You are not alone. God is on your side and will work out ALL THINGS for His glory and honor. God uses different situations to help us grow in faith. As a little child depends on their parents we need to depend on our heavenly Father.

God, the Father has prepared for you a Promised Land. It might be restoration of health, it might be the job you need, or it might be peace of mind. All you have to do is trust in Him and confess that greater is God in you than the enemy who is trying to destroy you. Maintaining a positive confession regarding God’s power and ability will help you to enter into your promise.

How you BELIEVE is how you will SPEAK. And how you speak is how you will LIVE!

No Fear!
“God is love. There is no fear in love; perfect love drives out all fear. So then, love has not been made perfect in anyone who is afraid, because fear has to do with punishment. There is no fear in love; perfect love drives out all fear.” I Jn. 4:16b & 18.

Every Monday night at 7:00 PM we have our Bible Study at our home. I must say that I did not prepare for studying. To my shame I did not pray or study the scriptures or even really think of studying until the doorbell rang. At the beginning of the study, we always pray asking God to guide us for the night. Not knowing why, I asked my wife to read the above-mentioned scripture. As she began to read, I felt the presence of God so strong that I could hardly speak. It was like God touching my chest. I began to weep and it was hard for me to talk. I had to stop several times to calm down so I could continue with the study.

During our study the Lord brought to my memory some words that my father used to say. What I am going to say are the exact words that my father used to say when I was a child. I must have heard it from my father a hundred times. My father used to say the following, “Everything I touch turns to shit”. My father had very low self-esteem and he passed that on to me. I used to think and say that very same thing that my earthly used to say about himself.

In short, the first thing I believe what God is saying from the above-mentioned scripture is do we believe that He is love and that He loves us unconditionally? If we know this then we know that He has not forgotten us. He has not ignored us nor will He fail to perfect His plan for our lives. The second thing that we need to believe is that we are His masterpiece and no matter how many times we mess up He will continue to love us.

Most of us suffer from some very traumatic experiences that have left deep scars on our lives and psychics. We have been told by others that we have no worth. We have been made to feel that we are failures. At times we feel that we have nothing to offer to anyone. This is the fear that the scripture speaks about. The feeling of inadequacy torments us. We punish ourselves repeatedly for past mistakes. I don’t know if you ever have asked God for forgiveness for not believing in Him. I don’t know if you ever have asked God forgiveness for thinking that He does not love you. I don’t know if you ever felt that God only blesses His favorite people.

God is not deaf or blind. He sees and hears all. He heard your first cry for forgiveness and He forgave you. Now, He wants you to forgive yourself. He wants you to believe in His love for you. You are His masterpiece! Let the knowledge of His love for YOU sink deep into your soul and drive out all fear! Receive His love today!

Hope for the Lonely
God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. Psalm 68:6.

To be lonely is a very sad condition; yet in today’s world there are millions and millions of lonely people. Even though the population of the earth is increasing rapidly and even though so many people live in large cities, those large cities and this highly populated earth of ours are filled with lonely people. You see, it’s possible to be lonely in the midst of a crowd. It’s possible to be lonely in a big city. I know, because I’ve met so many people like that.

My wife and I have counseled many kinds of people with just as many excuses for not surrendering to the Lord. I remember one man who was an officer who lost his teen son to suicide. He was guilt ridden because he was never the father his son needed. His career, his quest for material possessions, and his substance abuse with alcohol pushed him further and further from his wife and his son. He has many failed relationships in his past. He blamed others for his problems, never wanting to accept his responsibility. He was lonely and broken but not ready to surrender.

Now loneliness is not God’s plan for man’s life. Right at the beginning of human history God said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” So, for the first man he planned a mate. That’s God’s attitude. He wants to take us out of our loneliness. He wants to set us in the family of God. He wants to give us human friends and human fellowship. That’s His plan. God sets the lonely in families. If we are prisoners, He leads us forth with singing.

But there’s one kind of person that God cannot help out of loneliness: the rebellious live in a dry sun-scorched land. So, if you’re lonely just bear in mind that God cannot help you until you lay down your rebelliousness, till you renounce your pride and your self-will and independence and turn to God for His mercy and then He’ll have mercy on you and He will bring you in His family. God can heal but we must give Him all our broken pieces!

Redeem The Time!
Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—making the most of the time, because the days are evil. Eph. 5: 15-16.

We live in a world that has its priorities very wrong. We can see that what God considers good and wholesome the world sees as evil. We turn to the news and see that only evil is glorified. We see that the things that God see as good and holy are mocked and discredited. The entire world as it states in 2 Cor. 4:4 is in the hands of the evil one. The need to walk in wisdom and integrity is paramount to be able to withstand the onslaught of Satanic activity. We need to use all our resources, including time wisely.

What does that mean, “to redeem the time? Well, let me ask you another question. If I were to ask you, “What is the thing in your life that you find hardest to manage? What is the thing that you so often find yourself short of, that you don’t have enough of?” What would you answer?

You might perhaps think money, but in my experience there’s one thing that’s much harder to manage than money, something that I’m much more often short of that money is time. I believe time is the hardest thing to manage properly in our lives. I believe that the stewardship of time is perhaps the supreme test of our discipline and our real Christianity. And so, I pray like the Apostle Paul, to redeem our time and use it to promote the Kingdom of God.

You see, your priorities of time really indicate the values of your life. Things that have low priority probably will drop off the bottom of the list. If you don’t give high priority to the things that really matter, your life will be out of order. So, you, like me, need to echo that prayer, teach me to walk wisely making the most of the time you have given Father.

Temptation and its Subtlety!
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (I Corinthians 10:13).

I find the longer I walk with Jesus the more the devil attacks me with different types of temptation. In my natural state (non-Christian) of mind, temptation was a problem only if I felt there was a way I would get caught. In my spiritual state (being born again) it becomes a problem because it upsets the delicate balance between assumed spirituality and real spirituality.
Temptation for every disciple, has two hazards: time, that is making a short cut: and method, that is substituting a different way than God’s way. Therefore, every temptation forces me to reexamine my spiritual foundations and to choose whether I will wait for Go’s time or seize my own time. This inner struggle God makes me ‘learn obedience” even as Jesus learned obedience. But let’s be clear God is not the author of temptation or evil. (James 1:13-15).

I have walked with the Lord for 53 years and I have realized the subtle temptation becomes. It is like approaching a bright light; the closer we get, the sharper the shadows become. The temptation of Jesus in Gethsemane was far more subtle than the temptations He suffered in the wilderness. Each new level of commitment opens a whole new range of possible deviations from that commitment.

When I am tempted, I am consoled by Jesus, who was “touched” with understanding my weaknesses. (Hebrews 4:15). He cannot remove my temptation because He is not the author of it but understands the battle I am in. He never lets me go even when I let go of Him by my own volition. He is the author and finisher of my faith as long as I make Him the source of my faith. He understands and comes to my rescue as I reach out to Him. (Hebrews 2:18).