Author: America's Keswick

The purpose of America's Keswick is to model and teach Biblical victorious living in Christ Jesus, to provide an environment in which Biblical life transformation takes place and to foster active personal involvement in the local church.

Developing an Ear for God

Leave a comment

Developing an Ear for God

“I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart; and I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me, and how I may reply when I am reproved.” — Habakkuk 2:1

In the second half of life I am realizing that there are things that are more difficult than in the first half. I used to be able to do way more multi-tasking. I am finding that harder these days. I used to like to have music playing, or didn’t seem to be distracted by noise and chatter going on around me. I find it more difficult to have that chatter these days.

It is the same way with listening. I need to be more focused these days in listening. There is so much noise everywhere these days. That is why we need to fine time our listening ears, especially when it comes to listening to God.

Here is a great devotional on that subject that I shared with you in 2005. It was too good not to share again …

I pray that God will enable me to become a good listener. I must understand that God does not speak to me in the storm, the earthquake, or the fire, but in the “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:9-12). That is another way of saying that God does not speak to me through my circumstances or thought unless there is an inner confirmation and explanation of what comes from the outside. Eli, the old priest was wise enough to know that God’s will for Samuel, his aide, had to come directly from God to Samuel: “Speak, Lord, for Thy servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:9).

Today’s complex life is the deadliest enemy of listening. The result of our complexity is fragmentation, thinness, and the ability to concentrate or become deep about anything. Satan is the happiest heir of our technological age [and Glyn Evans wrote this in 1979!], and he enjoys slapping us about like a handball. I must resist him by deliberately choosing essentials and rejecting gadfly activities that render me ineffective.

How do I learn to be a good listener to God? I must begin by giving Him time and attention!
That is the crucial part of the battle. I must reject the siren calls that develop a sense of awe and reverence for God, which is a natural preparation for silence, which in turn is essential for proper listening. Once I develop an ear for God, I will be able to hear Him even in crowds and, as Brother Lawrence says, “Go forward even in sleep!”

Listening to God is difficult to master, but the results will be beyond my greatest longings. He says, “Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance” (Isaiah 55:2). God knows that listening is but the first step of a process that ends in my eternal good. — from DAILY WITH THE KING — Glyn Evans — published by Moody Press

Lord, I pray that I will become a better listener, and that you will give me a ear for You today. I pray that for my brothers, too. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 9; Jeremiah 46-47; Hebrews 6

Great Quote: Have we come to realize that our “body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?” If so, we must be careful to keep it undefiled for Him! We have to remember that our conscious life, even though only a small part of our total person, is to be regarded as a “temple of the Holy Spirit.” He will be responsible for the unconscious part which we don’t know, but we must pay careful attention to and guard the conscious part for which WE are responsible. — Oswald Chambers

The Audience of One

Leave a comment

The Audience of One

“Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty.” Job 22:26

I tired of the worship wars. I am tired of people complaining about not liking the new praise music. I am tired of people complaining that they don’t like the hymns. I think we have totally missed the boat when we think about worship.

It’s all backwards. Churches have been divided over worship styles. People have left good solid churches over the music. Some churches have created different worship service venues so that you can have YOUR style of music. What should be uniting us ends up dividing us.

I think the reason we have it backwards is that we forgotten the purpose of worship. Sorry to burst your bubble this morning — worship is not about YOU! Worship is all about HIM! If you don’t believe me, check out Psalm 100! It clearly states: “Come into HIS presence with singing … Enter HIS gates with thanksgiving and into HIS courts with praise …”

We come to church expecting worship to do something for US which is the real problem. Worship isn’t about me. We think that we are the audience and God is the actor on the stage. Brothers, it is the other way around! HE IS OUR AUDIENCE OF ONE!

Worship is God’s people gathering together to CORPORATELY worship HIM. I may be thinking too simplistically, but when we get that right in our heads, I think that we will plan worship more intentionally to unite us rather than divide us. There will be give and take so that we can all worship. There will be a willingness on our part to say, I will yield my rights and wants for the sake of the body that is meeting to worship HIM.

As you gather together with the people of God — remember HE IS OUR AUDIENCE THIS MORNING. HE IS THE ONE WE ADORE!

Praise to the LORD, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul praise HIM, for HE is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, Now to HIS temple draw near;
Join me in glad adoration!

Praise to the LORD, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under HIS wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen, How thy desires e’er have been
Granted in what HE ordaineth?

Praise to the LORD, who with marvelous wisdom hath made thee!
Decked thee with health, and with loving hand guided and stayed thee!
How oft in grief hath not He brought thee relief,
Spreading His wings for to shade thee!

Praise to the LORD! O, let all that is in me adore HIM!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before HIM!
Let the Amen sound from HIS people again;
Gladly forever adore HIM!

Forgive us, Lord, for getting it backwards. It’s all about YOU — It’s all about YOU! — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 8; Jeremiah 43-45; Hebrews 5

Great Quote: “No man needs to be afraid nor ashamed to suffer for the cause of the gospel. Good men often suffer many things for the best cause in the world. They need not be ashamed, the cause will bear them out!” — Matthew Henry

The Holy of Holies

Leave a comment

The Holy of Holies

“Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being.” Psalm 51:6

Working at America’s KESWICK has taught me so much about me — my own wicked, sinful heart. Interacting with the men of the Colony has caused me to not look at them in judgment, but to look at my own heart.

There are occasions when we have to give a man a urine test if we suspect that he has somehow used his drug of choice (at least chemical like tobacco, alcohol or drugs). I tell the men that there are three things that they need to know about this test. I remind them that the results of this test will reveal what is going on. While we think we can lie and cover up, there are three people we can’t lie to: 1. God 2. The Redwood Toxicology Lab, and 3. ourselves. We know the truth about US.

God desires truth in our inward being. Listen to these pointed words from Dr. Paul David Tripp, from his book Whiter Than Snow — Meditations on Sin and Mercy:

In the holy of holies,
Where my deepest thoughts dwells.
In the secret place, of the heart,
Where no one sees,
And no one knows,
In that place where worship sets the course,
For all I say and all I do,
In the holy of holies,
Where thoughts afraid to be verbal,
And desires, never quite spoken, determine,
What I will seek, and say, and do.

In the holies of holies,
where greed lurks dark, and anger stands dangerous.
In the shadows, where lust captivates, and envy enslaves.
In that sacred place of the heart,
Where I plan what I will do, and rehearse what I will say.

In the holy of holies,
where love is born or succumbs to hate.
Where gentleness falls to vengeance.
In that place where thinking never ends,
and interpretations become a way of seeing.

In the holy of holies,
where feelings grow in power and overwhelm
what is sensible, good, and true.

In the holy of holies,
where I stand naked, all covering gone,
Before you, what I am, as I am, void of defense,
Stripped of excuse. No where to hide.
No reputation to polish.
In the place where YOU,
can see,
and hear,
and know.
May you do there what I cannot do.
May your create there what only mercy can give.
May you hold back what I deserve and give what I could never own.
May you create me a clean heart!

How are you today in the “holy of holies” of your heart? Do you desire truth in your “inward” being? Allow the Holy Spirit to work that truth into your heart today. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 7; Jeremiah 40-42; Hebrews 4

He who is armed with the power of God will not tremble at the noise raised by the world, but will reckon it honorable that wicked men mark them with disgrace. — John Calvin

Developing a Sensitivity To Sin

Leave a comment

Developing a Sensitivity to Sin

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us …” Hebrews 12:1

We’ve talked much about sin in recent weeks, and I know that God has been working in my heart in a powerful way, in helping me to see my sin from HIS point of view. Its a subject that we need to come back to often so that we can appreciate and appropriate the grace of God in our lives all the more.

The weird thing about sin is that if we do not view it from God’s perspective, we can easily be entangled by it as the verse about expresses. God’s desire is that we develop a sensitivity to sin. I read this quote today by Dr. Glynn Evans, a former professor at Moody Bible Institute:

God simply wants me to get my fill of sin so completely that the very thought of it nauseates me … Lord, my prayer is, make me so sensitive to sin that its slightest presence will send me to Calvary’s fountain for protection! The distinguishing feature of any true disciple of Christ is paper-thin sensitivity to sin. I notice that in reading the biographies of the saints — the slightest sin made them mourn, weep, and agonize. Lord, make me averse to sin like that, for when I am averse to sin it means the Holy Spirit is deliberately refining me in the divine image; the new heart and the right spirit are displacing the old and wrong. (Psalm 51:10)

Is that your prayer this morning, brothers? If we do not see sin from God’s perspective, we will continue to be entangled in our sin. Are we bold enough to plead to God for that “paper-thin” sensitivity to sin? That’s my prayer today. How about you?

I was reminded this week of the old hymn “Whiter than Snow”:

Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole.
I want You forever to live in my soul.
Break down every idol, cast out every foe.
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

May this be the prayer of our hearts today. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 6; Jeremiah 37-39; Hebrews 3

Great Quote: I urge you a nearer communion with Christ, and a growing communion. There are curtains to be opened in Christ that we have never seen before, and new layers of love in Him. I despair that I will ever make it to the far end of that love, there are so many layers in it. Therefore dig deep, and sweat, and labor. Take pains for Him, and set aside as much time as you can in each day for Him. Samuel Rutherford

A Good Reminder from Psalm 23

Leave a comment

A Good Reminder From Psalm 23

I ran across this cool perspective on Psalm 23. I think that it will be a good reminder for you and me today:

The Lord is my Shepherd — That’s relationship!
I shall not want — That’s supply!
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures — That’s rest!
He leadeth me beside the still waters — that’s refreshment!
He restoreth my soul — that’s healing!
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness — that’s guidance!
For His name’s sake — that’s purpose!
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death — that’s testing!
I will fear no evil — that’s protection!
For Thou art with me — that’s faithfulness!
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me — that’s discipline!
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies — that’s hope!
My cup runneth over — that’s abundance!
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life — that’s blessing!
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord — that’s security!
Forever — That’s eternity!

Think about it brothers — Look what the God of Psalm 23 has provided for YOU today! Rejoice! Give thanks! Praise His holy name! — Bill Welte is President of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 5; Jeremiah 34-36; Hebrews 2

Great Quote: Our kids are the message that we will send to a generation that we will not see. – Larry Green

Show Me Your Glory

Leave a comment

Show Me Your Glory

“Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me know thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight.” Exodus 33:13

Sometimes when I reading the Old Testament, which I am doing now — I find myself saying, “Wouldn’t it be cool to experience God the way Moses, Joshua, David and Elijah did?” Think of the amazing ways that they experienced God that have been recorded for us in the Scriptures.

The reality is that you and I can experience Him today in those same ways. God is always at work around us and He wants us to experience Him in a personal way. The question is do I really want to experience Him?

A. W. Tozer wrote these words: Come near to the holy men and women of the past and you will soon feel the heart of their desire after God. They mourned for Him, they prayed and wrestled and sought for Him day and night, in season and out, and when they had found Him the finding was all the sweeter for the long seeking.

Moses used the face that God was an argument for knowing Him better. “Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in your sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight” (Exodus 33:13); and from there he rose to make the daring request, “I beseech thee, show me thy glory” (Exodus 33:18).

God was frankly pleased by Moses’ display of ardor, and the next day He called Moses into the mount, and there is solemn procession, made all His glory pass before Him.

David’s life was a torrent of spiritual desire, and his psalms ring with the cry of the seeker and the glad shout of the finder. Paul confessed the mainspring of his life to be his burning desire after Christ. “That I may know Him” (Philippians 3:10) was the goal of his heart, and to this he sacrificed everything.

Brothers, is that the burning of your heart today? To know Him? If we really want to know Him and experience Him, I believe that He will do for us exactly what He did for Moses — He will show us His glory. Are you willing to take that step today? — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 4; Jeremiah 32-33; Hebrews 1

Great Quote: I am convinced that a downgrading in priority of…prayer and biblical meditation is a major cause of weakness in many Christian communities….Bible study demands pondering deeply on a short passage, like a cow chewing her cud. It is better to read a little and ponder a lot than to read a lot and ponder a little. Denis Parsons Burkitt

ME is Bigger Than I Want to Think

Leave a comment

ME is Bigger Than I Want to Think

“If you love ME, keep My commandments.” John 14:15

Sometimes I am so blinded to the truth about how big ME is! Now I am not just talking about my physical stature — I am talking about ME — the me that wants to always be in control. The me that always wants to do it MY way — in fact, isn’t there a song about that?

It starts very early. Observe your young kids and grandkids. ME is one of the first words that becomes a part of their vocabulary. Me = Mine!

The ME inside me is what keeps me from living life God’s way. I want MY way, want to do life MY way, do what I want when I want it and how I want it. ME is bigger than I want to think.

If I want to live life the way GOD intends me to live — HE must increase and I must decrease. The words of Oswald Chambers whacked me today:

Our Lord never insists obedience. He stresses very definitely what we ought to do, but He never forces us to do it. We have to obey Him out of a oneness of spirit with Him. That is why whenever our Lord talked about discipleship, He prefaced it with an “If,” meaning, “You do not need to do this unless you desire to do so.” “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself . . .” ( Luke 9:23 ).

In other words, “To be My disciple, let him give up his right to himself to Me.” Our Lord is not talking about our eternal position, but about our being of value to Him in this life here and now. That is why He sounds so stern (see Luke 14:26 ). Never try to make sense from these words by separating them from the One who spoke them.
The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear. If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation. If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself. Jesus Christ will not force me to obey Him, but I must. And as soon as I obey Him, I fulfill my spiritual destiny.

My personal life may be crowded with small, petty happenings, altogether insignificant. But if I obey Jesus Christ in the seemingly random circumstances of life, they become pinholes through which I see the face of God. Then, when I stand face to face with God, I will discover that through my obedience thousands were blessed.

When God’s redemption brings a human soul to the point of obedience, it always produces. If I obey Jesus Christ, the redemption of God will flow through me to the lives of others, because behind the deed of obedience is the reality of Almighty God.

Brothers, today is a good time to look at the ME part of you. Are we willing to yield the ME to HIM? Are we willing to allow ME to decrease and allow HIM to increase in our lives? It sounds easy, but it might be harder than you think. It is only possible when we allow Christ to live HIS life through ME! — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 3; Jeremiah 30-31; Philemon

Great Quote: The Bible is the only book whose Author is always present when one reads it. Anonymous

A Recipe for Salt

Leave a comment

A Recipe for Salt

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.”
Matthew 5:13-14 (ESV)

My French fries wouldn’t be the same without it, especially the ones that come from McDonalds. I’m talking about that transparent cubic crystal known as “Salt”. Sodium Chloride or NaCI is kind of important to us not only as a seasoning but also as a preservative. Put a little iodide in it and it becomes a main staple of the family dinner table. And since we can find salt on the family table, I believe it a fine example for Jesus to use in the Sermon on the Mount.

Now there is the NaCI recipe for the salt I like on my McDonalds fries but the recipe for the kind of salt that Jesus describes has the following “Blessed” ingredients;
1. The poor in spirit
2. Those who mourn
3. The meek
4. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
5. The merciful
6. The pure in heart
7. The peacemakers
8. Those who are persecuted for righteousness sake
And if you mix in the part when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on His account, you have the makings of someone who will have a seat at the banquet table of the Lamb.

Sometime ago I wrote a Freedom Fighter concerning salt when I spoke to my daughter. And to quote myself, “I can be a big dummy at times and forget the salt shaker.” I was having what I called a “red pepper moment” and thought I might have been out of line. But I think I’ll take a different view at this moment. You see there are times when we (Christian men and ladies) are called to rub salt into the wound of the world. My daughter didn’t need to hear a “color” commentary and it was my duty to rebuke. I just might have left out a few of the ingredients in the recipe above. I’ll get better at it if I just remember to keep my strength under control.

I like the parts where we are called to be peacemakers, to be persecuted and to hunger for righteousness. Those are battle worthy elements to me. I know I am poor in spirit at times and mourn when I hear what this world is coming to. It’s those other things like being meek, merciful and pure in heart that I stand convicted of struggling with. What a wretched man I can be in the long view but I know that with the strength of what was done on the Cross on my behalf I can be the salt.

Jesus was really laying the “Smackdown” on all of us with The Beatitudes. These are Kingdom keys that we need for our everyday walk with Him. These are also everyday ways of being so the world around us can get a taste of our saltiness. If we are not rubbing salt into world, we will lose our saltiness and we will need to earn the salt in order to be the light of the world (thanks to Pastor John Strain for that statement). Can’t get that at McDonalds can you? But the fries are good aren’t they? — Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a frequent contributor to Freedom Fighter

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 2; Jeremiah 30-31; Philemon

Great Quote: “Christian salt has no business to remain snugly in elegant little ecclesiastical salt cellars; our place is to be rubbed into the secular community, as salt is rubbed into meat, to stop it going bad. And when society does go bad, we Christians tend to throw up our hands in pious horror and reproach the non-Christian world; but should we not rather reproach ourselves? One can hardly blame unsalted meat for going bad. It cannot do anything else. The real question to ask is: where is the salt?” — John R. Stott

This is My Life

Leave a comment

THIS IS MY LIFE

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)

How would you define life? Some would give a physiological answer to that question – life is the sustained, normal function of all of the components of the human body. Some would advance to a psychological explanation – life is defined by its experiences. Extending this definition, some would say, “life to me is…” and then would name their essential element of life, the thing that is their priority – that which is of the greatest importance, which gives the most enjoyment or satisfaction.

The Apostle Paul summarized the essence of life for him in one word – Christ. In making this statement he was saying in effect, “Christ is my life.” My father used to paraphrase Philippians 1:21a, “Life itself is Christ Himself.” He is the one and only indispensable.
An American was traveling through Europe. While visiting England he chose to stay at a bed and breakfast home. The lady who operated it was a devout Christian. As she engaged the man in conversation, she sensed that he was a professing Christian. Because she felt that he showed a casualness about spiritual things, she asked him three questions. First she asked, “Is Jesus Christ important to you?” Rather quickly he replied, “Yes, He is important to me.” Again she probed, “Is He indispensable to you?” Taking a little longer before answering, he finally said, “Yes, He is indispensable to me.” Then she asked one final question, “Is only He indispensable to you?” After a long period of thoughtful silence, he said, “No, I really can’t say that He is the only indispensable one in my life.”
Many people, if they were honest, would have to insert a plus into the verse and add a phrase or two. “To me to live is Christ plus money, pleasure, family, job, fame, etc. Only as the verse can be stated as Paul wrote it, with a single indispensable, can the second part of the verse be true. Death is gained only for the one whose life is bound up in Christ. William A. Raws is the grandson of the founder of America’s KESWICK. He went home to be with the Lord in July 2008
God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 1; Jeremiah 24-26; Titus 2

O My Nerds

Leave a comment

DON’T FORGET TO TURN BACK YOUR CLOCKS TONIGHT!!!

O My Nerds

“Then said I, Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak for I am a child!” Jeremiah 1:6

I am not quite sure when it happened, but Donna Bitler, wife of our Marketing Director, made this statement when something took her by surprise: “O my nerds!” Over the years all of our kids have picked up on that funny phrase.

That phrase has been used when something has surprised us. It has been used when something has shocked us. And sometimes we have used it when we just didn’t know what to say. I thought about that phrase when I read this quote from A. W. Tozer:

In theology there is no “OH!” and this is significant if not an ominous thing. Theology seeks to reduce what may be known of God to intellectual terms, and as long as the intellect can comprehend, it can find words to express itself.

When God Himself appears before the mind — awesome, vast, and incomprehensible — then the mind sinks into silence and the heart cries our “O Lord God!” There is the difference between theological knowledge and spiritual experience, the difference between knowing God by hearsay and knowing Him by acquaintance. And the difference is no verbal merely; it is real, and serious and vital.

We Christians should watch lest we lose the “Oh!” from our hearts …

When we become too glib in prayer we are most surely talking to ourselves. When the calm listing of requests and the courteous giving of proper thanks take the place of the burdened prayer that finds utterance difficult, we should beware the next step, for our direction is surely down whether we know it or not.

That is good stuff to chew on today. Don’t lose the “OH!,” brothers!!! — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 31; Jeremiah 24-26; Titus 2

Great Quote: Like supernatural effervescence, praise will sometimes bubble up from the joy of simply knowing Christ. Praise like that is…delight. Pure pleasure! But praise can also be supernatural determination. A decisive action. Praise like that is…quiet resolve. Fixed devotion. Strength of spirit. Joni Eareckson Tada