Author: America's Keswick
An Accurate Self-Assessment
An Accurate Self-Assessment
“For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.” Psalm 51:3
I have been working through a very powerful study on Psalm 51 by Dr. Paul David Tripp. The study is entitled: Whiter Than Snow — Meditations on Sin and Mercy and I would like to recommend it to you. It is one of those studies that I was not prepared to do, but one that is very necessary.
I want to share portions of a chapter called “An Accurate Self-Assessment.” We don’t hear sermons about sin any more. We don’t even name sin in the same way that the Bible names it. We prettify it and call it other names. Well, listen to the words of Dr. Paul Tripp and allow them to sink deep into your soul this morning …
Sin lives in a costume; that’s why it is so hard to recognize. The fact that sin looks so good is one of the things that make it so bad. In order for it to do its evil work, it must present itself as something that is anything but evil.
Life in a fallen world is like attending the ultimate masquerade party. Impatient yelling wears the costume of a zeal for truth. Lust can masquerade as a love for beauty. Gossip does its evil work by living in the costume of concern and prayer. Craving for power and control wears the mask of biblical leadership. Fear of man gets dressed up as a servant heart. The pride of always being right masquerades as a love for biblical wisdom. Evil simply doesn’t present itself as evil, which is a part of its draw.
You will never understand sin’s sleight of hand until you acknowledge that the DNA of sin is deception … I say all the time to people that no one is more influential in their own lives then they themselves are because no one talks to them more them they themselves do.
We are too skilled at looking at our own wrong and seeing good. We’re all much better at seeing the sin, weakness, and failure of others than we are our own. We’re all very good at being intolerant of others of the very things we are willing to tolerate in ourselves. The bottom line is that sin causes us not hear or see ourselves with accuracy. And we not only tend to be blind, but, to compound matters, we also tend to be blind to our own blindness …
Only Jesus can open our blind eyes. Whenever a sinner accurately assesses his OWN sin, the angels in heaven rejoice, and so should we.” from Whiter Than Snow — Meditations on Sin and Mercy — published by our good friends at Crossway.
Brothers, are you willing to do what David did in Psalm 51 and take an accurate self-assessment of your sin today? Go back and read the Psalm and allow the Spirit of God to talk to you. It’s painful, but a necessary step in your walk with Him. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK
God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 31; Psalm 132-134; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
Great Quote: Deep within there is a glorious and terrible empty space – loneliness. It is out of sight, pushing us to our best and to our worst. Behind every effort to make a friend – Behind ambition – Behind pride – Behind gossip – Behind memories of your mother’s kitchen – Loneliness. We were created with the space carefully planted in our hearts. God created us with the loneliness that moves the heart to others, the loneliness that moves the heart at last to God. Is it what moves us to become whole. David Kidd
Carrying YOUR Cross
Carrying Your Cross
“Carrying his own cross …” John 19:17
Years ago I heard a drama regarding this story but never found the in print version. I discovered it in Streams in the Desert this morning …
“The Changed Cross” is a poem that tells of a weary woman who thought that the cross she must bear surely was heavier than those of other people, so she wished she could choose another person’s instead.
When she went to sleep, she dreamed she was taken to a place where there were many different crosses from which to choose. There were various shapes and sizes, but the most beautiful one was covered with jewels and gold. “This I could wear with comfort,” she said. So she picked it up but her weak body staggered beneath it’s weight. The jewels and gold were beautiful, yet they were much too heavy for her to carry.
The next cross she noticed was quite lovely, with beautiful flowers entwined around its sculptured form. Surely this one was for her. She lifted it, but beneath the flowers were large thorns that pierced and tore her skin.
Finally she came to a plain cross without jewels or any carvings and with only a few words of love inscribed on it. When she picked it up, it proved to be better than all the rest, and the easiest to carry. And as she looked at it, she noticed it was bathed in a radiance that fell from heaven. Then she recognized it as her own old cross. She had found it once again, and it was the best of all, and the lightest for her.
You see, God knows best what cross WE need to bear, and we never know how heavy someone else’s cross may be. We envy someone who is rich, with a cross adorned with jewels, but we do not know how heavy it is. We look at someone whose life seems easy and who carries a cross covered with flowers.
Yet it we could actually test all the crosses WE THINK are lighter than ours, we would never find one better suited for us than our own.” — from Streams in the Desert, published by our good friends at Zondervan
My brothers, thank the Lord for the cross that He as asked you to carry. Take up YOUR cross and follow Him today. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK
God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 30; Psalm 129-131; 1 Corinthians 11:1-16
Great Quote: Oh, for the baptism of fire! Oh, for the living coal upon the burning lips of love! 0h, for men and women God-possessed and self-surrendered, grasping God’s great idea and pressing forward toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14). A. B. Simpson
Written Prayers
Written Prayers
For many years I have been writing our my morning prayers in my journal. I struggled for many years being able to concentrate when I was praying. I found my ADD (self-diagnosed) kicking in — writing my to-do list, thinking about other things — and before I knew, I was completely lost in my head.
Fred and Florence Littauer introduced me to the concept of writing down my prayers, and it has been a huge blessing in my life. It has caused me to focus on my prayer time with the Master, and has helped me to process and articulate the things that are on my heart. It helped me to concentrate on Him — totally!
Men have been writing down prayers for years. One of the things that I have done in recent years is to add books of prayers to my library. Now before you think I am going off the theological deep end, think of all the prayers that have been recorded for us in the Scriptures! Many years ago, devotional commentator and pastor, Herbert Lockyear, wrote “All the Prayers of the Bible.”
I received a new book this week written by Steven James. I loved the title “A Heart Exposed — Talking to God with Nothing to Hide.” It is a collection of prayers that he has written in his journal.
I love the concept. It’s a little scary. But think about it, brothers: we can pray publicly or privately and use all the right “Christian lingo.” The only ONE who really knows our hearts when we pray is God Himself. We can’t pull the wool over His eyes. He wants us to open and honest with Him when we pray. After all — He sees and knows everything!!!
Here is one of the prayers from Steven James book:
“This moment is all that you ask of me. I can either give it to you, or turn it into a fist and try and keep it to myself … and fail.
Jesus, your prayers were drenched with sweat and blood,
and throbbed with glory and pain.
My prayers are so often soaked in perfume,
decorated with nothing more
than stock phrases and catchy cliches —
carefully varnished pieces of furniture for you to admire.
Unpeel my pretenses, masks and facades,
and stare beneath my whitewashed life.
Shake off the rust,
and the dust,
and the tired repetition.
Here, now, Jesus,
I will break the trend,
I will speak prayers raw with the realities of life,
tender with the realization of grace;
prayers
with flesh and blood
born of marvel and pain.
Prayers like yours! (from A Heart Exposed–Talking to God with Nothing to Hide published by our friends at Revell)
I want to be able to pray like that — praying to God, through the Lord Jesus, with nothing to hide! How about you? — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK
God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 29; Psalm 129-131; 1 Corinthians 11:1-16
Great Quote: The Christian life is the life of the Lord Jesus Christ lived two thousand years ago, lived now by Him in you! W. Ian Thomas
Sing, Smile and Pray
SING, SMILE AND PRAY
I am very heavy hearted for a dear friend, Chuck Heidel, former Vice President of Operations of Sandy Cove, who had a biking accident last week and is Shock Trauma. He was diagnosed as being profoundly paralyzed from the mid-chest down, and is currently struggling with pneumonia and blood clots. Reading Brendy’s devotional yesterday brought tears to my eyes as she has faced physical challenges for most of her precious life. Yet despite her handicaps and challenges, God has given her the ability to write. That makes today’s Freedom Fighter even more meaningful to me. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK
“I will sing of lovingkindness and justice, to You, O Lord, I will sing praises.”
(Psalm 102:1NASV)
MUSIC had always been part of my life and lifts my spirit. When struggling to get me dressed or when I am “droopy” from the effects of my medicine, Mom and I SING. An oldie she taught me years ago ends this way: “If you sing and smile and pray you’ll drive the clouds away.” It works! Memorizing the words (Spanish and English) of meaningful hymns is one of my favorite things. Snuggled in bed at night, I love to sing, “Jesus is all the world to me, my life, my joy, my all” and “Day by day and with each passing moment, strength I find to meet my trials here.” What beautiful songs with which to end the day with thoughts of my Lord, His blessings and singing praises to Him. So SING and chase the clouds away.
A SMILE works too. Proverbs 15:1 says “A soft answer turns away wrath.” Is a smile an answer? It is for me. I used to get very angry when children (adults, too) would stare at me in my wheelchair and some would even imitate my expressions. A smile is really effective in most cases. Some will return the smile, others will turn away. This reminds me that a “soft answer” to something negative can change a difficult situation into something positive. A smile rather than a growl does reflect joy that the Lord gives which honors Him and makes me feel better too. So SMILE!
And PRAY. Praying for someone else (and for myself) chases away those clouds. Sometimes we need reminders. Have you ever opened one of those tiny plastic containers of cream for coffee and it spurted out all over? This happened at KESWICK to our friend the late Don MacCullough. How we all laughed! For years every time we opened one of those things, we prayed for Don. Interesting prayer reminder, a little plastic cup. Associating an object or occasion is a good mind jogger to pray for someone. When you see a wheel chair, you could pray for me! So SING with me, “Sing, smile and pray, that’s the only way. If you sing, smile and pray you’ll drive the clouds away,” be blessed and bless others. — Brendy Platt is the daughter of Al and Gladys Platt, who served for many years with CAM International. The Platt’s were very much apart of our Hispanic Weekends for many years.
God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 28; Psalms 120-122; 1 Corinthians 9
Great Quote: It seems to me that there are but few who really live with a passion for God, especially a passion just to be with Him. Today there is such a noise coming up before the throne of the Most High-the clamor of so-called praise, singing, and joyful shouting. But I wonder if the same people who love to sing and shout, loudly exclaiming the the praises of God, really have such an intense glory in their secret life with the Lord. When the meeting’s over and there’s no one there to listen except the only One who matters, do you still have that same passionate joy in your spirit, just to be alone with the Living God? Keith Green
Are You Ever Troubled?
Are You Ever Troubled?
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you …” John 14:27
I can’t remember a summer were there seems to be so many of God’s children who are going through difficult situations: sickness, tragedy, job losses, issues with spouses and kids. Right now one of my dearest friends is in the Shock Trauma unit of a hospital in Baltimore, and was diagnosed as being “profoundly paralyzed” from mid-chest down, a result of a biking accident.
There seems to be trouble on every side. That is why today’s devotional from the pen of Oswald Chambers resonated with my heart today:
There are times in our lives when our peace is based simply on our own ignorance. But when we are awakened to the realities of life, true inner peace is impossible unless it is received from Jesus. When our Lord speaks peace, He creates peace, because the words that He speaks are always “spirit, and they are life” ( John 6:63 ). Have I ever received what Jesus speaks? “. . . My peace I give to you. . .”— a peace that comes from looking into His face and fully understanding and receiving His quiet contentment.
Are you severely troubled right now? Are you afraid and confused by the waves and the turbulence God sovereignly allows to enter your life? Have you left no stone of your faith unturned, yet still not found any well of peace, joy, or comfort? Does your life seem completely barren to you? Then look up and receive the quiet contentment of the Lord Jesus. Reflecting His peace is proof that you are right with God, because you are exhibiting the freedom to turn your mind to Him. If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself. Allowing anything to hide the face of Jesus Christ from you either causes you to become troubled or gives you a false sense of security.
With regard to the problem that is pressing in on you right now, are you “looking unto Jesus” ( Hebrews 12:2 ) and receiving peace from Him? If so, He will be a gracious blessing of peace exhibited in and through you. But if you only try to worry your way out of the problem, you destroy His effectiveness in you, and you deserve whatever you get. We become troubled because we have not been taking Him into account. When a person confers with Jesus Christ, the confusion stops, because there is no confusion in Him. Lay everything out before Him, and when you are faced with difficulty, bereavement, and sorrow, listen to Him say, “Let not your heart be troubled . . .” ( John 14:27 ). (from My Utmost for His Highest)
My dear Freedom Fighter brother … are you troubled today? Go to the ROCK and allow Him to flood your heart with HIS peace. — Bill Welte is President of America’s KESWICK
God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 27; Psalm 120-122; I Corinthians 9
Great Quote: A man of God is one in whose heart and life God has taken the right place as the All in all, and who has only one desire, that God should have the place of preeminence throughout the world. — Andrew Murray
The Goodness of God
The Goodness of God
“You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.” — Psalm 40:5
This morning Psalm 40 was a part of my reading. It is one of the most wonderful Psalms. Every time I read it, my heart is filled with gratitude as I realize again that “He brought me out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a NEW song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.”
The past several weeks I have been very conscious of how incorrectly I pray. I find myself asking God for things that He has already given me. Yesterday my kids were traveling to New Hampshire and I wrote in my journal, “Lord, please put your hand of protection on them as they travel.” I quickly crossed it out, and wrote, “Lord, you’ve never taken your hand of protection off of my kids. Thank You that Your hand is already there!”
I prayed yesterday that I would walk in victory! I crossed out that sentence and wrote, “Lord, You have already given me the victory, by faith, I am going to walk in the victory that you have already secured for me IN CHRIST!
Yesterday when I arrived at work, our Director of Maintenance informed me that the boiler in our Activity Center was shot. He said that in his research the cost to replace it would be $50,000. Normally I would panic. But yesterday I prayed and asked our intercessory team to do this: “Lord, thank you that YOU already KNOW the need! Thank You, that YOU already KNOW the answer.”
I shared this with our conference guests, and we committed the matter to prayer. I walked to the back of the Raws Auditorium and our CFO asked to see me. He handed me a piece of paper which was letter that arrived in Friday’s mail. My Administrative Assistant was off Friday, so she didn’t open the letter until yesterday morning.
The letter was dated August 19th and read, “Enclosed find a check for $40,000 from the estate of … which is a partial distribution …” I could not believe it! Yes, I could — because GOD KNEW the need even before we did, and had already provided the solution!!!
Needless to say, I walked back in the auditorium and shared this praise with our guests and we sang, “PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW …”
I am so thankful for the goodness of God. I am thankful that He is ALWAYS at work around me, and that He has invited us to be a part of that work. Lord, thank You for teaching me how to pray. Thank You for Your goodness. Bless the Lord, O my soul! — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK
God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 26; Psalm 119:89-176; 1 Corinthians 8
Great Quote: To excuse what can really produce good excuses is not Christian charity; it is only fairness. To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. This is hard. It is perhaps not so hard to forgive a single injury. But to forgive the incessant provocations of daily life – to keep on forgiving the bossy mother-in-law, the bullying husband, the nagging wife, the selfish daughter, the deceitful son – how can we do it? Only, I think, by remembering where we stand, by meaning our words when we say in our prayers each night, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” We are offered forgiveness on no other terms. To refuse it means to refuse God’s mercy for ourselves. There is no hint of exceptions and God means what He says. C. S. Lewis
How To Make the Most of Your Time in God’s Word
How to Make the Most of Your Time in God’s Word
James 1:21-22 — Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves
Here is a very practical outline of how you and I can make the most of our time in God’s WORD. This outline is from the Sunday evening message that Dr. George Murray, Chancellor of Columbia International University, shared with us on Sunday evening.
Step One: Before you listen to and study God’s Word
Come with a pure heart.
· Wash up before you eat
· Get the soil ready to plant the seed
· Get rid of all moral filth
· Get rid of the evil that is so prevalent (overflow of wickedness) “When you leave – don’t look back – Remember Lot’s wife. Luke 17:32
· It took God one night to get Israel out of Egypt; It took forty years to get Egypt out of Israel.
Step Two: As we listen to God’s Word
Receive God’s Word with humility
· Like a baby
· For yourself (and not for someone else)
Step Three: After you listen to and study God’s Word
Go do what you hear!
· Merely listening = Listening with the intent to gain more information is Deceiving yourself = listening without doing anything about it
· Really listening = Listening with the intent to change my life. Looks intently = listening with doing something.
Spiritual maturity is not measured by how much we know, but how much we obey. – Dr. Howard Hendricks
Brothers, use this simple, but profound outline to help maximize your time in God’s WORD. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK
God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 25; Psalm 119:1-88; 1 Corinthians 7:20-40
Great Quote: Somewhere in this trial His will must be hidden, and you must accept His will whether known or unknown…Say “Thy will be done!” again and again. Shut out every thought but the one thought of submission to His will and of trust in His love. Hannah Whitall Smith
Prayer — The Battle in "The Secret Place"
Prayer — The Battle in “The Secret Place”
“When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” —Matthew 6:6
Today’s devotional ties in with what I shared yesterday. I shared this devotional with my Freedom Fighter brothers in 2005, but it bears repeating …
Jesus did not say, “Dream about your Father who is in the secret place,” but He said, “. . . pray to your Father who is in the secret place. . . .” Prayer is an effort of the will. After we have entered our secret place and shut the door, the most difficult thing to do is to pray. We cannot seem to get our minds into good working order, and the first thing we have to fight is wandering thoughts. The great battle in private prayer is overcoming this problem of our idle and wandering thinking. We have to learn to discipline our minds and concentrate on willful, deliberate prayer.
We must have a specially selected place for prayer, but once we get there this plague of wandering thoughts begins, as we begin to think to ourselves, “This needs to be done, and I have to do that today.” Jesus says to “shut your door.” Having a secret stillness before God means deliberately shutting the door on our emotions and remembering Him. God is in secret, and He sees us from “the secret place”— He does not see us as other people do, or as we see ourselves. When we truly live in “the secret place,” it becomes impossible for us to doubt God. We become more sure of Him than of anyone or anything else.
Enter into “the secret place,” and you will find that God was right in the middle of your everyday circumstances all the time. Get into the habit of dealing with God about everything. Unless you learn to open the door of your life completely and let God in from your first waking moment of each new day, you will be working on the wrong level throughout the day. But if you will swing the door of your life fully open and “pray to your Father who is in the secret place,” every public thing in your life will be marked with the lasting imprint of the presence of God.
I needed to be reminded of this truth this morning. Oh that my prayer life would be this way. By faith, today, it can be. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK
God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 24; Psalm 116-118; 1 Corinthians 7:1-19
Great Quote: Wherever thou goest, whatever thou dost at home, or abroad, in the field, or at church, do all in a desire of union with Christ, in imitation of His tempers and inclinations, and look upon all as nothing, but that which exercises, and increases the spirit and life of Christ in thy soul. From morning to night keep Jesus in thy heart, long for nothing, desire nothing, hope for nothing but to have all that is within thee changed into the spirit and temper of the holy Jesus. William Law
Don’t Miss the Point … It is all about HIM
Don’t Miss the Point … It is all about Him!
“When you pray, enter into your inner chamber, and having shut your door, pray to your Father … who sees in secret.” Matthew 6:6
Sometimes I miss the point. The purpose of the “morning watch” is all about fellowship with the Father, not about the method or the amount of time I spend. It isn’t about which devotional book I should read — God often speaks to me from devotional books. It isn’t about how many chapters of the Word I can read in one sitting — and He always speaks to me from His Word. It isn’t about how many pages I can fill in my journal …
It is all about HIM — spending time and fellowshipping with Him — which is why you and I were created!!! He longs for us to spend time with Him.
Andrew Murray, in his book, THE INNER CHAMBER (CLC) writes: Christian! There is a terrible danger to which you stand exposed in your inner chamber. You are in danger of substituting prayer and Bible study for living fellowship with God.
You may get so occupied with your needs and their expression, your method of praying and believing, that the light of His face and the joy of His love can’t even enter you. You might get so interested in your Bible study, and the delightful emotions it arouses in you that — yes — the very Word of God may become a substitute for God Himself. Your soul becomes so preoccupied, and you do not lead it to God at all. Then you go out into the day’s work situation without the power of an abiding fellowship and wonder why you are so weak in your spirit.
What a difference it would make in the lives of many, if they looked upon that time of morning watch as a definite engagement with the Father, and understood that it grieves Him when it is broken. What strength we miss — what daily control by the Father, what preparedness for anything that might come to us — when we do not secure God’s presence with us through this daily appointment with God.
When the secret fellowship with the Father is experienced and maintained, it will be evident in public — the reward will be there. The Father takes charge and rewards you openly. This is the only sure way to live with people in the power of God’s blessing.”
Lord, I want to remember that my time with you isn’t about tools and methods. It is all about spending time with YOU! — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK
God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 23; Psalm 113-115; 1 Corinthians 6
Great Quote: It is grace at the beginning, and grace at the end. So that when you and I come to lie upon our death beds, the one thing that should comfort and help and strengthen us there is the thing that helped us in the beginning. Not what we have been, not what we have done, but the Grace of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. The Christian life starts with grace, it must continue with grace, it ends with grace. Grace wondrous grace. By the grace of God I am what I am. Yet not I, but the Grace of God which was with me. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

