Wait For Him

Today I am having a meeting in Pennsylvania that could be the fulfillment of a ministry dream and the rebirth of a vision that was placed in the heart of William Raws many years ago.

As a Board and ministry team we have been waiting on God for a number of years for the fulfillment of this dream. It has been at times frustrating and discouraging because we get so close and then the door closes.

Recently the Lord seemed to be opening a door, and yet today, it could very well be that He will reveal something completely different. That is why these verses today were so timely for me:

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for He is faithful that promised. – Hebrews 10:23

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

The One who called you is completely dependable! If he said it, he’ll do it! 1 Thessalonians 5:24 (The Message)

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. Psalm 130:5

Each morning you listen to my prayer, as I bring my requests to you and wait for your reply. Psalm 5:3

He will fulfill the desire of them that fear Him; he will also hear their cry, and will save them. Psalm 145:19

Then you will know that I am the Lord. You won’t be disappointed if you trust Me! Isaiah 49:23

Are you waiting on the Lord for something in your life? If so, don’t try and rush Him. Maybe today will be the fulfillment of your dream. Maybe today will be the answer to your prayer of many years. If not – then continue to wait on Him. You won’t be disappointed. – Bill Welte is President & CEO of America’s Keswick

Team YOU: Psalm 110-112; Proverbs 22; 1 Corinthians 5

Motivations: When we come to faith and grow in Christlikeness, the Lord pours more light into our lives and illuminates our circumstances. He does this to call us to partnership with him in transforming his creation. It is a call to thoughtfully and intentionally participate in Kingdom building. While he need not count on us, he delights to do so. We do this in loving response to all he has done for us, as a response to his grace. When we partner with him, we achieve great things for the sake of his Kingdom and the glory due his name. Jonathan S. Raymond

Practice to Remember: Level 1:Philippians 3:12; Level 2: Philippians 3:12-16

Powered Up:  Praying gives sense, brings wisdom, broadens and strengthens the mind. The closet is a perfect school-teacher and schoolhouse for the preacher.

Thought is not only brightened and clarified in prayer, but thought is born in prayer. We can learn more in an hour praying, when praying indeed, than from many hours in the study. Books are in the closet which can be found and read nowhere else. Revelations are made in the closet which are made nowhere else. (E. M.) Bounds

Those Who Mourn

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4

Today’s devotional addresses a topic that has become all too missing in our churches today – but so necessary. Drs. Henry & Richard Blackaby get right to the heart of the matter:

God wants us to experience His joy (John 15:11). Yet we cannot experience His joy until we have mourned over our sin. If we do not grieve over the weight of our sin, we have no concept of sin’s devastating power. If we treat our sin lightly, we demonstrate that we have no sense of the enormity of our offense against Almighty God.

Our sin caused the death of God’s Son. It causes us to fall short of what God intends (Rom. 3:23). It brings pain and sorrow to others, as well as to ourselves. The Bible says that those who grieve over their sin will draw near to God (James 4:8–10). Those who mourn and weep over their sin are in a position to repent (Luke 4:18–19).

There cannot be repentance without the realization of the gravity of sin. Regret for sin’s consequences is not the same as sorrow for sinning against holy God. Confession of sin is not necessarily an indication of repentance.

Repentance comes only when we acknowledge that our transgression has come from a heart that is far from God, and we are brokenhearted over our grievous offenses against holy God. Jesus said that those who are heartbroken over their sin will find comfort. They will experience new dimensions of God’s love and forgiveness. His infinite grace is sufficient for the most terrible sin.

Do not try and skip the grieving process of repentance in order to move on to experience joy. God will not leave you to weep over your sin but will forgive you, comfort you, and fill you with His joy.

Blackaby, Richard (2006-12-01). Experiencing God Day By Day (Kindle Locations 4060-4066). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Is there some sin in your life that needs to be addressed? Take time today to get alone with Him and repent! You will once again experience FREEDOM! – Bill Welte is President & CEO of America’s Keswick

Team YOU: Psalm 107-109; Proverbs 21; 1 Corinthians 4

Motivations: A Christian is not one who withdraws but one who infiltrates. Bill Glass

Practice to Remember: Level 1:Philippians 3:12; Level 2: Philippians 3:12-16

Powered Up:  Our Lord did not say it was wrong to prayer in the corners of the street but He did say it was wrong to have the motive to be seen of men. – Oswald Chambers

More on Words

The Lord keeps hammering me about my words. How quickly they leave my tongue. Reading through Proverbs again, the verses about words are just piercing my heart.

Here are just a few from my reading of Proverbs 18:

18:4 — The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom are a bubbling brook.

18:7 — A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare of his soul.

18:8 – The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, and they go deep into the innermost parts of the body.

18:21 – Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who it will eat its fruit.

Someone posted this little ditty on Facebook last week and it really pierced my heart:

Sticks and stones may break my bones,
But words can also hurt me.
Sticks and stones break only skin,
while words are ghosts that haunt me.
Pain from words have left its scar
on mind and heart that’s tender.
Cuts and bruises now have healed,
It’s words that I remember! 

Ouch! Lord remind me today that death and life are in the power of the tongue. May I choose life when I speak to my wife, my kids, my staff and those who you bring across my path today. Amen. – Bill Welte contributes weekly to the Freedom Fighter blog and serves as President & CEO of America’s Keswick in Whiting, NJ.

Team YOU: Psalm 105-106; Proverbs 20; 1 Corinthians 3

Motivations: Worship is the believer’s response of all that he is – mind, emotions, will, and body – to all that God is and says and does. This response has its mystical side in subjective experience, and its practical side in objective obedience to God’s revealed truth. It is a loving response that is balanced by the fear of the Lord, and it is a deepening response as the believer comes to know God better. Warren W. Wiersbe

Practice to Remember: Level 1:Philippians 3:12; Level 2: Philippians 3:12-16

Powered Up:  The revelation of our spiritual standing is what we ask in prayer; sometimes what we ask is an insult to God; we ask with our eyes on the possibilities or on ourselves, not on Jesus Christ. Oswald Chambers

Heart Corruptions

Today’s Freedom Fighter is a great follow-up to yesterday’s post on “Victory Over Sin” from Experiencing God.

It is a powerful prayer for the book, “Valley of Vision – Prayers of the Puritans”:

O God,
May Your Spirit speak in me that I may speak to You.
I have no merit, let the merit of Jesus stand for me.
I am undeserving, but I look to Your tender mercy.
I am full of infirmities, want, sin – You are full of grace.

I confess my sin, my frequent sin, my willful sin;
All my powers of body and soul are defiled:
A fountain of pollution is deep within my nature.

There are chambers of foul images within my being;
I have gone from one odious room to another – walked in a no-man’s land of dangerous imaginations, pried into the secrets of my fallen nature.

I am utterly ashamed that I am what I am in myself;
I have no green shoot in me nor fruit, but thorns and thistles;
I am a fading leaf that the wind drives away;
I live bare and barren as a winter tree, unprofitable, fit to be hewn down and burnt.

Lord, do you have mercy on me? You have struck a heavy blow at my pride, at the false God of self, and I lie in pieces before You.

But YOU have given me another Master and Lord, Your Son, Jesus – and now my heart is turned towards holiness and my life speeds as an arrow from a bow towards complete obedience to You.

Help me in all my doings to put down sin and to humble pride.
Save me from the love of the world and the pride of life, from everything that is natural to fallen man, and let Christ’s nature be seen in me day by day.

Grant me to bear You will without repining, and delight to be not only chiseled, squared, fashioned, but separated from the old rock where I have been embedded so long, and lifted from the quarry to the upper air, where I may be built in Christ forever. Amen.

Isn’t that a powerful prayer, brothers? I know I needed to hear that today. How about you? Have a blessed weekend. – Bill Welte is the principle Freedom Fighter blogger and serves as President & CEO of America’s Keswick in Whiting, NJ

Team YOU: Psalm 97-99; Proverbs 17; Romans 16

Motivations: The world will never believe in a religion in which there is no power. A rationalized faith, a socialized church, and a moralized gospel may gain applause, but they awaken no conviction and win no converts. Samuel Chadwick

Practice to Remember: Level 1:Philippians 3:9-10; Level 2: Philippians 3:1-11

Powered Up:  Prayer doesn’t bring us into contact with the rationality of human existence but into accordance with eternal Reality! The great Reality of Redemption, and Redemption is the platform of prayer. Oswald Chambers

VICTORY OVER SIN

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23–24

This summer I was blessed to meet Dr. Richard Blackaby and to sit under his teaching ministry. I have been blessed by the ministry of Dr. Henry Blackaby and now his son, Richard.

Today’s devotional comes from the EXPERIENCING GOD devotional:

Because of sin, Adam and Eve fell short of the perfection God intended for them. Because of sin, the Israelites relinquished the glory they could have experienced as God’s holy nation. Because of sin, Judas fell short of the opportunity to be an apostle of Jesus Christ.

Sin will corrupt every area of your life that it touches. Sin will cause your marriage to fall short of the promise it held in the beginning. Sin will cause you to fall short as a parent, a church member, a worshiper, or a friend. Every area in your life is susceptible to sin’s destruction.

The wonder of salvation is that God completely dealt sacrifice, God, by His grace, offered His salvation and canceled the penalty of our sin.

By His grace:

He takes a life that has fallen short of God’s best and gives it meaning.

He provides the opportunity to immediately confess our sin and to be cleansed from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

He mends a broken heart. His grace erases anger and bitterness.

He restores severed relationships.

He takes a life devastated by sin and makes it whole.

He takes our failures and produces something good. Only God can heal sin’s devastation.

Only He can bridge the gap between His glory and your sin (Rom. 3:23). You must trust Him to do so. If you will ask Him, He will free you from the bondage of your sin, reestablish your relationship with Him, and restore you to wholeness.

Blackaby, Richard (2006-12-01). Experiencing God Day By Day (Kindle Locations 3975-3981). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Are you struggling today with sin in your life? By God’s grace you can live a life of victory as you allow Christ to live HIS life through you = victory.

Check out Dr. Blackaby’s messages this summer at http://www.americaskeswick.org.
Bill Welte is the principle writer of the Freedom Fighter Blog and serves as President & CEO of America’s Keswick in Whiting, NJ.

Team YOU: Psalm 94-96; Proverbs 16; Romans 15:14-33

Motivations: Faith in small things has repercussions that ripple all the way out. In a huge, dark room a little match can light up the place. Joni Eareckson Tada

Practice to Remember: Level 1:Philippians 3:9-10; Level 2: Philippians 3:1-11

Powered Up:  When we ask “grace before meat” let us remember it is not to be a mere pious custom, but a real reception of the idea that Jesus that God enables us to receive our daily bread from Him. – Oswald Chambers

RIVERS OF LIVING WATER

“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”  (John 7:38)

            This passage and this promise thrill me beyond description.  With all my heart I want to be a Christian from whom flows rivers of living water.  I believe you have the same desire.

Have you noticed that all the promises in the Bible are conditional.  Before there can be mighty flowing rivers of living water there first has to be desire…and insatiable desire for Christ.  Jesus said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come unto Me and drink.” (v.37)

At a Keswick Christian Life Convention many years ago I heard Stuart Briscoe make a statement that I have never forgotten.  He said, “We have as much of God as we want.  God meets man on the level of his desire.”  That thought continues to echo in my mind.   Think about it, “We can have as much of God as we want.  God meets man on the level of his desire.”  I believe this was what Jesus meant when he said, “If anyone thirsts…”

Lack of thirst will eventually reveal itself.  A Christian who does not thirst for God will be dry, barren, lifeless, and defeated.

Thirst for Christ will manifest itself.  To use the words of  Jesus, “out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

We cultivate our thirst for God by spending time with Him and His word.  Once we have tasted Him nothing else will satisfy.

Many people thirsts for things, for money, for power and for position.  Such pursuits only lead to the brackish water of the world which can never satisfy.  When Saint Augustine said, “My soul finds no peace until it finds its peace in thee O God,” he spoke from experience.  He had attempted to satisfy his thirsts with worldly substitutes.  It was not until he came to Christ and believed in Him that his soul was truly satisfied.  The same will be true for you and me.

How much of God do you want today? Roger D. Willmore is the Senior Pastor of Deerfoot Baptist Church and a frequent speaker at America’s Keswick. Check out his messages from this summer on video at www.americaskeswick.org

Team YOU: Psalm 91-93; Proverbs 15; Romans 15:1-13

Motivations: May God give us a pure heart so we may see Him; a humble heart so we may hear Him; a loving heart so we may serve Him; a faithful heart so we may live Him. Dag Hammarskjold

Practice to Remember: Level 1:Philippians 3:9-10; Level 2: Philippians 3:1-11

Powered Up:  We do not ask, we worry, whereas one minute in prayer will put God’s decree at work, that He answers prayer on the ground of redemption. Oswald Chambers

Then God Had An Idea!

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His Own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”  Genesis 1:26-27 (ESV)

I would like to think that the Tri-Unity of the Godhead foreknow the folly that would take place in the Garden. Just by the way that Genesis three is written I think that if God wanted it to stop it would have, but it didn’t. If God chose to create and love us, why would He in turn deny His creation the choice to love and worship Him by not giving us the chance to discover how he works? The Serpent understood how His creator worked and wanted to see us fail because of his jealousy concerning God and us. Keep in mind this is my own commentary and not one from Calvin, Gill, Henry, the Wesley Brothers or The Inspiration Channel.

I was recently having a conversation with my good F.F.C. friend, James Getz, and we were sharing some things that we have learned about Scripture. James is the older one so I joke that I am his Timothy and he is my Paul. He brought up that there is a part of God in all of us whether we want to believe this or not and I agree. We find this right in Genesis 1:26-27 but the text only says “in Our image, after Our likeness.” So there is the part but then there is a fall later in the story and a few verses later we are given the promise of a Redeemer in Genesis 3:15.  Then many centuries go by and many stories go on being told about THE Messiah to come. This concludes the Old Testament.

When Jesus Christ shows up, He clears up any misgivings that have been taught over those centuries and begins healing in ways that the Pharisees and the Sadducees were too blind to see. They only saw the physical healings but I believe they totally missed the spiritual ones. It’s in those healings that people take Jesus into their hearts…which is where the Father also wants to be…once that has taken place we get to have another part of “in Our image.” No sooner than the perfect sacrifice is made, here comes “The Helper” that Jesus promised and that ignites a consuming fire within our hearts that gives to us the realization that we ARE children of God. Thus continues the New Testament.

In Deuteronomy 29:29 we read, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” I believe that our heavenly Father wants us to know this about Him…that He wants us to love Him with the same love that He has for us…it is in this love we were created. After that, knowing how or why he made the giraffe is basically none of our concern. But let’s keep in mind that this love is sacrificial.

God showed Adam and Eve there was to be a living sacrifice; Jesus lived knowing He was to be a sacrifice and in the twelfth chapter of Romans Paul makes it clear what continues in sacrifice. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” I think the Serpent never wanted us to get to this realization of God because sacrificial love was expected of him. Praise God we were given the choice. Kinda hard, ain’t it? Knowing that you are created to choose to be a sacrifice…Jesus knew it and still went through with it. The example we get from Him? To live in the obedience of sacrifice. Amen? – Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a regular Freedom Fighter blogger

Team YOU: Psalm 89-90; Proverbs 14; Romans 14

Motivations: “Salvation is brought to every sinner. If we are lost it is because we have neglected and defiled God’s love.”—A.B. Simpson

Practice to Remember: Level 1:Philippians 3:9-10; Level 2: Philippians 3:1-11

Powered Up:  There is nothing to be valued more highly than to have people praying for us; God links up His power in answer to their prayers. Oswald Chambers

Honor and Esteem

But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-3

On Thursday evening, we had the joy of honoring two very special servants of the Lord who have been a part of the Keswick family for the past 15 years. Dr. & Mrs. Robert Alderman are two very humble and godly servants.

Little did I realize 15 years ago that when I accepted the call to come to America’s Keswick that God would bring into my life the privilege of having two special servants of the Lord as a part of the inner circle of my life.

For 15 years I have observed the life and testimony of two servants who have taught me more than they could have ever imagined.

It would literally take pages to highlight the many lessons I have learned, probably unbeknownst to two very humble servants of the Lord.

Let me name a few:

1. Never forget your heritage.
2. Always appreciate and honor the people you serve, and the people who serve you.
3. Be committed to integrity in all areas of your life.
4. Seek godly counsel and wisdom in all matters of serious concern.
5. Walk humbly and always be gracious even when the heat is turned up.
6. Firmness is acceptable. Arrogance and anger are never and option.
7. Understand the value of an examined life.

For 15 years, Pastor Bob Alderman has been a mentor, confidante, counselor, sounding board and friend. He has never been too busy to help me work through an issue. He has helped me to organize my thoughts, think through a problem leading to biblical resolution, and created in my heart a love for the Keswick message.

He has taught me the value of loving on people. What you see on the platform and in his public persona is the same Bob Alderman at home with his family and in his interactions with his Shenandoah Church family.

It is with gratitude and thanksgiving that I honor and esteem Pastor Bob and Amelia. Are there people in your life that you need to honor and esteem? If so, don’t miss the opportunity to tell them. I may make a huge difference in their lives. – Bill Welte is President & CEO of America’s Keswick

Team YOU: Psalm 87-88; Proverbs 13; Romans 13

Motivations: The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in. C. S. Lewis

Practice to Remember: Level 1:Philippians 3:9-10; Level 2: Philippians 3:1-11

Powered Up:  Prayer seems suitable for old men and women and sentimental young people, but for all others it is apt to be looked upon as a religious weakness. Oswald Chambers

PROFESSOR OR POSSESSOR?

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

            One meaning of “to profess” is to declare in words only, while “to possess” means to own.  It’s the difference between head knowledge and heart experience.  Which are you – one who knows but does not believe, or one who believes and knows Jesus is your Lord?

Suppose you have just been to the doctor for an appointment.  He diagnoses your problem and orders medication.  You know he has the skill and training to do this.  You know what he orders is the answer.  It is not until you believe you need it, that it is for you, and you take it that it will work.

It is the same with salvation.  You may know Jesus came to be the Savior of the world (profess) but not until you accept the payment for your personal sins and trust in that sacrifice for salvation will you be a believer (possess). (John 3:36).  It is by grace you are saved through faith – a gift of God.  (Ephesians 2:8).  He makes you a member of God’s family (John 1:12).  What a wonderful, safe place to be!

The Holy Spirit ushers you into a new life.  2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “the old life is gone!  A new life burgeons!  All this comes from God who settled the relationship between us and him” (The Message).  It’s not reforming a sinner; He makes all things new.  HE gives you a new will, new affections, new purposes.  Do others see you as just professing – all talk; or as possessing – a walk that matches the talk? Rev. John Hibbard  serves on the Board of America’s Keswick and teaches each Sunday at the Colony of Mercy Chapel

Team YOU: Psalm 79-80; Proverbs 10; Romans 11:1-8

Motivations: Many refuse to accept the reality of a personal God because they are unwilling to submit to His authority. Kurt Bruner

Practice to Remember: Level 1:Philippians 3:7-8; Level 2: Philippians 2:25-30

Powered Up:  Certain things can only be dealt with by ignoring them; if you face them you increase their power. It is absurd to say, Pray about them; when once a thing is seen to be wrong, don’t pray about it, it fixes the mind on it; never for a second brood on it, destroy it by neglect. Oswald Chambers

In The Beginning…”

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”                                                                                                               Colossians 1:15-17 (ESV)

One of the coolest things that can happen at any Vacation Bible School is when one of the children come forward to accept Jesus Christ into their heart. During our church’s V.B.S week the Lord laid it on my heart to share John’s Gospel with them. And keeping them on the Deuteronomical road was important as our theme dealt with God’s creation. So I shared what we read in John 1:1-5 and paralleled it with Genesis 1:1-4.

The most important thing that these children needed to hear was that Jesus Christ was there in the beginning.  We need to be reminded of this as well, ‘cos I think at times we tend to forget. To coin a John Gill phrase, “this word was in the beginning, was with God, and is God; from the creation of all things being ascribed to Him, and His being said to be the life and light of men; from His coming into the world, and usage in it; from His bestowing the privilege of adoption on believers; and from His incarnation; and also there is a particular application of all this to Christ.” (That is for those who needed a Calvinistic backhand.)

The Jews of John’s time called the book of Genesis “In the Beginning” simply because Genesis starts off that way. Now the Greek word Logos had a rich association for Jews and Greeks. It meant the reason or thought within a person, or the expression in his speech. Logos, to the Jew, was the Word that Yahweh used to speak all this stuff around into existence. He also used it to guide His people, deliver His people and to accomplish His will in the lives of His people. It could also be referred to God’s written word of self-revelation in the Law that was given to Moses. So…..

Both Genesis and the Gospel of John start with “In the Beginning”, and then they go right into their respected dialogues but by the time you get to the third or fourth verse the moment of “The Light” comes into view. We could almost say that, without anyone reading this giving me a hard time shuffling His words around, it could sound like this; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And in Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

The thing that we, as a V.B.S. crew, wanted the children to know was that not only did God create everything but that Jesus Christ was there right from the beginning as well. That He is the light of the world who gives life to all who need to separate the light from the darkness in their lives. He is The Word that, when believed in our hearts and confessed with our mouths, saves all from eternal separation from Him and His Father. And I do believe that was accomplished. Three quarters of our V.B.S. attendee’s came forward when asked. Only God!! – Chris Hughes is a regular Freedom Fighter blogger and a graduate of the Colony of Mercy

Team YOU: Psalm 77-78; Proverbs 9; Romans 10

Motivations: “As Jesus looked across the horizon of His future, He could see many targets. Many flags were flapping in the wind, each of which He could have pursued. He could have been a political revolutionary….He could have been content to be a teacher and educate minds….But in the end He chose to be a Savior and save souls.”—Max Lucado

Practice to Remember: Level 1:Philippians 3:7-8; Level 2: Philippians 2:25-30

Powered Up:  The essential meaning of prayer is that it nourishes the life of the Son of God in me and enables Him to manifest Himself in my mortal flesh. Oswald Chambers