GOD IS . . .

I am preparing for the messages I will be sharing in Bermuda (well …
someone has to do it) next week. I love the way God’s Word speaks to my
heart. I am planning to share from Ephesians 3:20 — “Now unto Him who
is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we can ask or think
. . .”

I love that phrase — “who is . . .” Hebrews says, “Without faith it is
impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that HE
IS, and that HE IS a rewarder to them that diligently seek Him.”

Let me remind you from the WORD who HE IS:

1. God IS with you in all you do. (Genesis 21:22)
2. The Lord IS my strength and my song and has become my salvation. He
IS my Father’s God, and I will praise Him . . .” (Exodus 15:2)
3. The Lord your God IS a consuming fire — a jealous God. (Deuteronomy
4:24)
4. The Lord your God IS one! (Deuteronomy 6:4)
5. The Lord your God IS He who goes before you. (Deuteronomy 10:17)
6. He IS our God who has done awesome things. (Deuteronomy 10:21)
7. He IS your life and the length of your days. (Deuteronomy 30:20)
8. He IS the Rock, His work is perfect. (Deuteronomy 32:4)
9. He IS the God of all knowledge. (1 Samuel 2:3)
10. He IS your strength and power. (2 Samuel 22:23)
11. He IS gracious and merciful. (2 Chronicles 30:9)
12. He IS a just judge. (Psalm 7:11)
13. He IS a shield to those who trust Him. (Psalm 18:31)
14. He IS our refuge and strength. (Psalm 46:1)
15. He IS your helper. (Psalm 54:4)
16. He IS your defense. (Psalm 59:17)
17. He IS the God of the impossible. (Matthew 19:26)
18. He IS the God of peace. (1 Corinthians 14:33)

My friends, this morning this should cause you to sing . . . “Then
sings my soul, My Savior, God to me — HOW GREAT THOU ART!” Praise Him
today because of who HE IS!- – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
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WORSHIP WARS?

On the Lord’s Day, a day when God’s children are supposed to gather
together AS ONE to worship our great God, some get tangled up in the
quagmire of fighting over styles of music. Too many praise chrouses for
some, and not enough hymns for others. Some banter about the need for
“biblical worship.”

Well let me throw on one you today. Paul says in Colossians 3:16: “Let
the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one
another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual
songs with GRATITUDE in your hearts.”

There is an example of BIBLICAL WORSHIP — whether it is a psalm (The
Psalter . . . which 75% of us have never ever used in our worship),
hymns and spiritual songs, we sing them TOGETHER with GRATITUDE!!! But
let’s not leave off the next verse — “And WHATEVER you do, in WORD or
DEED, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, GIVING THANKS TO GOD THE
FATHER THROUGH HIM. (Colossians 3:17)

So as you gather today to worship CORPORATELY — whether you are singing
a hymn or a praise chorus — You are doing it in HIS NAME — worship
isn’t about us — IT IS ALL ABOUT HYMN.

Here’s an assignment for you this morning — are you ready for the
challenge? I am giving you a psalm to sing — come on — right where you
are — this comes from a hymnal compiled by the famed preacher —
Charles Haddon Spureon. The hymn tune is AMAZING GRACE and the text is
from Psalm 1. Now worship HIM by singing HIS WORDS set to music . . .
and let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly . . .

Blest is the man who shuns the place
Where sinners love to meet;
Who fears to tread their wicked ways,
And hates the scoffer’s seat.

But in the statutes of the Lord
Has placed his chief delight;
By day he reads or hears the Word,
And meditates by night.

He, like a plant of gen’rous kind,
By living waters set,
Safe from the storms and blasting wind,
Enjoys a peaceful state.

Green as the leaf, and ever fair,
Shall his profession shine;
While fruits of holiness appear
Like clusters on the vine.

Not so the impious and unjust;
What vain designs they form!
Their hopes are blown away like dust,
Our chaff before the storm.

Sinners in judgment shall stand
Amongst the sons of grace,
When Christ, the Judge, at His right hand
Appoints His saints a place.

His eye beholds the path thye tread;
His heart approves it well:
But crooked ways a sinners lead
Down to gates of hell.”

Have a blessed Lord’s day.

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SANDPAPER PEOPLE

Ok . . . now I certainly can’t be the only one who has had (or has)
someone in their life that has rub them the wrong way. How do we respond
to those “sandpaper” people that God brings across our path? Well,
author Mary Southerland suggests in her new book — SANDPAPER PEOPLE —
DEALING WITH THE ONES WHO RUB YOU THE WRONG WAY (Harvest House
Publishers) — that there are twelve things we can we do when we do
indeed encounter SANDPAPER PEOPLE:

1. Be loving: Recognize their worth.
2. Be humble: Choose against pride.
3. Be accepting: Love them just as they are.
4. Be encouraging: Become their greatest cheerleader.
5. Be patient: Learn to endure.
6. Be forgiving (Ouch!): Forgive and forget.
7. Be caring: Meet a need.
8. Be peaceful: Wage peace — be a peacemaker.
9. Be confrontational: Care enough to confront.
10. Be thankful: Thank God for them.
11. Be strong: Develop endurance.
12. Be committed: REFUSE TO WALK AWAY!

“Fools are headstrong and explode all too quickly; the prudent quietly
shrug off insults.” — Proverbs 12:16 THE MESSAGE

Next time you face one of those SANDPAPER PEOPLE — Pull out this list
and allow God to work in your life as well as theirs!

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SLOW LEARNER . . .

The hard part about writing Freedom Fighters is that having to live out
what you write! I wish I could tell you I have it all together, guys
(and you ladies that have joined us!). I am a slow learner and still in
process. After sharing what I read yesterday from STREAMS IN THE DESERT,
I purposed to pray about EVERYTHING as I moved through the day. Well I
didn’t. And I must confess it was a frustrating day. I was short with
several of my co-workers . . . made issues out of stuff that should
have been “little” but turned big.

I have been trying to debrief at the end of the day and write in my
journal. Duh! Why didn’t I practice what I wrote? I need to learn to
pray about EVERYTHING! Some of the situations I messed up yesterday
could have easily been averted had I just taken a few moments to pray
for wisdom, prayed for the right way to respond, and to just take a
“time out with the Lord to chill!”

Today in STREAMS . . . “God has a simplicity about Him in working out
His plans, and yet He possesses a resourcefulness equal to any
difficulty. His faithfulness to His trusting children is unwavering, and
He is steadfast in holding to His purpose. In Joseph’s life, we see God
work through a fellow prisoner, later through a dream, and finally
through lifting Joseph from a prison to a position of governor. And the
length of Joseph’s prison stay gave him the strength and steadiness he
needed as governor. It is always safe to trust God’s methods and to live
by HIS clock . . . DIFFICULTY is actually the atmosphere surrounding a
miracle, or a miracle in its initial stage. Yet if it is to be a great
miracle, that surrounding condition will not simply be a difficulty, but
an utter IMPOSSIBILITY! And it is the clinging hand of His child that
makes a desperate situation a delight to God!” — Streams in the Desert

Wow! Powerful words today! Well here’s the deal — I am going to purpose
to pray about EVERYTHING today! How about you? In fact, I will also do
this — if you pray for me — I will pray for you! Thanks for being my
friend!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

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Have you ever had one of the nights where you just tossed and turned? Couldn’t turn off the brain? For me, nights like that is when my mind starts to race and ANXIETY sets in which then sometimes leads to FEAR (False Events Appearing Real!). Last night was one of those nights.
Concern for our Director of Maintenance who is battling leukemia that has now turned into non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Concerns about several staff that are facing tough times in their lives. Concerns about my growing “to-do” list and all that needs to be done before going to Bermuda at the end of next week. And the list goes on and on . . .

Sometime during the night, the Lord reminded me — “talk to ME about these things.”

This morning when I got up for my quiet time, I opened STREAMS IN THE DESERT, and here are the words that refreshed my soul this morning: “Do not be anxious about anything.” (Philippians:6)

“Anxiety should never be found in a believer. In spite of the magnitude, quantity, and diversity of our trials, afflictions, and difficulties, anxiety should not exist under any circumstances. This is because we have a Father in heaven who is almighty, who loves His children as He loves His ‘one and only Son,’ and whose complete joy and delight is to continually assist them under all circumstances. We should heed His Word, which says, ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in EVERYTHING, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.’

IN EVERYTHING — not simply when our house is on fire or when our beloved spouse and children are gravely ill, but even in the SMALLEST matters of life. We are to take EVERYTHING to God — little things, very little things, even what the world calls TRIVIAL things. Yes, we are to take EVERYTHING, living all day long in holy fellowship with our
Heavenly Father and our precious Lord Jesus. We should develop something of a spiritual instinct causing us to immediately turn to God when a concern keeps us awake at night. During those sleepless nights, we should speak to Him, bringing our various concerns before Him, no matter how small they may be. Also speak to the Lord about any trail you are facing or any difficulties you may have in your family or professional life.

BY PRAYER AND PETITION — earnestly, pleading persevering and enduring, and waiting, waiting, waiting on God. WITH THANKSGIVING — always laying a good foundation. Even if we have NO possessions, there is one thing for which we can always be thankful — THAT HE HAS SAVED US FROM HELL! We can also give thanks that He has given us His Holy Word, His Holy Spirit, and the most precious gift of all — HIS SON! Therefore when we consider all this, we have abundant reasons for thanksgiving.

AND THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH TRANSCENDS ALL UNDERSTANDING WILL GUARD YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS IN CHRIST JESUS — This is such a wonderful, genuine, and precious blessing that to truly know it, you must experience it, for it ‘TRANSCENDS ALL UNDERSTANDING . . . Search your heart several times a day, and if you find something that is disturbing your peace, remember to take the proper steps to restore the calm.” from STREAMS IN THE DESERT — published by Zondervan.

“The test of a person’s spiritual like and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the ordinary times when there is nothing tremendous or exciting happening. A person’s worth is revealed in his attitude toward the ordinary things of
life when he is not under the spot light (see John 1:35-37) . . . It is difficult to get into stride with God, because as soon as we start walking with Him we find that His pace has far surpassed us before we have even taken three steps. He has different ways of doing things, and we have to be trained and disciplined in His ways. It was said of Jesus — ‘He will not fail nor be discouraged (Isaiah 42:4)’ . . . because He never worked from HIS OWN INDIVIDUAL STANDPOINT, but always worked from the standpoint of HIS FATHER.

And we must learn to do the same. Spiritual truth is learned through the atmosphere that surrounds us, not through intellectual reasoning. If is God’s Spirit that changes the atmosphere of our way of looking at things, and then things begin to be possible which before where
impossible. Getting into God’s stride means nothing less than oneness with Him. It takes a long time to get there, but keep at it. Don’t give up because the pain is intense right now — get on with it, and before long you will find that you have a new vision and a new purpose.”

from the pen of OSWALD CHAMBERS — MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST published by Discovery House.

“Let Spirit-filled worship be a blend of our highest thoughts and our deeper feelings so that one of the goals of true worship be reached: the reshaping of our lives . . . Let us learn to meditate on God’s power, His love, His wisdom, His holiness, His changelessness, His mercy, His glory . . . An increased deepening of praise, worship, thanksgiving is inevitable where worshippers are led to think on the manifold splendor of the Holy One, our God. Let us kneel to worship . . . let us rise to praise Him – –

the Almighty and Self Sufficient One,
the Entirely Holy Three-in-One,
the Merciful, Righteous and the Just,
the All-Knowing and All-Wise,
the Essence and Fountain of Love,
the Creator and Lord of Hosts,
the Absolute and Changeless One,
the Transcendent and Immanent One,
the True and Faithful One,
who, in all His wonder, grandeur and excellence,
has chosen to love us,
has sought to redeem us,
has sent His Son to us:
JESUS CHRIST THE ONE AND ONLY SAVIOR . . .
He has become our Father through the new birth He has made possible in Christ,
who was born of the virgin, lived sinlessly, taught truthfully, died vicariously for mankind,
whose blood and death are the ransom paid for me, providing completely for my eternal salvation.

HE IS THE SON OF GOD,
who literally and physically rose from the dead,
who has ascended to the right hand of the Majesty on high and
who has poured out His Holy Spirit of power upon us,
that we might live in grace both now and forever.
Let the Father be praised!
Let His Son be worshipped!
Let His Spirit be manifested among us!” from WORSHIP HIS
MAJESTY by Dr. Jack Hayford, writer/composer of “MAJESTY”

And here is the bottom line, my friends — this kind of worship is not just for Sunday! It is for every day of our lives! Be a worshipper today in all you do! Good words to consider and apply.

“I must remember that while POSITIONALLY God sees me perfect in Christ, PRACTICALLY He sees me as a sheep, sometimes strong and sometimes weak, sometimes obedient and some times vacillating. I see that in the sheep’s psalm — Psalm 23.

While God the Shepherd is portrayed as competent and capable in the psalm, the sheep is not. Often the sheep is obedient and follows closely by the Shepherd’s side and so enjoys green pastures and quiet waters. But sometimes I am a disobedient sheep and so must be ‘driven’ in the right paths. I sometimes need the rod and the staff and their discipline, which is painful at the moment, but it ultimately brings its ‘comfort’ (vs. 4). Sometimes I am fearful, especially at the approach of any cavern, cleft or valley. While every valley has its fears, the valley of death has the greatest fear of all, and so I need the extra assurance of my Shepherd’s presence, which enables me to ‘fear no harm.’

Sometimes I am surrounded by my enemies, but even then God arranges things so that in THEIR sight I am provided a table, a provision, and an oversight by my thoughtful, concerned Shepherd. He wants to show my enemies that I made no mistake in putting my trust entirely in Him.

There are also times when my cup simply overflows. Those are times when I cry out with wonder, ‘Why me, Lord? Why me?’ When I receive those overwhelming times of joy, it is not because I am good, but because my Shepherd is and He simply desires to share His goodness with me. In fact, He pursues me with ‘goodness and mercy (vs. 6) until He brings me safely into His eternal home.

What shall I say of a God who understands me so fully and provides for me so completely? ‘Great is the Lord, and greatly [deserves] to be praised.’ (Psalm 96:4)”

from DAILY WITH THE KING by W. Glyn Evans published by Moody Press

Good words for today. Read Psalm 23!

What is God doing? Is He trying to get our attention? Thousands left homeless by the Hurricanes Katrina and Rita? Thousands of lives lost in South America this weekend as a result of landslides? Over $25,000 killed in Pakistan with 40,000 injured from the earthquakes yesterday?

The prophet Habakkuk said: “Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days — You would not believe if you were told.” (Habakkuk 1:5)

Is He giving us a wake-up call — to the church? To the nation? To our world? I believe He is. While these are difficult days — these are days that we who love the Lord can shine as bright lights in the darkness. In fact, it could very well be that things could get worse. Habakkuk
painted a pretty bleak picture in the three chapters of his prophecy. But listen to how the book ends — it ends with PRAISE! “Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail, and the fields produce no food, Though
the flock should be cut off from the fold, And there be no cattle in the stall — YET I WILL EXALT IN THE LORD, I WILL REJOICE IN THE GOD OF MY SALVATION. THE LORD GOD IS MY MY STRENGTH, AND HE HAS MADE MY FEET LIKE HIND’S FEET, AND MAKES ME WALK ON HIGH PLACES!” (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

These are not times for us to live in despair. As you gather with brothers and sisters today — Rejoice! HE IS YOUR STRENGTH! HE IS YOUR JOY! LOOK UP! YOUR REDEMPTION DRAWETH NIGH!

Good words to ponder on this rainy Lord’s Day. Thank You, Lord for reviving the parched ground with your refreshing rains. Do the same today for our dry souls. Send your rains of revival on our parched, dry, barren hearts.” Amen.

“Virtue starts to grow in a heart that desires the will of God. It is not a question of knowing a lot, or be talented, or even doing great deeds. All that you really need is to long to belong completely to God. But how does your will come to this place? By conforming little by little, but without reservation, to what God wants. You must learn to bring your weak will in line with God’s all-powerful one. Here you will find inexhaustible and never-ending peace and joy.

Adore, praise, and bless God for everything! See Him in ALL things. There is never anything truly evil in your life for God uses even the most terrible sufferings to work for your good because you love Him. Can the troubles God uses to purify your life be called evil? Think of what these troubles accomplish in your life.

Rest all your cares on the bosom of the Father. Be content to follow His will in all things, and to let Him bring your will into harmony and oneness with Him. Do not resist Him as he works within you. If you feel resistance rising up inside of you, turn to Him and take His side against your own rebellious nature. He will know what to do. Learn not the grieve the Holy Spirit within you, for He watches over your inner life. Learn from the past mistakes you have made without getting discouraged.

How can you better glorify God than by renouncing your own desires and letting Him do what pleases Him? He is truly your God when you see nothing but the hand of God ruling over things in your life, and you worship Him with not outside pressure and even with no inward comfort.

To want to serve God in some conditions, but not others, is to serve Him in your own way. But to put no limits on your submission to God is truly dying to yourself. This is how to worship God!
Open yourself to God without measure. Let His life flow through you like a torrent. Fear nothing on the road you are walking. God will lead you by the hand. Let your love for Him cast out the fear you feel for yourself.” from THE SEEKING HEART by Fenelon.