Temptation: Watch and Pray

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Temptation: Watch and Pray
Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. Matthew 26:41
We all do battle with temptation. I found this reading from Streams in the Desert – June 6th so timely and helpful:
Dear friend, never go out into the danger of the world without praying first. There is always temptation to shorten your time in prayer. After a difficult day of work, when you kneel at night to pray with tired eyes, do not use your drowsiness as an excuse to resign yourself to early rest. Then when the morning breaks and you realize you have overslept, resist the temptation to skip your early devotion or to hurry through it.

Once again, you have not taken the time to “watch and pray.” Your alertness has been sacrificed, and I firmly believe there will be irreparable damage. You have failed to pray, and you will suffer as a result.

Temptations are waiting to confront you, and you are not prepared to withstand them. Within in your soul you have a sense of guilt, and you seem to be lingering some distance from God. It certainly is no coincidence that you tend to fall short of your responsibilities on those days when you have allowed your weariness to interfere with your prayer life.

When we give in to laziness, moments of prayer that are missed can never be redeemed. We may learn from experience, but we will miss the rich freshness and strength that would have been imparted during those moments.

Jesus, the omnipotent Son of God, felt it necessary to rise each morning before dawn to pour out His heart to His Father in prayer. Should we not feel even more compelled to pray to Him who is the give of “every good and perfect gift” (James 1:17) and who has promised to provide whatever we need?
We do not know all that Jesus gained from His time in prayer, but we do know this – a life without prayer is a powerless life. It may be a life filled with a great deal of activity and noise, but it will be far removed from Him who day and night prayed to God.

I really needed that word today – especially the part about not rushing ahead without taking time to pray about these battles that I face almost daily. How about you? —  Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick
GPS – God’s Positioning System: 2 Kings 5-8; Psalm 134; Proverbs 15
Compass Pointers: The proof of love is in the works. Where love exists, it works great things. But when it ceases to act, it ceases to exist.  Gregory the Great

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 24:1-2; Level 2: Proverbs 24:1-10
Anchored to the Rock: To speak to God it men is a sacred and responsible task. To speak for men to God is not less responsible and is more solemn. Robert Dabney

Anger Management

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Anger Management
            I was asked to help a young man with “Anger Management” and here is some of the information I shared with him.

            Philippians  2:5-8 5Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus,   
 6who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God,   
 7but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.  8And being found in the fashion of a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death–even the death of the cross.

            Anger has much to do with our “mind set”. Truly humble people seem to have no problem with anger. We become angry at people that do not show us the respect that we feel is due us. They “owe us something”. 
         
            Anger is caused by the difference between what we feel we have a right to and what people give us. In our country we try so very hard to “never be angry”. No one wakes up saying I think I will be angry today. Anger just happens. That is why the Bible says be angry but stop at the action level. Ephesians 4:26  Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

            While it is next to impossible to stop anger from happening it is very possible to stop the behavior that it stimulates.

            Many counselors encourage “primal screams” and punching pillows etc. I do not concur. The more we practice the actions our anger dictates the harder it is to control our behavior.

            For a while, we had a fad the said WWJD. I think that was a modern way of saying how would Jesus use his mind in our situation. Would He continue to think about what people were saying about Him or doing to Him? I think not. Would he have a mind that would make what happened OK. No! If it is wrong it can never be made OK.           

             On the cross He demonstrated His “Mind Set”. He said, “Father forgive them for such ignorance!” The police officer points out that ignorance is no excuse. But Jesus says it is a great reason to forgive. Since the hurt that you and I experience cannot be made OK, we must forgive or continue to hurt.

            Spirit of the Living God, help me to forgive
                        When I am able to do that, I can learn how to live
            For others cannot control my life, I know
                        When I am able with your love to just let go.  Pastor Van is a Christian Counselor and is a frequent contributor to Freedom Fighter 

GPS – God’s Positioning System: 2 Kings 1-4; Psalm 133; Proverbs 14
Compass Pointers: “When we feel the pull toward the golden-haired woman, we must recognize that something deeper is at play…as Augustine said, ‘Let my soul praise you for all these beauties, but let it not attach itself to them by the trap of love,’ the trap of addiction because we’ve taken our soul to her for validation. But there is an even deeper issue than our question. What else is it we are seeking from the Woman with the Golden Hair? What is that ache we are trying to assuage with her? Mercy, comfort, beauty, ecstasy—in a word, God. I’m serious. What we are looking for is God…notice that the struggle with pornography or masturbation is most difficult when you are lonely, or beat up, or longing for comfort in some way…but if this is the water you are truly thirsty for, then why do you remain thirsty after you’ve had a drink? It’s the wrong well. We must reserve Adam’s choice; we must choose God over Eve. We take our ache to Him. For only in God will we find the healing for our wound.” John Eldredge

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 24:1-2; Level 2: Proverbs 24:1-10
Anchored to the Rock: Prayer does not enable us to do a greater work for God. Prayer is a greater work for God. Thomas Chalmers

The Cure for Ben and Jerry’s Part One

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The Cure for Ben and Jerry’s Part Two

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”   Gal 5:22-24 (ESV)

After being challenged during our last session by Pastor Tim Shorey, some of the gang from the Families for Christ weekend found themselves in the lobby of Victory Hall on the grounds of America’s Keswick. I was sitting at a table with a good brother in Christ, James Getz, just going over those things happening around us over the weekend. James has earned the nickname “Happy Feet” because of his ability to just get up and dance as if the Holy Spirit has once again filled his soul. When the dancing is done he goes back into this meek, mild-mannered state of comical being that is his trademark. It is a privilege to acknowledge this brother as being a Paul in my life.

James constantly keeps 3×5 notecards in his top shirt pocket and they are covered in notes. James says this helps him remember what is going on but a former Colony administrator, Pastor Mike Woods, has joked in the past that if you what to know what James is thinking you need to read those 3×5 cards. So just out of the blue, James announces that he would like to play a game with us. Now you never can tell with this brother, he just might be pulling a prank on you. But this wasn’t the case on this cool and comfortable Saturday night. He shares his blank 3×5 cards and tells us to write the fruits of the Spirit on them.

My wife rattles them off, I have to open my Bible and look for them and the other couples that were involved did shout out’s while they wrote. The thing to note here is that different translations can result in have too many words for the same fruit. That meant that there were some cards that had ten to eleven fruits of the Spirit instead of nine. Once we got over the translation hump, everyone’s list boiled down to the ESV list of fruit. And they are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control! And we all went and said, “against such things there is no law.” Okay James, what’s next?

Now before I go on I would like you, Brothers (and Sisters…I know of some of you who secretly get F.F’s), to write them down as well. Write them as a list and give yourself some space between them. Now James tells us to circle three fruits that you believe you have down pat. Then he tells us to check off three fruits in which we are struggling with. After this he asks us if we are all done he asks this question…”Why didn’t you circle or check off the other three on your list?” The challenge here is not to do better with what fruit you struggle or not struggle with but why you are not considering the other three. James then says that the next time we all meet let’s discuss how we are doing with those fruits that we didn’t acknowledge.

This was in great contrast to the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream that was used to illustrate how idolatry takes up residency in our hearts and causes conflict. Even if we do put down the ice cream and begin to replace it with the fruits of the Spirit, we can still fall short in the maintenance of our heart condition. If “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”  (Jer 17:9 ESV) then maybe what Pastor Shorey said on Saturday night has credence…”Get on your face and come to repentance. Draw near to God and expect grace from Him.” If you have an issue with remembering this simple command, maybe you could write it down on a 3×5 card and keep it in your top shirt pocket. I have a funny feeling that this what James does. – Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a regular Freedom Fighter contributor

GPS – God’s Positioning System: Obadiah
Compass Pointers: “So, this is the answer. Every flower and every fruit has a stalk and every stalk has a root, and long before there is any bloom there must be a careful tending of the root and the stalk. This is where the misunderstanding lies—we think that we get the flower and the fragrance and the fruit by some kind of magic, instead of by cultivation.”  Who Put Jesus on the Cross?  A.W.Tozer

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 24:1-2; Level 2: Proverbs 24:1-10
Anchored to the Rock: Prayer is the acid test of devotion. Samuel Chadwick

Psalm 126

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Psalm 126 – A Paraphrase
Here’s another great paraphrase of a Psalm that will prepare your heart for this Lord’s Day:
Let us begin this day by rejoicing!
Let us acknowledge our Lord’s love and concern
   and allow our bodies to break forth
   into happy hilarity!
Let us give our nerves and muscles
   the healthy exercise of laughter!
The Lord has done such wonderful things for us;
   Let us be glad!

The day before us is uncertain.
We know not what we will encounter on our way,
While we rejoice with those who rejoice,
   we shall also weep with those who suffer.
While we may be surprised by ecstasy,
   we may also pass through corridors of darkness.
Wherever we go, we go forth as sons and servants of the living God,
   and we go forth to touch the lives of men with His healing love.
Let us begin this day with rejoicing,
   and return to our homes with gladness!

Enjoy your day of worship, brothers. Today is all about HIM! – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick

GPS – God’s Positioning System: 2 Chronicles 21-23; Psalm 131; Proverbs 12

Compass Pointers: The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessing. Henry Ward Beecher

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 24:1-2; Level 2: Proverbs 24:1-10
Anchored to the Rock: The Christian will find his parentheses for prayer even in the busiest hours of life. Richard Cecil

Found in Billy Sunday’s Bible

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Found in Billy Sunday’s Bible
This week the speaker for our Young at Heart conference was Dr. Wendell Calder. At the conclusion of his Tuesday evening message, he read something that was found in the Bible of the evangelist, Billy Sunday regarding the Word of God. I think you will enjoy it:
Twenty-nine years ago, with the Holy Spirit as my Guide, I entered at the portico of Genesis, walked down the corridor of the Old Testament art galleries, where pictures of Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joseph, Isaac, Jacob, and Daniel hung on the wall.

I passed into the music room of the Psalms where the Spirit sweeps the keyboard of nature until it seems that every reed and pipe in God’s great organ responds to the harp of David, the sweet singer of Israel.

I entered the chamber of Ecclesiastes, where the voice of the preacher is heard, and into the conservatory of Sharon and the lily of the valley where sweet spices filled and perfumed my life.
I entered the business office of Proverbs and on into the observatory of the prophets where I saw telescopes of various sizes pointing to far off events, concentrating on the bright and morning Star which was to rise above the moon-lit hills of Judea for our salvation and redemption.

I entered the audience room of the King of kings, catching a vision written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John writing their Epistles.

I stepped into the throne room of Revelation where tower the glittering peaks, where sits the King of kings upon His throne of glory with the healing of the nations in His hand, and I cried out:

All hail the power of Jesus’ name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem
And crown Him Lord of all.
(from W. A. Criswell, Why I Preach That the Bible is Literally True)

Isn’t that a cool reading? Wow! I love God’s Word and the power of it in our lives. Take some time to read through Psalm 119 today. It will be a great way to prepare your heart for the Lord’s day. – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick
GPS – God’s Positioning System: 2 Chronicles 18-20; Psalm 130; Proverbs 11
Compass Pointers: The true secret in giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not and never persist in trying to set people right. Hannah Whitall Smith

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 23:7; Level 2: Proverbs 23:12-17
Anchored to the Rock: Whether we like it or not, asking [prayer] is the rule of the kingdom. Charles Haddon Spurgeon

The Cure for Ben and Jerry’s Part One

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The Cure for Ben and Jerry’s Part One 

“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” James 4:1-3 (ESV) 

My wife told me to put my shirt on when she seen my skin glowing red, my sinuses were throbbing and my “Fanny Perpendicular” was sore from some rough boating during the Memorial Day weekend. But it was only Tuesday and I thought this all would clear up by the time our FFC ministry weekend would begin. I was wrong and I started feeling that I would be hindered from receiving any message that God would have for us. Wrong again! He is faithful and I am a “Dupa” (my wife tells me it’s Polish for “Fanny Perpendicular”). So even if I went into the Families for Christ weekend sore and sunburned it didn’t deter me from finding something to glean from it and here it is. 

For those of you who suffer from the desire to eat Ben and Jerry’s ice cream there is a cure. If you feel the need to eat Ben and Jerry’s ice cream there is a cure. If your demand turns to an expectation of eating Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, there is a cure. If you feel disappointed or feel the need to punish because your desire, need, demand and expectation of eating Ben and Jerry’s ice cream has not been met, there is a cure. This is not to suggest that “Chubby Hubby” or “Chunky Monkey” was the focal point of the following list but they are, in fact, levels of development in conflict. 

Pastor Tim Shorey, of Trinity Fellowship Church in Toms River, NJ, had walked us through how to root out conflict in our relationships during his last session of the weekend and he gave us the slow motion look at it. The use of Ben and Jerry’s is just a silly way of replacing the use of the word idol (just for the record, I am fan of the “Americone Dream” flavor of Ben and Jerry’s). When you at look into James 4:1-10 and put it into slow motion the development for conflict becomes clear. It all starts with a simple phrase that we hear our children/grandchildren use and we have said it ourselves. “I want something” and since it has been bought it up I desire a decent size bowl of Americone Dream ice cream with hot fudge…and whipped cream…and a cherry on top. 

From that simple desire it can escalate from there. Desire turns to need, need turns to demand, demand turns to expectation, expectation leads to disappointment and disappointment results in punishment. This would be why James asks his readers, ”What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?” A quote that Pastor Tim gave us that puts this into perspective, “Whatever controls your heart exercises an inescapable influence on your life.” So what to do at this point? Well I said there was a cure and here is what Pastor Tim prescribes. 

First, be born again!! James 1:18
Second, call it what it is. Idolatry!! James 4:4
Thirdly, stop being cocky!! James 4:6
Fourthly, Draw near to God and expect grace from God!! James 4:8

This is a great remedy to clean out the garbage that builds up in our hearts. I am sure that the last three steps are on a daily need-to-do basis but there is something that we can refill our hearts with, I’ll cover that in the next Freedom Fighter. In the meantime Brothers, Ben and Jerry’s is a mighty fine ice cream to enjoy but when the heat is on, it melts. That is the truth for any of those idols that have influence in our lives. – Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a regular contributor to Freedom Fighter 

GPS – God’s Positioning System: 1 Kings 22; Psalm 129; Proverbs 10

Compass Pointers: “Now brethren, this is one of our greatest faults in our Christian lives. We are allowing too many rivals of God. We actually have too many gods. We have too many irons in the fire. We have too much theology that we don’t understand. We have too much churchly institutionalism. We have too much religion. Actually, I guess we just have too much of too much! God is not in our beings by Himself! He cannot do His will in us and through us because we refuse to put away the rivals. When Jesus Christ has cleansed everything from the temple and dwells there alone, He will work!” I Talk Back to the Devil   A.W. Tozer

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 23:7; Level 2: Proverbs 23:12-17

Anchored to the Rock: If I should neglect prayer but a single day, I should lose a great deal of the fire of faith. Martin Luther

Craig’s List

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Craig’s List
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6
This weekend I picked up a book by Pastor-author, Craig Groeschell called Weird – Because Life Isn’t Working Normal (Zondervan). It’s a very powerful read and I encourage you to grab a copy of it and add it to your library. It’s a great investment.
In the chapter on family, he shares seven principles to train our kids on the path of life. He said that the word “train” is the Hebrew word chanak, which means to initiate, dedicate or teach. He says, “we should not scold, manipulate, or try to control our kids. Instead, we’re striving to train them according to God’s Word. Training is a active, dynamic process lived out daily in all areas of life – not just a rote exercise in memorizing verses and going to church every week.”
So here’s Craig’s List of seven principles. I want to encourage you to look up the corresponding Scripture for each:
  1. Train them to manage God’s money (Proverbs 3:9-10).
  2. Train them to carefully select friends (Proverbs 13:20, 1 Corinthians 15:33).
  3. Train them to watch their words (Proverbs 4:24, Luke 6:45).
  4. Train them to be responsible (Proverbs 6:6-8).
  5. Train them to guard their minds (Proverbs 23:7, 2 Corinthians 10:5).
  6. Train them to be generous (Proverbs 11:25).
  7. Train them to fear God (Proverbs 1:7; Psalm 111:10).
Tall order – but a good reminder.  Grandparents – we can do the same with our grands! And quite honestly – maybe the place to start is to work on these seven ourselves! Kids tend to do what is modeled for them! – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick
GPS – God’s Positioning System: 1 Kings 20-21; Psalm 128; Proverbs 9
Compass Pointers: Our greatest priority as Christian parents is to gradually transfer our children’s dependence away from us until it rests solely on God. Craig Groeschell
Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 23:7; Level 2: Proverbs 23:12-17
Anchored to the Rock: Prayer is the chief exercise of faith. John Calvin

The Condition of the Heart

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The Condition of the Heart
But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. Luke 8:15
I shared this devotional back in 2005 on this day. It is a great follow up to the teaching on REPENTANCE from yesterday. If you missed it, go back and take a look at it.
Dr. Henry Blackaby is one of my “author” mentors. He has such a powerful teaching ministry and has been a great blessing to me. He addresses the issues of the heart in his devotional, Experiencing God – The Devotional (Broadman & Holman):
At any time, the receptiveness of your heart will determine your response to God’s Word (Luke 8:5-18). If your heart is like trampled ground, hardened by the sin of bitterness and unforgiveness, you will be unable to accept a message from God. Though you HEAR the words of the message, you will remain unchanged.

If your heart is like the shallow soil on top of a rock, you will accept God’s Word in your MIND but the truth will not penetrate your HEART to make a difference in your actions. A heart like thorny soil is a life that is distracted by the cares of the world; the pursuit of earthly pleasures prevents God’s Word from taking hold and producing righteousness. The heart that is good soil receives a word from God, applies it, and brings forth fruit in due time. This is the heart that Jesus desires in us, for the fruit will be a Christ-like life.

Any time you hear a word from God, whether through Bible reading, prayer, or worship, the way you respond will depend on how you have cultivated your heart (Hosea 10:12). How do you develop a heart that is like good soil? REPENT [there’s that KEY word] of any bitterness, anger, or unforgivenss that is hardening your heart. MEDITATE on God’s Word until it enters deep into your heart and not just your mind. When you read or hear a word from God, apply it to your life and let God bring His Word into reality in your life (Galatians 6:9). PROTECT your lifestyle. See that you don’t devote all your energy to worldly concerns, rather than to pursuing your relationship with God.
The condition of your heart will vary, depending on how YOU cultivate it. If it is receptive to a word from God yesterday, this does not guarantee it is receptive today. DAILY prepare your heart for the word God has for YOU!

Three key words to help guard your heart: REPENT, MEDITATE & PROTECT! How are you doing today? What is the condition of your heart? Not sure? Start with these three words! – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick
GPS – God’s Positioning System: 1 Kings 17-19; Psalm 127; Proverbs 8
Compass Pointers: Late have I loved you, O Beauty so ancient and so new; late have I loved you! You were within me, and I was outside; and I sought you outside and in my loneliness fell upon those lovely things that you have made. You were with me, but I was not with you…. You called me and cried to me and broke open my deafness; you sent forth your beams and shone upon me and chased away my blindness; you breathed your fragrance upon me, and I drew in my breath and now I pant for you; I tasted you, and now I hunger and thirst for you; you touched me, and I burn for your peace. Augustine

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 23:7; Level 2: Proverbs 23:12-17
Anchored to the Rock: Prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God and a scourge for Satan.  John Bunyan

Repentance

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Repentance
Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel.” Mark 1:14-15
I have been guilty for many years of encouraging people at the end of our conferences to ask people to dedicate or rededicate their lives to the Lord. Some of you have been to a conference or listened to a preacher who has called the audience to this kind of decision.
But as I have been thinking this through, the Bible doesn’t call us to dedicate or rededicate our lives to Him. He calls us to repentance – not a word that often enters on our radar screen.
Dr. Henry Blackaby writes in his daily devotional, Experiencing God – The Devotional (Broadman & Holman):
Repentance is one of the most positive of all words. John the Baptist centered his preaching on repentance (Matthew 3:2, Mark 1:4, Luke 3:3). Jesus also preached repentance, commanding His disciples to do likewise (Mark 1:14-15, Luke 24:7). The angel predicted that the Messiah would save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). The requirement for this salvation would be repentance.
To repent means to stop going one direction, to turn around completely, and go the opposite way. 

Repentance involves a dramatic and decisive change of course. God urges us to repent when the path we are taking leads to destruction. Repentance will save us from disastrous consequences! What a wonderful word! How comforting that the Creator loves us enough to warn us of impending danger!
Our problem is that we think of repentance as something negative. When we recognize our sin, we prefer to “rededicate” our lives to God. We may even tell others we have resolved to be more faithful to God than we were before we failed Him.

Yet the Bible doesn’t speak of rededicating oneself. It speaks of repentance! Repentance indicates a decisive change, not merely a wishful resolution. We have not repented if we continue in our sin!

Repentance involves a radical change of the heart and mind in which we agree with God’s evaluation of our sin and then take specific action to align ourselves with His will. A desire to change is not repentance. Repentance is always an active response to God’s Word. The evidence of repentance is not words of resolve, but a changed life!

Are you struggling with an area of sin in your life? Maybe a struggle for years? Well the answer might be more simpler than we want to imagine. Repentance may be the missing key to your walking in victory! – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick
GPS – God’s Positioning System: 2 Chronicles 17; Psalm 126; Proverbs 7
Compass Pointers: To me the second coming is the perpetual light in the path which makes the present bearable. I never lay my head on my pillow without thinking that: maybe before the morning breaks the final morning may have dawned. I never begin my work without thinking perhaps he may interrupt my work and begin his own. G. Campbell Morgan

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 23:7 Level 2: Proverbs 23:12-17
Anchored to the Rock: What is the life of a Christian but a life of prayer? David Brown

Wrestling with God

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Wrestling With God
    Have you ever had those days or maybe even weeks where your walk with God seems like it’s going anywhere? You have been doing all that you were taught and still nothing seems to move. You are not alone. There have been times that I have not felt like reading, praying or meditating on the word but knew I had to and it was not easy. A friend of mine told me that no matter what you feel like it is crucial that you stay in the word praying and meditating on those things that are praise worthy and acceptable to God. No brainer Huh guys! Until your mind is going 1000 miles an hour only to have it come to a screeching halt, and then the attitude sets in. OH BOY!  Well, I found myself wrestling God, not before Him there is a big difference. 

    A couple of Saturdays ago I had made a conscious decision NOT to go to church on Sunday, in fact I wasn’t sure i wanted to continue with this Christianity stuff. As you all know God has A plan and its Not ours. I was really fed up. 

   Ok Sunday morning is here and I’m still wrestling God, grumbling huffing and puffing cuz I didn’t want to go to church and so I started getting dressed. I said this out loud, why am I getting dressed? I don’t want to go to church. At this point God has me right where He wants me A full nelson.

    We are now at church in discipleship class and the teacher reads a true story about a pastor who wanted to walk out on his ministry because of debt and life seemingly falling apart. This took place at a conference. As the speaker made his way to the front of the stage he was prompted to go to this man not once but twice and asked him if everything was ok. The second time the pastor told the speaker everything. At this point the speaker asked him, did God ask you to leave? A long pause took place and the pastor said with a quiet voice, No he didn’t. With that the crowd was so moved they took an offering and paid his debt.  The question, did God ask you to leave? Hit home real fast. All this is going through my seemingly cluttered mind when during the praise and worship music a man stands up and says this.  “At first I thought this was meant for me, but it is meant for the body.” “Behold the former things have come to pass and all things have become new.” Isaiah 42.9

That hit me like a ton of bricks. I started weeping. The message that Sunday was “step in so you can step out”. It was clear to me that I needed to step into the arms of God and so I did weeping the entire service.
   OH! As for the wrestling match God won. – Keith Varga is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy. Thanks for sharing your testimony, Keith!

GPS – God’s Positioning System: 1 Kings 15:25-16:34; Psalm 125; Proverbs 6
Compass Pointers: God does not discipline us to subdue us, but to condition us for a life of usefulness and blessedness. Billy Graham

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 23:7; Level 2: Proverbs 23:12-17
Anchored to the Rock: The best Christian is he that is the greatest monopolize of time for private prayer. Thomas Brooks