I Don’t Believe in Atheisits

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I DON’T BELIEVE IN ATHEISTS

(Rom 1:18-23) For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.

Scripture tells us that “Although they knew God”. The knowledge that there is a God is universal. God did not leave Himself without a witness. He placed “Eternity in their hearts”. One can choose to forget God, but one cannot truthfully say that there is no God. We will never know the many reasons people use to forget God, possibly a tragic event in their past, i.e. loss of a loved one or beloved pet, or not receiving a prayed for gift. Whatever the event, they usually are mad at God and so seek vengeance by denying His existence.

Another reason for not believing in Atheists is that their premise is unsupportable. One of my favorite gags is to tell people that I can answer any question any could give me. The person would then ask a question, i.e. what is the name of my dog when I was little? I would reply, “Fluffy”! Wrong, they would reply. I would then state, “I didn’t say I would give a right answer, I just said I could answer any question!”
I would never state that I know everything. It would not take long to prove the short comings in my omniscience. An atheists, to be a true atheist would have to be “All Knowing” to know there is no God. Realize God could have a palatial estate on Venus and we could not prove or disprove the statement. Years ago it was believed the moon was made of green cheese. Not until 1969 could we say with absolute authority that it was not. How then could a rational, honest individual say that he knows absolutely there is no God.

An atheist therefore is actually a deceived individual. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and without Him there is no knowledge, nor wisdom for that matter. Again the Bible is true, the fool has said in their heart there is no God (Psalm 14.1). Although they say it in their heart, convincing themselves it is true, it comes back to the fact that they wish to forget He is God. Freedom Fighters, we need to “We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.” NLT 2 Corinthians 10.5. Try this argument on for size. — Paul Ort is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Little Egg Harbor, NJ

Digging Deeper: Proverbs 28; Psalm 123-125; 1 Corinthians 10:1-18

Dig This Quote: The Christian communities in which we live play a vital role in the business of forgiveness. No matter what the Bible says, and no matter what the bishop pronounces, it is the community that forgives the sinner and receives him or her back into fellowship or ‘retains the sin’ and closes the door on the sinner. The gospel story of the raising of Lazarus has some application here (John11:1-44). Jesus brought Lazarus back to life, but it was the community that was given the job of unbinding him. You may want to reflect on the life of the community in which you live. Is it a forgiving, reconciling community which will receive back the individual who has missed the mark? How could your community be more forgiving? More loving? More an instrument of reconciliation? Bob Libby

Determined Digging: Level One: Jeremiah 29:11; Level Two: Psalm 127

Determined Praying: It is the office of faith to believe what we do not see, and it shall be the reward of faith to see what we do believe. — Thomas Adams

Sing, Smile and Pray

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SING, SMILE AND PRAY

“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

Brendy Platt has struggled with cerebral palsy all her life. She recently lost her Mom to cancer, and is now battling cancer herself. Yet through all the challenges of life, “the joy of the Lord is her strength!” Sometimes we need to gain perspective. What are you battling in your life today? SING! SMILE! PRAY! — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK and happy to have Brendy as my friend!

Digging Deeper: Proverbs 27; Psalm 120-122; 1 Corinthians 9

Dig This Quote: “The grace of God is love freely shown towards guilty sinners, contrary to their merit and indeed in defiance of their demerit. It is God showing goodness to persons who deserve only severity, and had no reason to expect anything but severity. We have seen why the thought of grace means so little to some church people—namely, because they do not share the beliefs about God and man which it presupposes. Now we have to ask: why should this thought mean so much to others? The answer is not far to seek; indeed, it is evident from what has already been said. It is surely clear that, once a man is convinced that his state and need are as described, the New Testament gospel of grace cannot but sweep him off his feet with wonder and joy. For it tells how our Judge has become our Saviour.” J.I. Packer “Knowing God”

Determined Digging: Level One: Jeremiah 29:11; Level Two: Psalm 127

Determined Praying: What is faith, unless it is to believe what you do not see? — Augustine

Scripture Reading: Psalms 120-122; 1 Corinthians 9

Money = Super Glue for the Church

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Money = super glue for the Church

We have been talking about how God uses money in the Christian’s life. He uses it to demonstrate His faithfulness, show us how much we need Him and to bring us to Himself. But yet there is a very unique way that I believe God uses money in the local church.

Last week I was at Keswick and I was talking to an individual who was unemployed for a few months. I asked him how he survived financially and he said his wife worked, he had some savings and his church also helped. I thought that was nice for his church to help him.

I then remembered a single mom in our church that I recently talked to about the daunting task of raising two children in a society that desperately needs two parents. She mentioned how the church helped her financially.

I recalled a testimony from a family that lost everything in a fire and the mother was praising God for believers that had responded to their tragedy with clothing, meals and even a place to stay until their lives could be rebuilt. And then it hit me that God uses money to unite the local body of Christ.

In 2 Corinthians 8:13-15 Paul challenged the church at Corinth to share their excess with fellow believers that were in need. Many churches today have benevolence offerings or deacon’s funds for this express purpose. We need to be willing to help each other in a time of need.

Remember the early church? Do you remember the unity of the early church? If not, read the first few chapters in Acts and especially Acts 2:44-47 and Acts 4:34-35. A key ingredient to that early church unity was sharing resources with each other.

I personally believe that we as the church today have lost the vision cast by the early church for the need and responsibility of helping one another. As a result of the church not fulfilling this responsibility, the government has had to step in with welfare and other godless redistribution programs.
The result of the church not fulfilling this responsibility is a society becoming more dependent on the government and less dependent on the church. We also see a lack of unity in our churches today that was described in Acts. This unity came from sharing with each other. The next time we get upset with the government for the excessive and mismanaged welfare programs, remember whose responsibility this was under God’s original plan.

In looking at our responsibility to help our fellow believer we see some pretty strong language in scriptures:

In 1 John 3:17 John asks a very direct question “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has not pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” (NIV)

1 Timothy 5:8 says “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” Although I believe this indicates a first responsibility to our blood family, I believe this also includes a responsibility to help our church family as well. If we neglect that responsibility, we are no better than the lost world.

Even though we (Body of Christ) have not helped each other the way the early church modeled, we still have a huge responsibility to help one another financially. God may be blessing us today to meet a brother or sisters need. What a responsibility we have, when God bestows that blessing upon us. And how often do we misuse that blessing in a way that was not what God intended?

Yes, I believe that money is a vital tool used by God to unify the Body of Christ. This is one more way that God uses money in the Christian’s life. — George Hutchison is a member of the Keswick Board and an instructor with Crown Financial. You can follow his blog, Stewardship Insights.

Digging Deeper: Proverbs 26; Psalm 119:89-176; 1 Corinthians 8

Dig This Quote: In memory of John Geddie, D.D., born in Scotland, 1815, minister in Prince Edward Island seven years, Missionary sent from Nova Scotia to Aneiteum for twenty-four years. When he landed in 1848, there were no Christians here, and when he left in 1872 there were no heathen. John Geddie

Determined Digging: Level One: Jeremiah 29:11; Level Two: Psalm 127

Determined Praying: Because God is a loving God, he can hear; because He is a loving God, He will hear; because he is our covenant God, He has bound Himself to hear. — C. H. Spurgeon

Victory One Step at A Time

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VICTORY One Step at a Time

And the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you little by little; you will be unable to destroy them at once, lest the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. Deuteronomy 7:22

Next week is our last week of our 2010 summer season. We will conclude the summer with our EXPERIENCING GOD week which begins Sunday evening. A number of our staff and local pastors will be doing the teaching, and we will be going through Dr. Henry Blackaby’s EXPERIENCING GOD. We have a limited number of rooms left, so why not call and make your reservation today — 800-453-7942.

Today’s victory devotional was written by Dr. Blackaby in his book EXPERIENCING GOD — THE DEVOTIONAL (Broadman/Holman):

When God led His people into the Promised Land, He did so step by step. If He had allowed them to annihilate their enemies at once, the land would have been too difficult to manage. So He allowed some of the enemies to remain for a long time in order to maintain the land and suppress the wildlife. In doing so, God taught His people to trust Him step by step. He gave them as much responsibility as they could handle at one time.

As God leads you and me in our Christian growth, He will allows challenges that match your character and relationship to Him. God will not change your character at once when you become a Christian. Rather, He will lead you through a process to become more like His Son.He will keep working in an area of your life until it is controlled by the Holy Spirit.

You may eagerly desire maturity in every area of your character, but steady, gradual growth is more lasting. God will not take shortcuts in His process of making you like Christ. He sees your life from eternity and will take as long as necessary to produce lasting spiritual growth in you.

Do not become impatient while God is producing Christ-likeness in you. Do not seek more responsibilities than those He has give you. Obey all that you know He has asked, and He will lead you at a pace that fits your present character and His purpose for you.

Brothers, I am thankful that God is leading and guiding you and me. What He is offering is victory one step at a time. Praise Him for the way you are experiencing HIM today. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

Digging Deeper: Proverbs 25; Psalm 119:1-88; 1 Corinthians 7:20-40

Dig This Quote: One of the most wonderful things about knowing God is that there’s always so much more to know, so much more to discover. Just when we least expect it, He intrudes into our neat and tidy notions about who He is and how He works. Joni Eareckson Tada

Determined Digging: Level One: Jeremiah 29:11; Level Two: Psalm 127

Determined Praying: Faith is the foundation of prayer, and prayer should be nothing else but faith exercised. — Thomas Manton

Seeing the Unseen Face of God

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SEEING THE UNSEEN FACE OF GOD

This morning’s devotional is written by my good friend, Dr. Woodrow Kroll. Dr. Kroll will be with us Labor Day weekend. We still have some rooms available, so why not join us for this final weekend of our 2010 summer season.

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

In an article in the Evangelical Beacon, Robert Bakke wrote, “God’s presence must abide so heavily in our churches that they are distinctive from every other competitor in the religious supermarket. God’s presence must dwell so powerfully in our churches that even people who don’t believe in words any more are overcome by the living Word. God’s presence must rest so tangibly on our churches that the refugees from the postmodern battlefield will sense Him even when they don’t have a category to understand Him.”

When you attend church today, do you feel the swell of God’s presence? Or is it just another hymnsing, just another performance, entertainment like the world but with a spiritual twist? How do we see the face of God when we attend church?

No one could ever see the face of God directly and live. When Moses asked God for a glimpse of His face, Jehovah replied, “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live” (Exodus 33:20). To protect mere humanity God always clouded His face with smoke, the cloud, the pillar of fire, etc. When Israel refused to enter the Promised Land, God wanted to disinherit them, but Moses reminded God that other nations “have already heard that you, O Lord, are with these people and that you, O Lord, have been seen face and face, that your cloud stays over them” (Numbers 14:14).

Still, God has made it possible for us to see Him personally, to know Him intimately. “. . . the Word was God . . . The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. And we have seen his glory . . .” (John 1:1, 14).

So how do we see the unseen face of God? We look into the face of God the Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). If you look by faith into the face of Jesus, you see by faith the face of God. You can know God more intimately, love Him more personally, and serve Him more faithfully if everyday you look at Him more closely. Find the face of Jesus in the pages of the Bible and you see the unseen face of God.
Dr. Woodrow Kroll is the President of Back to the Bible

Digging Deeper: Proverbs 24; Psalm 116-118; 1 Corinthians 7:1-19

Dig This Quote: When the author walks onto the stage, the play is over. God is going to invade, all right; but what is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else comes crashing in? This time it will be God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late then to choose your side. That will not be the time for choosing; It will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realized it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. C. S. Lewis

Determined Digging: Level One: Jeremiah 29:11; Level Two: Psalm 127

Determined Praying: To pray effectively we must want what God wants — that and that only is to pray in the will of God. A. W. Tozer

Coffee Without Kevin

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Coffee Without Kevin

“My son, do not lose sight of these— keep sound wisdom and discretion, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble.” Prov 3:21-23 (ESV)

I have been listening to a sermon series by Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills compliments of a 10 CD set I purchased at Bridgefest recently. It is called “Staying Fit for the Master’s Use” and I have gone back to review the first disc that deals with Samson’s parent’s reaction after they learn that they will be having a son who will be the last judge of Israel. I believe that God has spoken to me about studying the life of Samson and at a later time I will be sharing what I have gotten out of my study. Thus far I can tell you all that there may be a little Samson in all of us but I’ll leave that for another Freedom Fighter. But today my thoughts are elsewhere.

And as I was listening to Pastor Hibbs preach about the son of Manoah, I got to thinking about my own son. At the time of this writing my son, Kevin, has been serving on summer staff in the dining room at Keswick. And to be upfront with all of you…I miss my son. Now it’s not that he made this rebellious decision to up and leave the nest like his father did at age 17, on the contrary. He made a thoughtful life choice that has left quite an impression on my wife and I. My decision to leave home started with an enlistment into the N.J.A.N.G and a half a year later I was gone. I made a much hastened decision to get away from my parents authority. But not Kevin…he positively thought things all the way through.

Since he has gone things at home are different. I miss my Saturday morning drive around town with him. We make it a point to get a Starbucks coffee and then go do some man shopping. We both like The Home Depot and Best Buy. Sometimes we buy absolutely nothing and we can be gone for hours. He is also my assistant when our church sound system and computer network needs servicing. With him not being around a part of my heart is not into taking care of some of these responsibilities and I am blaming the summertime blues on it. But I ain’t fooling anyone into thinking this is the real reason.

I also got to thinking about our good friends in Terre Hill, Pa. Matt and Sue will be watching as their son goes into the Marines (OORAH!!) after high school next year. Their son, from what I can see, made his decision sometime ago and is following through on what he thinks will be a positive move. And as these thoughts of sons went through my head I turned off the CD I was listening to and began to wonder what the Father was thinking when He sent the Son to be crucified on the cross. An act of surrender, a process thought all the way through, that not one of us as parents could ever fathom.

I have been reading through the beginning part of Proverbs these days because it is this father’s desire that his son understand that the key to growing strong starts with his relationship with our Heavenly Father and His Son. I can only give the kind of wisdom that a drop-out of the school of “I don’t need you, I can do this myself” can give. But since Jesus Christ picked me and set my feet on the Rock, it is quite evident to me the importance of my own son understanding now what took me over 40 years to realize… That his trust needs to be in the Lord, not to lean on his understanding, acknowledge Him and to let Him direct his paths. And for you fathers reading this morning let’s not forget this applies just as easy for our daughters. — Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a frequent contributor to Freedom Fighter

Digging Deeper: Proverbs 23; Psalm 113-115; 1 Corinthians 6

Dig This Quote: “This mission of introducing one’s children to the Christian faith can be likened to a three-man relay race. First, your father runs his lap around the track, carrying a baton, which represents the Gospel of Jesus Christ. At the appropriate moment, he hands the baton to you, and you begin your journey around the track. Then finally the time will come when you must get the baton safely into the hands of your child. But as any track coach will testify, relay races are won or lost in the transfer of the baton. There is a critical moment when all can be lost by a fumble or miscalculation. The baton is rarely dropped on the back side of the track when the runner has it firmly in his grasp. If failure is to occur, it will likely happen in the exchange between generations!” Dr. James C. Dobson

Determined Digging: Level One: Jeremiah 29:11; Level Two: Psalm 127

Determined Praying: The test of our willingness to pray “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done” is found in the level of our obedience to His Word. It should be our desire in prayer to see the King and His kingdom, praying toward that day when He comes as King of kings and Lord of lords. — Michael Catt

A Sunday Worship Prayer

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A Sunday Worship Prayer
Here is a great prayer for Sunday worship from the collection of Puritan Prayers — THE VALLEY OF VISION (Banner and Truth). I trust it will start your Sunday on the right track:
Our Great God
O Fountain of All Good,
Destroy in me every lofty thought,
Break pride to pieces and scatter it to the winds,
Annihilate each clinging shred of self-righteousness,
Implant in my true lowliness of spirit,
Abase me in self-loathing and self-abhorrence,
Open in me a fount of penitential tears,
Break me and bind me up;
Thus will my heart be a prepared dwelling for my God;
Then can my Father take up His abode in me,
Then can the blessed Jesus come with healing in His touch,
Then can the Holy Spirit descend in sanctifying grace;
O Holy Trinity, three persons and one God,
inhabit me, a temple consecrated to Your glory.
When You are present, evil cannot abide;
In Your fellowship is fullness of joy,
Beneath Your smile is peace of conscience,
By Your side no fears disturb,
no apprehensions banish rest of mind,
With You my heart shall bloom with fragrance;
Make me meet, through repentance, for Your indwelling.
NOTHING exceeds YOUR power,
NOTHING is too great for YOU to do,
NOTHING is too good for YOU to give,
Infinite is YOUR might, boundless YOUR love, limitless YOUR grace, glorious YOUR saving name.
Let angels sing for:
Sinners repenting,
Prodigals restored,
Backsliders reclaimed,
Satan’s captives released,
Blind eyes opened,
Broken hearts bound up,
The despondent cheered,
The self-righteous stripped,
The formalist driven from a refuge of lies,
The ignorant enlightened,
And saints built up in their holy faith.
I ask great things of a great God!
Amen! God bless you, my brothers. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK
Dig This Quote: We have made a terrible mistake! For most of this century we have wrongly defined soul wounds as psychological disorders and delegated their treatment to trained specialists. Damaged psyches aren’t the problem. The problem is disconnected souls. What we need is connection. What we need is ahealing community. Larry Crabb
Determined Digging: Level One: Jeremiah 29:11; Level Two: Psalm 127
Determined Praying: Without prayer we start trusting in our own ability and resourcefulness, and as we begin to trust in human skills and organising expertise, we lose the glory of God. — Terry Virgo

Let God’s WORD Live in You

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Let God’s WORD Live in You

This summer our theme as been DIGGING DEEPER into GOD’S WORD. I trust that if you made a commitment to read through God’s WORD this year, you are still on the journey. If you stopped, pick it back up. If you read the Digging Deeper passages listed in this blog, you will get back on track.

I have been reading through Stormie Omartian’s newest book on prayer (The Power of a Praying Life — Finding the Freedom, Wholeness and True Success God has for You — published by Harvest House). It is a great read.

In the chapter I read today, Stormie reminded me off reasons why I need to let God’s Word live in me:

To have my prayers heard: “One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.” Proverbs 28:9

To have my prayers answered: “If you abide in Me, and My word abides in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” John 15:7

To stay away from trouble: “When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more, but the righteous has an everlasting foundation.” Proverbs 10:25

To be healed and delivered: “He sent His Word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction’s.” Psalm 107:20

To be on a path that leads away from death: “In the way of righteousness is life, and it is pathway there is no death.” Proverbs 12:28

To receive all God has for me: “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give you grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11

To have peace: “Great peace have those who love Your Law, and nothing causes them to stumble.” Psalm 119:165

To prosper and be successful: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Joshua 1:8

To have food for my soul: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4

To experience God’s Presence: “Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart.” Psalm 15:1-2

Good reminders, brothers, as to why we should be immersing ourselves in the Word of God on a DAILY basis. If you have gotten off track, get back on today. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

Digging Deeper: Proverbs 21; Psalm 107-109; 1 Corinthians 4

Dig This Quote: Mould us, great God, into forms of beauty and usefulness by the wheel of Providence and by the touch of Thy hand. Fulfil Thine ideal, and conform us to the image of Thy Son. In Thy great house may we stand as vessels meet for Thy use. We are little better than common earthenware, but may we be cleansed, and purified, and filled with Thy heavenly treasure. Dip us deep into the River of Life, and give refreshment by us to many parched and weary hearts. Frederick Brotherton ( F. B. ) Meyer

Determined Digging: Level 1: Isaiah 55:8-9; Level 2: Psalm 103: 20-22

Determined Praying: Most churches don’t know that God rules the world by the prayers of His saints. — Andrew Murray

Clothed With Power

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CLOTHED WITH POWER – John Piper

I came across this article in the latest edition of the PRAY magazine, a ministry of Life Action. It is a very powerful article and one that I know will speak to your heart today …

God gives special, extraordinary power of the extraordinary challenges of an expanding witness to Christ. This power fell on the Christians at Pentecost and then repeatedly throughout the book of Acts. And not only the book of Acts; the letters of Paul talk of this same power available to Christians (Eph. 3:16). It is the very fullness of God, as unimaginable as that sounds.

When God sovereingly pours that kind of power out on a church, we call it revival. And God’s purpose in revival is that our witness to Christ will have more conviction, more courage, more wisdom, and more effect, so that God is greatly glorified and people are reached.

Four ways to see this power:

1. Immerse yourself in the Word of God. It is almost certain that you will not be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit if you are not filled with the Word of God (1 John 2:14: Heb. 4:12; Jer. 23:29). If you want the power of the Holy Spirit in your life – if you are tired of being a weak replica of ordinary non-Christians – then change your routine and immerse yourself in the Bible. Read it, think about it, memorize it, use it.

2. Believe the Word of God. Trust that God intends to do wonderful things for his glory through you, because that is what the Bible teaches. Be expectant that the Holy Spirit within you will give you power according to God’s Word. In Romans 15:13, Paul says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (emphasis added). In other words, the power of the Spirit is the result of the believing, and it begets joy and peace.

3. Pray earnestly for power, and fast. We should ask God for the power of his Spirit. And sometimes we should do this with fasting. Luke 4:14 says that Jesus came from his 40-day fast full of the Holy Spirit. It may be that God reserves his extraordinary power for those who long for it in extraordinary ways – and show that longing by extended fasting and prayer.

4. Obey the Holy Spirit. Obey the Holy Spirit even before you feel his power. Many of us have resisted the Holy Spirit so often that we are unfit for the flow of his power. The channels have become so clogged with fear and self-consciousness and doubt and rationalization and worldly preoccupation that what we allow through is a barely discernible trickle of God’s love.

As we begin to immerse ourselves in God’s Word, battle the unbelief in our hearts, pray and fast for power, and do what we know what we ought to do, little by little the old, clogged channels are cleared, and we begin to feel the power flow again.
(Adapted from “How to Be Clothed with Power” by John Piper. Find it at DesireGod.org.)

I don’t know about you, but I am thankful today that I am clothed in HIS power. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

Digging Deeper: Proverbs 20; Psalm 105-106; 1 Corinthians 3

Dig This Quote: In Proverbs we read: “He that winneth souls is wise.” If any man, women, or child by a godly life and example can win one soul to God, his life will not have been a failure. He will have outshone all the mighty men of his day, because he will have set a stream in motion that will flow on and on forever and ever. Dwight L Moody

Determined Digging: Level 1: Isaiah 55:8-9; Level 2: Psalm 103: 20-22

Determined Praying: “Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons, but they are helpless against our prayers.” Sidlow Baxter


ANGUISH

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ANGUISH

One of my staff members gave me the recent issue of Life Action Ministries PRAY magazine. Dr. David Wilkerson wrote a powerful word on the subject of ANGUISH

Whatever happened to anguish in the house of God? Whatever happened to anguish in the ministry? It’s a word you don’t hear in this pampered age.

Anguish means “extreme pain and distress; the emotions so stirred that it becomes painful; acute, deeply felt inner pain because of conditions about you, in you, or around you.” Anguish. Deep pain. Deep sorrow. Agony of God’s heart.

All true passion is born out of anguish. Search the Scriptures, and you’ll find that when God determined to recover a ruined situation, He would share His own anguish for what He saw happening to His church and to His people. He would find a praying man, and He would literally baptize that man in anguish.

All the devil wants to do is to get the fight out of you and kill it, so you won’t labor in prayer anymore.

You won’t weep before God anymore. You see, a true prayer life begins at the place of anguish.

If you set your heart to pray, God is going to come and start sharing His heart with you. Your heart begins to cry out, “Oh God, Your name is being blasphemed. The Holy Spirit is being mocked. The enemy is trying to destroy the testimony of the Lord’s faithfulness, and something has to be done!”

There will be no renewal, no revival, no awakening until we are willing to let Him once again break us.

Folks, it’s getting late, and it’s getting serious. There are some who need to confess: “I am not what I was. I am not where I am supposed to be. God, I don’t have Your heart or Your burden. I’ve wanted it easy. I just wanted to be happy. But, Lord, true joy comes out of anguish.”

There is nothing of the flesh that will give you joy. I don’t care how much money, I don’t care what kind of new house … there is absolutely nothing physical that can give you joy. True joy comes only through what is accomplished by the Holy Spirit when you obey Him and take on His heart.

(Adapted from “Anguish” by David Wilkerson – printed in Revive magazine, a quarterly publication of Life Action Ministries)

Take some time to prayerfully think through this power word from the WORD. — Bill Welte at America’s KESWICK

Digging Deeper: Proverbs 19; Psalm 103-104; 1 Corinthians 2

Dig This Quote: “God’s blessings at times came to us through our labors and at times without our labors, but never because of our labors.” Martin Luther on Deut 8: 17-18

Determined Digging: Level 1: Isaiah 55:8-9; Level 2: Psalm 103: 20-22

Determined Praying: “If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the day. I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer. Martin Luther