Let’s See Now, What Shall We Do Today?

Leave a comment

LET’S SEE NOW, WHAT SHALL I DO TODAY?

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
(Psalm 90:12)

Years ago, at a men’s prayer breakfast, a good friend asked us all a question. He said, “What if today was going to be your last? And what if somehow God let you know that? So you were sitting here today in the knowledge that this day is your last day. What do you think you would do today?”

Good question, huh? Well, here’s my own answer anyway. Because my trust is in Jesus, I know that I will be welcomed into heaven. At this point it’s a little too late to think about what kind of treasure I can lay up there. So I think I would do all I could for what’s still down here. I would try to recall the different people through life that I have offended. Harsh words. Hurt feelings. Relationships that went sour. I would do all I could to put it right. At the very least, they would know that I was sorry.

Now for the fun part. I would think of those people who have meant the most to me. People who believed in me when no one else did. People who brought me closer to God. People who showed me what love is. I would let them know how much it all meant. I would tell them in words that they were the greatest people in my life, and I would thank them. I would ask them to never change. With these things done I would now spend the rest of the day with my family. Talking with my wife. Laughing with my daughter. Wrestling with my son. I would want their last day with me to be one that they would never forget. I would tell them over and over of my love. I would speak into their future. Releasing them to a joy-filled life, and ensuring them each of the glories that await us. I would make them promise me that they will always follow Jesus.

I don’t know what you have planned for today. I know that most of us have more to do than we have time. We need a heart of wisdom though. Remember that today is numbered. Remember what it’s all about. — Chris Thompson is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and serves with his wife, Pam, as a church planter in England

God’s WORD for TODAY: Proverbs 1; Job 20-21; Acts 10:24-28

Great Quote: Prodigal sons, forgiven and reconciled with their heavenly Father, could they do other than forgive one another? A fellowship of prodigal sons came into being — the church of Christ. Love begets love. A new power…was let loose upon our suffering world, the power to love those who have not deserved love, the unworthy, the unlovely and unlovable, a man’s enemies, and even his torturers. Christians, in imitation of the Saviour, became, as it were, Christs to one another and to the world. Theodore O. Wedel

Getting UP When You’re Down

Leave a comment

“GETTING UP WHEN YOU’RE DOWN”

Are you down today? Feeling a little blue? Or maybe even depressed? Most of us become unhappy and depressed at times in our care less workaday world. In the depth of our depression we complain, are restless and irritable, tired and can’t sleep. Happiness (joy) is not something we are born with, although we are born with the capacity to be happy. Our problem is we believe that only other folks can achieve happiness. We’re different, we have been given different, if not strange, DNA.

Happiness is a practiced thing, an attitude more than specifics of a situation. In addition, it is more of a spiritual problem than a psychological one (Romans 9:20-21).

There are four essential steps to bring relief from being unhappy or
depressed or “How to Get Up When Your Down.”

ESSENTIAL NO. 1 – Accept God’s Pardon. To begin the journey out of the darkness of depression or unhappiness, we must ask and receive God’s pardon for our sin, including the not accepting God’s plan and purpose your life.

ESSENTIAL NO. 2 – Acknowledge God’s Providence. When God created you he had a purpose for your life and He has your eternal good in mind. Yet, many times, we are still dissatisfied with appearance, temperament, abilities and circumstances. This complaining is really rebellion against God!

ESSENTIAL NO. 3 – Admit God’s Prerogative. God has an absolute and perfect right to do with you as He pleases (Romans 9:21). Rather than bemoan our lot in life we need to rejoice in God’s wisdom and power.

ESSENTIAL NO. 4 – Appropriate God’s Provision. Salvation, The Holy
Spirit, Righteousness, Church Bible and Prayer for Contentment.

THOT: WHEN DOWN, LOOK UP! — Dr. Henry Lutz is a retired pastor and a new contributor to Freedom Fighter

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 30; Job 17-19; Acts 10:1-23

Great Quote: The only right a Christian has is the right to give up his rights.Oswald Chambers

Seventh Inning Stretch

Leave a comment

Seventh Inning Stretch

“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”(this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6: 1-4 (ESV)

Sometimes there are just too many days that are dedicated to the honoring or acknowledging of an event or a person and at times I think it is just a scam in order to sell cards, candy and flowers. Now Mothers Day is a given and should not even be questioned but Father’s Day is a bit different. It is looked at as a great excuse for Dad to eat BBQ or receive a new tool (sorry guy’s if you are getting ties) but for me this year it will be the first one I have without my father.

Dad was an easy buy. If you went to Phillies game, get him a hat. If you went near a Home Depot, get him a tool. If you had gone fishing…well you get the idea. My Dad was real cool about Fathers Day. Even if you just called him, he was fine with it. I don’t know how I’ll feel this Father’s Day without him but I’m sure I’ll manage. I’m a Dad now and my children have done with their short lives abundantly more than I could have ever hoped for. Just in that is Father’s Day gift enough. But there is a bit more.

My son just graduated from 8th grade with honors. My daughter played in the band during the ceremony. What a blessing!! And because of an unforeseen health problem, the dugout coach with my son’s baseball has had to take some time to recover and I have been asked to join the team. Now I have been sitting on the other side of the chain link for a part of the season but since that moment the team was won themselves a place in the playoffs. The head coach say’s I must be good luck but I know better. I think it is because Jesus is in the dugout and prayer is happening when these young men step up to the plate.

You see, to me Mother’s and Father’s Day is something to be viewed Biblically. We are told to honor our parent’s straight from the tablets God forged for Moses to take the nation of Israel. I tell my children that all they have to do is do it for God first and I’ll be honored for it, that I am taking care of God’s provision in my life. Then it is up to me to keep the encouragement up. I have to do that by living out the words of encouragement that I say to them. If I tell them to PRAY FIRST before you do first…they better see me do it. If I tell them not to be ashamed of the Gospel I better pray for the meal when we go out to eat, even if it is McDonalds. And if necessary wear my Americas Keswick T-shirt’s in public and not just on the grounds when I am spending time there.

Our children need to see us, as men, honoring our Heavenly Father. They need to hear us cry out “ABBA” when we are at our weakest so they know what to do when they are at their weakest. And if you can say it like you mean it, raise your voice and shout “SANTO” when you have been blessed. In all things show your children that “Our Father who art in Heaven” matters in your everyday coming and going.

Just as a side note….my daughter helped select the verse I have used for this Freedom Fighter as well as edited me for grammar and punctuation. She is not only Daddy’s only little girl she’s a chip off the ole’ block. We both send our regards to all the Freedom Fighter Brethren. — Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and regular contributor to Freedom Fighter

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 29: Job 14-16; Acts 9:22-43

A Great Quote: “Communication not only disciplines, it also disciples. It shepherds your children your children in the ways of God. Like the teaching of Deuteronomy 6, this full-orbed communications occurs while lying down, walking, rising, walking, sitting. Parents are often too busy to talk unless something is wrong. A regular habit of talking together prepares the way for talking in strained situations. You will never have the hearts of your children if you talk with them only when something has gone wrong.”
Shepherding a Child’s Heart
Tedd Tripp

Learning from our Failures

Leave a comment

June 28

LEARNING FROM OUR FAILURES

“I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know me.” (Luke 22:34)

History is replete with illustrations of failure that led to success. Take notable figures like Thomas Edison or Abraham Lincoln. These great men experienced failure after failure before success came their way. For them failure was not a waste. It became their most valuable teacher.
A reporter once asked Thomas Edison about one of his inventions. Edison informed him that he had performed over one thousand experiments before he finally found what worked. The reporter was amazed that anyone would have the patience to keep on trying after one thousand failures. However, Edison reminded the reporter that nothing was wasted. He said, “I discovered one thousand things that did not work.”

What have you learned from your failures? Or should I ask, are you learning from your failures? Failure should never be final. We should learn from our failures and move forward.

What do you think Simon Peter learned from his failures? Let me suggest some things he may have learned.

I think Simon Peter may have learned humility. He had a tendency to overly confident. He would brag about his abilities and his commitment. It was failure that taught him that his confidence had to be in God and not in himself.

I once heard of a young preacher who went to the pulpit with an air of arrogance. In the pulpit he flopped and floundered. He left the pulpit broken and embarrassed. His pastor said to him, “If you had gone in as you came out, you would have come out as you went in.”

Failure can introduce us to ourselves. And this can be a good thing.

Simon Peter was probably more sympathetic with others after he had experienced failure. Failure can make us less judgmental of others and more sympathetic.

One of the greatest discoveries we can make in time of failure is that God’s grace is sufficient to pick us up and clean us up and put us on the path again. Did you know that you are never beyond the reach of God’s grace. He specializes in turning failure into success.

What have you learned from your mistakes? — Dr. Roger D. Willmore is Senior Pastor at Deerfoot Baptist Church and will be a speaker this summer at America’s KESWICK. Check our website for details: www.americaskeswick.org

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 28; Job 11-13; Acts 9:1-21

Great Quote: A want of assurance is not unbelief. Drooping spirits may be believers. There is a manifest distinction made between faith in Christ and the comfort of that faith, between believing to eternal life and knowing we have eternal life. There is a difference between a child’s having a right to an estate and his full knowledge of the title. Stephen Charnock

What A Mighty God We Serve

Leave a comment

What a Mighty God We Serve

We’ve been blogging about the first reality of experiencing God: GOD IS ALWAYS AT WORK AROUND US, and it is fitting that I share these verses with you:

Come, let us shout JOYFULLY to the Lord,
Shout triumphantly to the ROCK of our salvation!
Let us enter HIS gates with thanksgiving;
Let us shout triumphantly to Him in song.
For the Lord is a great God,
a great King ABOVE all gods.
The depths of the earth are in HIS hands,
and the mountain peaks are HIS.
The sea is HIS; He made it.
His hands formed the dry land!

Come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the sheep of His pasture,
the sheep under His care. (Psalm 95:1-7)

I am writing to you from Seward, Alaska. 16 of our Keswick friends have joined us on a 12-day tour of Alaska. We have witnessed some of the most amazing views of God’s creative hand! I have seen mountains that just take our breath away.

We have seen two grizzly bears (from a distance), doll sheep, a snow-hare rabbit, several moose, and most of all, we were eye-witnesses to Mount McKinley, the highest mountain in North America.

What has been amazing is that God literally peeled back the clouds for us to see Mt. McKinley for several hours. Only 30% of Alaska’s visitors have seen the mountain because of cloud covering.

On Tuesday we were in Denali National Park and had a 365 degree panoramic view of some amazing mountains. I said to a couple traveling with us, “I would love to just stand here and sing, HOW GREAT THOU ART! Guess what? We did.

Our great God is the God of creation. He is still creating! He is creating all of this for HIS glory and our enjoyment. I wish I could share all my pictures with you. If you have FACEBOOK, invite me to be your friend so you can enjoy them.

Thank You, Lord, for giving us this amazing glimpse of your glory! — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 27; Job 8-10; Acts 8:26-40

Great Quote: You can only learn what obedience is by obeying. Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Knowing God

Leave a comment

Sorry that there was no Freedom Fighter yesterday. We were in Denali, Alaska and there was no internet connection! 😦

KNOWING GOD

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10)

Have you ever thought about how we know God? We can’t see Him. Most of us have never heard Him speak in an audible voice, and we’ve not touched Him. So, how do we know Him?

Surely we can know God through the Scriptures. Is that kind of knowledge sufficient to satisfy us or God. Should not our knowing be more intimate than just words on paper–even when God Himself inspires the words? We can also know God through His creation. The majesty of that creation tells us of His power and majesty. Still, I wonder if that’s enough.

Perhaps another question will help. How did God tell us to know Him? One verse of Scripture has captured my attention. It has pushed me to rethink how I know God. Psalm 46:10 says to us “Be still, and know that I am God. . . .” The next verse reminds us that “The Lord of Hosts is with us” (emphasis added). Busyness won’t help us know God. Taking on more responsibility won’t help us know God. All of the busyness and clutter of our lives may keep us from knowing God. God didn’t tell us to know Him by filling our lives with activity.

The Scriptures remind us that Jesus regularly got away from people. He chose to be alone with His Father. Almost immediately after becoming a Christian, Paul went to the Arabian Desert. For three years he was alone and still with God. (Galatians 1:13, 15-17) God reminded the prophet that he would not hear God’s voice in loud and noticeable ways. His voice most often comes in still and small ways.

Most of us want to know God. Most of us won’t because we’re too busy. We have too much noise and clutter around us. All of us have aspirations . . . dreams . . . goals. To know Him as He is knowable will require ruthless effort on our part. We must make room for quiet solitude that will allow us to “Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at Me, your High God. . . .” (Psalm 46:10 in The Message) — Rev. John D. Strain is Senior Pastor of First Baptist of Toms River and a frequent Freedom Fighter contributor

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 26; Job 5-7; Acts 8:1-25

Great Quote: How many Christians are there who pray every Sunday in church, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done!” without ever realizing the spiritual implications of such intercession! What are we praying for? Should we edit that prayer so that it becomes a confrontation: “My kingdom go, Lord; let Thy kingdom come!” Certainly His kingdom can never be realized in my life until my own selfish kingdom is deposed. It is when I resign, when I am no longer king of my domain that Jesus Christ will become king of my life. A. W. Tozer

Experiencing God in Worship — Kissing the Face of God

Leave a comment

KISSING THE FACE OF GOD

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship
the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.”
(Jn. 4:23)

There is much of what we call worship in the church today. Hymns and choruses either traditional or contemporary are what many people equate with the concept of worship. Some even equate an emotional experience in church as “worship.” Jesus, in conversing with the Samaritan woman, clues her into what God is looking for and defining as worship. Music, singing, and experience do not constitute worship. The Father looks for those who worship in spirit and truth.

In studying the word Jesus uses that translates into English as worship (proskuneo), it literally means “toward someone to kiss” (pros = to, toward; kuneo = to kiss). It is interesting to see how God the Father and Son view true worship. In other words, God seeks out those who truly seek to kiss Him. Like a child who would climb upon the lap of their father and kiss his cheek out of a pure heart and desire to be with him. It doesn’t matter to that father where it takes place; just the joy of it taking place brings delight to him. The idea of worship to God relates closely to that of intimate time with an intimate, personal God.

When my wife and I celebrate our anniversary, we go out to a romantic, candlelight dinner with the sound of romantic music in the background to set an atmosphere where we can intimately reminisce over our first date, our first kiss. The music is not what makes our time intimate, or the candles. It’s the communion of our hearts that makes our time special. So it is when we worship God — the music only creates an atmosphere where we can enjoy intimate fellowship. If I were ever unfaithful to my wife, she would know it intuitively, because the level of intimacy shared on my part would only be superficial. God also knows when we superficially worship Him. He describes to Isaiah of Israel, “these people come near to me with their mouths and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.” (Isaiah 29:13) Man has the propensity to go through the motions of worship with no heart to it. After all, Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss.

Our worship must be directed toward God, He must be the object of our worship. If we enter into worship only for what we can get from it, the direction is not toward God, but toward self, hence, unprofitable or unfulfilling. Wholehearted devotion toward God, attributing the worth He rightly deserves as God and growing deeper in knowledge of who He is as He has revealed Himself in Scripture is the kind of spirit and truth worshipper God seeks after. Kiss the face of God as you worship Him today. — Rev. Michael P. Woods, M.Div. served for over ten years as Director of Addiction Recovery Ministries at America’s KESWICK. He is now on the pastoral staff at Faith Baptist Church in Hamilton, NJ

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 24 Job 1-2; Acts 7:22-43

Great Quote: We are brought into God’s Kingdom by grace; we are sanctified by grace; we receive both temporal and spiritual blessings by grace; we are motivated to obedience by grace; we are called to serve and, finally, we are glorified by grace. The entire Christian life is lived under the reign of God’s grace. Jerry Bridges

God is Always at Work Around You (Part 4)

Leave a comment

God is Always At Work Around You (Part 4)

I love this story from Marilyn Heavilin that illustrates how God is always at work around us …

I stepped into the passenger section of the plane, and whispered a prayer to God. “Lord, You know it’s really early. I haven’t even had my coffee yet, so it sure would be nice if my seat mate wanted to sleep, too, and wasn’t very talkative.” I don’t think that prayer went past the ceiling of the plane. Before I sat down, the man in the seat next to mine started chatting. By the time the plane left the ground, I knew he was a Christian, lived in Riverside, California and attended Victoria Community Church. I commented, “I’m speaking at that church soon.”

“What group are you speaking to?” he asked
“The Grief group,” I answered.
“And what do you know about grief?” he asked.
I stated, “Three of my five children have died.”

As I said that, I noticed the tears rolling down his cheeks. So then I commented, “And you have lost a child.”

The man nodded “yes.” He told me that his son had died in a car crash many years before. He also shared that prior to his son’s death the man had been a minister, but had felt he must resign when his wife had an affair and his marriage ended. He returned to the town reluctantly when his son died, and a woman from the community approached him at the cemetery and said, “This is God’s punishment to you!” The man left the town vowing he wanted nothing to do with Christianity or Christians ever again.

He later married again and became financially successful until an employee betrayed the company and my seat mate faced the possibility of losing everything. One night as he lay in bed, he was concerned over the stress all of his problems were putting on his wife. He found himself praying for the first time in many years.

“Lord, how can I help my wife?”
The Lord made it clear, “What she needs is to know Jesus as her Savior.”
The man continued by saying, “That night I led my wife to Jesus. Then she wanted to go to church! She found a church she thought I would like. After much coercion, I went to church with her. The people were really nice. They helped us find good financial advice. We are not wealthy any longer, but we’re doing OK.”
Then he shared, “We’ve been doing OK, but recently I have felt out of touch with God. This morning I prayed, ‘Lord, would you please put some one in my way this week who could encourage me?’” He looked at me and exclaimed, “I think you’re it!”

I tried to protest, but he said, “When I got here today, because I fly so much, the ticket agent moved me up to First Class from 9A. See God moved me up so that I could talk with you!”

Then I said, “Do you want to know the rest of the story? Before I moved up to First Class, I was sitting in 9B!” — Marilyn Heavilin is a speaker, author, and serves with her husband, Glen, as a summer volunteer at America’s KESWICK

Pretty cool, huh?

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 23;

Great Quote: What the Church needs to-day is not more machinery or better, not new
organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Spirit
can use — men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Spirit does not
flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery,
but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men — men of prayer.Edward McKendree (E. M.) Bounds

Know … Reckon … Present

Leave a comment

KNOW . . . RECKON . . . PRESENT

“knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” (Romans 6:6)

Many of us know that it’s one thing to celebrate Easter each year, and entirely another thing to live in the power of that resurrection.

No single passage of scripture better defines living in the power of Jesus’ resurrection than Romans 6:1-23. The Apostle Paul defines the basics of this new life we have in Jesus. We can discover the power to live in “newness of life” by staying in this portion of scripture until God’s Spirit makes it real in our lives.

Paul first tells us that we need to know something. In Romans 6:6 he tells us that we need to know that we have been crucified with Christ. The truth of that death to sin does us no good unless we know it, and most of us still don’t know it as well as we should. I suggest staying right here in Romans 6 until you know this truth in your own experience.

Then we’re told that we should reckon what we know to be true in our lives. Romans 6:11 teaches us that we need to reckon death to the power of sin and new life in Christ to be true in our lives. That word, reckon, means to “act as if it’s true” or “consider it done.” Reckoning moves us from knowledge to application. Knowing isn’t enough; reckoning moves us closer to living in resurrection power.

Finally, Paul tells us in Romans 6:13 that we are to present ourselves to God. That word, present, means to yield ourselves to God. He wants us to understand that we choose to live in a new way because we have died to the old way.

Do you see the progression? We start with what we know. Then we reckon what we know to be true in our own lives. Then, we take what we know and have reckoned to be true in our own lives and present ourselves to God. We do so expecting Him to continue His work in us for the rest of our lives.

Know . . . Reckon . . . Present . . . that’s how we live out Easter every day of our lives. Those three words will make Easter come alive for you. — Rev. John D. Strain is the senior pastor of First Baptist Toms River, and has been a frequent Freedom Fighter contributor.

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 23; Job 3-4; Acts 7:44-60

Great Quote: We must remember that our experience of union with God, our feeling of His presence, is altogether accidental and secondary. It is only a side effect of His actual presence in our souls, and gives no sure indication of that presence in any case. For God Himself is above all apprehensions and ideas and sensations, however spiritual, that can ever be experienced by the spirit of man in this life.

God Is Always at Work Around You (Part 3)

Leave a comment

God is Always at Work Around You (Part 3)

“Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it.” (Isaiah 46:11 b)

For some of us, looking for go at work around us comes easier. For others, it may take some time for you to open your spiritual eyes to look for His work. I want to encourage you to be waiting, watching and expectant. He wants to reveal Himself to you in ways that you can’t even begin to imagine.

We heard an amazing testimony of God at work during Lindsay’s illness and homegoing. One of Laura’s friends from her MOPS group recently told Laura that they were new attenders at their church in New Hampshire. Because of the testimony of Lindsay’s life, and watching Laura, Jon and Tanner go through this trial, their friend Jodi, came to Christ. She told Laura that she wanted to make sure that she was going to heaven too!

Over the course of the year Jodie’s family came to Christ and several weeks ago, Jodi and her family were baptized.

Several weeks prior to that we had attended their church, and Jon’s Aunt asked to purchase my piano CD for a lady she had been witnessing to who was attending the church, and who was “searching.” Aunt Shirley was diligently praying for her salvation.

The day of Jodi’s baptism, Pastor Ken felt led to give an invitation. As he was praying, he asked for anyone who wanted to receive Christ to raise their hand. He scanned the congregation and didn’t see any hands, bowed his head to pray when all of a sudden, this friend of Aunt Shirley yelled out, “Hey, wait for me. I want to get saved!”

Now I don’t know about you — but that story gives me goose bumps! That sounded to me like an experience right out of the book of Acts!

God was at work in Jodie’s life and look at the transformation of an entire family! Aunt Shirley was asking God to work in her friend’s life — and she came to Christ. Lindsay had a small part in the whole process.

God is ALWAYS at work around you, brother (and sister!). Look for Him. Expectantly! He wants to demonstrate His power and glory. — Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s KESWICK

God’s WORD for YOU: Proverbs 22; Esther 6-8; Acts 6

Great Quote: “With freedom from danger, we can leave a crowded meeting of believers, an inspiring mountaintop experience, or a helpful fellowship with “righteous men made perfect” (Hebrews 12:23), in order to return to our modest and simple Emmaus, to the dreaded home of the Colossians, or even to the mission field of distant Macedonia. We can do so with the calm assurance that wherever God has placed us, and in every detail of our daily lives, He has ordained the land we are to possess to its very borders and has ordained the victory to be won!” — Northcote Deck (Streams in the Desert)