HOW TO ENJOY GOD’S PRESENCE

A victorious Christian is a worshipping Christian. A worshipping
Christian doesn’t just worship on Sunday mornings. A victorious
Christian worships throughout the day and knows how to enjoy the
presence of God. Here are four ways that you and I can enjoy God’s
presence:

1. The most holy and necessary practice in our spiritual life is
the presence of God. That means finding constant pleasure in His divine
company, speaking humbly and lovingly with Him in all seasons, at every
moment, without limiting the conversation in any way. This is especially
important in times of temptation, sorrow, separation from God, and even
in times of unfaithfulness and sin.

2. We must try to converse with God in little ways while we do our
work; not in memorized prayer, not trying to recite previously formed
thoughts. Rather, we should purely and simply reveal our hearts as the
words come to us.

3. We must do everything with great care, avoiding impetuous
actions, which are evidence of a disordered spirit. God wishes us to
work gently, calmly, and lovingly with Him, asking Him to accept our
work. By this continual attention to God, we will ‘resist the devil, he
will flee from you.’ (James 4:7)

4. Whatever we do, even in the reading of God’s Word or praying, we
should stop for a few minutes – as often as possible – to praise God
from the depths of our hearts, to enjoy Him there in secret. Since you
believe that God is always with you, no matter what you may be doing,
why shouldn’t you stop for a while to adore Him, to praise Him, to
petition Him, to offer Him your heart, and to thank Him?

Adapted from THE PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD – Brother Lawrence

Are living victoriously today in your worship? Stop today and
enjoy His presence.

Great quote: It is a fact of Christian experience that life is a
series of troughs and peaks. In his efforts to get permanent possession
of a soul, God relies on the troughs more than the peaks. And some of
his special favorites have gone through longer and deeper troughs than
anyone else. —
Peter Marshall

Join us this Thursday evening as we enjoy a time of great food
and fellowship and a challenge from God’s Word at our Men’s Fellowship
Night. Pastor Joe Olachea will be sharing God’s Word.
The evening begins at 6:15 PM in the Raws Dining Room. Call
today and make your reservation and bring a friend! 732-350-1187.

A VICTORIOUS CHRISTIAN IS A WORSHIPPING CHRISTIAN

“At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell
to the ground and worshipped …” Job 1:20

If you’ve never read through the book of Job, I commend it to you. It is
a tough book to work through, but one that will encourage you especially
if you are in the midst of suffering and pain in your life.

Job was considered by God to be “blameless and upright, a man who feared
God and shunned evil.” Job 1:8 In other words, I believe that Job was a
man who walked and lived in victory. So much so that when Satan was
moving back and forth from earth to heaven and appears in the courtroom
of heaven, God suggested to Satan that he take a look at this man and
give permission for Satan to put him to the test.

I want to suggest to you this morning that Job was a worshipping
Christian. I believe that worship was a part of the fabric of his life.
In just the first chapter of this book, the drama unfolds by Satan
attacking Job’s family. In a matter of hours four messengers come to Job
to tell him that that his oxen and donkeys had been taken, his sheep and
servants had been burned up, stole his camels, and then the worst of
all, his kids and their spouses were killed when their house collapsed
in on them.

I don’t know about you, but he was having a
“no-good-very-horrible-bad-day.” If anyone had the cause for a bad
attitude or a pity party, Job was a candidate. In fact, he could have
been depressed to the point of trying to take his life. In one day he
loses everything.

What amazes me every time I read this chapter is what he does at the end
of the day. He worships!
He falls down to his knees and declares: “Blessed be the name of the
Lord!” Wow! He declares God’s sovereign control in facing one of the
darkest days of his life and is able to get on his face before God and
worship Him.

This guy is no casual worshipper. He just isn’t a Sunday worshipper. He
is fully engaged as a worshipper every day of his life. That is why he
was able to face life victoriously even in the midst of horrible
circumstances.

How about you? Do you want to be a victorious Christian? Then I suggest
to you today that to THINK VICTORY – be a worshipper! Don’t just worship
in the good times – worship Him even when your days are chaotic and
filled with hurt and pain. What are you facing today? Declare His
sovereign control in your life and say with Job – BLESSED BE THE NAME OF
THE LORD!

Join us Thursday evening for our Men’s Fellowship Night with Pastor Joe
Olechea. Dinner begins at 6:15 PM followed by a time of worship and a
challenge from God’s Word. Then join other men for fellowship and sports
in our Activity Center. Call today for a reservation! 732-350-1187.

Great quote: “Worship is the tryst of sacramental identification with
God; we deliberately give back to God the best he has given us that we
may be identified with Him in it.” Oswald Chambers

SPONTANEOUS WORSHIP

One of the delights of my ministry at America’s KESWICK is rubbing
shoulders with the men who are in our 120-day residential program for
men, The Colony of Mercy. I have learned so much from them and enjoy
seeing the Lord transform their lives as they understand that victory
for a lifetime is possible through Christ.

On New Year’s Eve we planned a Watch Night service for the men and
before the service we had a bonfire with cider and donuts for them. We
were sitting around the bonfire for about ten minutes talking and
laughing when one of the men started to share what the Lord had been
doing in his life. It wasn’t planned to be a worship service, but we
knew it the men were singing and testifying and worshipping the Lord. It
was really cool.

A victorious Christian is a worshipping Christian. And worship for a
Christian who THINKS VICTORY is not just worshipping at 10:30 or 11:00
AM on Sunday morning. Worship for a victorious Christian is a part of
the fabric of their lives Monday through Saturday. It may take place
during their quiet time or when they are walking in the woods. For
Brother Lawrence it happened when he was washing pots and pans.

Several years ago on our trip to Alaska we were climbing up a path that
took us to a mountain peak in Juno. The setting was absolutely stunning.
One of our fellow travelers stood up on a picnic table and shouted,
“Lord, you done good. You done so good.” Several people broke into
singing “How Great Thou Art.” It was a special moment.

How about you this morning? Are you just a Sunday worshipper or a
spontaneous worshipper? I trust that today your worship comes from a
heart that has already been worshipping throughout the week. That’s what
worship is all about.

Have a great Lord’s day.

Join us on Thursday evening, January 11th for our monthly Men’s Night.
Pastor Joe Olechea will be our speaker. Dinner begins at 6:15 PM. Call
today for a reservation and bring a friend.

Great quote: Holy Spirit of God, visit now this soul of mine, and tarry
within it until the eventide. Inspire all my thoughts. Pervade all my
imaginations. Suggest all my decisions. Lodge in my soul’s most inward
citadel, and order all my doings. Be with me in silence and in my
speech, in my haste and in my leisure, in company and in solitude, in
the freshness of the morning and the weariness of the evening. Give me
grace at all times to rejoice in Thy mysterious companionship. John
Baillie

SEEKING GOD’S GUIDANCE

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will
guide you with My eye.” Psalm 32:8

Dr. Charles Stanley shares some practical advice about God’s leading and
guiding in our lives:

“In seeking the Lord’s guidance, we must be careful to watch for
pitfalls along our paths. Strong fleshly desires, wrong counsel,
impatience, doubt, and pressures are all snares that will leave us with
less than God’s best if we cave in to their temptation. These reasons
are why there are certain essentials to seeking God’s guidance:

* Cleansing: Sin inhibits not your relationship with God, but your
fellowship. If you are a believer, your relationship is secure. But
constant sin will impede your fellowship with God, and He will not act
until you walk away from the sin.

* Surrendering: God loves you and wants your best. So why not
believe Him, let go of the worldly trappings you may hold so dear, and
step out in faith?

* Asking: James said that we don’t have because we don’t ask or
because our requests are made with wrong motives. Our heavenly Father is
often just waiting for us to simply ask with a pure heart.

* Meditating: How often do you make decisions intentionally
seeking God’s promises in His Word and meditating over them?

* Believing: To believe is to trust and obey. His Word says that
whoever has His commands and obeys them is the one who loves Him.

* Waiting: This is difficult. But it is also when the Lord does
His best work as the sculptor of our souls.

>From PATHWAYS TO HIS PRESENCE by Dr. Charles F. Stanley and published by
Nelson Books

Seeking God’s guidance for your life? Then hopefully these practical
insights will help you do so victoriously.

Great Quote: Afraid? Of what? To feel the spirit’s glad release? To pass
from pain to perfect peace, the strife and strain of life to cease?
Afraid of what? — Afraid? Of what? Afraid to see the Savior’s face, to
hear His welcome, and to trace the Glory – Gleam from wounds of Grace?
Afraid of that?? Afraid? Of what? A flash – a crash – a pierced heart;
darkness – light – O Heaven’s art! A wound of His counterpart! Afraid of
that? — Afraid? Of what? To enter Heaven’s Rest, and yet to serve the
Master blest, from service good to service best? Afraid of that??
Afraid? Of what? To do by death what life could not — Baptize with
death a stony plot, till souls shall blossom from that spot? Afraid of
that??

E. H. Hamilton

ALL OF ME

“O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and
when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going
out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.” – Psalm
139:1-3

“An old adage defines a friends as ‘one who knows all about you – and
likes you anyway.’ Few of us are secure enough to let our real selves
show except to those friends and relatives who are closer to us. We come
actors, learning at an early age to portray a different, more polished
role in public – in conversation, in play, and in work.

We may become so accustomed to this acting that we don’t even realize we
are doing it. Yet God knows. He knows every part of us, every secret
role we play, every hidden thing we do. He’s perfectly familiar with
that part of us we consider too playful and immature or too brassy and
dramatic. The part that, when it shows, causes us to shudder and hope no
one notices. But God sees. And he loves us anyway.

What freedom we find when we realize we can stand before our Creator
without dread, knowing he sees every intimate part of us and yet does
not despise those traits that we consider less than desirable. God knows
our ways because he wove together all our parts (see Psalm 139:13).

David completely understood that God made him, knew him, and loved him.
For only by knowing this could the king allow himself to dance ‘with all
his might’ before the procession that brought the ark back to town. When
someone criticized the young ruler for his rather undignified behavior,
David answered simply, ‘It was before the Lord, who chose me … I will
celebrate before the Lord.’ (see 2 Samuel 6:14-21).

God saw it all … every part of David’s character: the courage and the
childlike joy, the honor and the humility. And he knew it would take all
of those ingredients for David to become the great king God wanted him
to be. In the same way, God has given to us diverse traits and
characteristics so that we can be the people he wants us to be.” From
BETWEEN SUNDAYS … A YEAR OF TRANSFORMING DEVOTIONS FOR THE TOUGHEST
DAYS OF YOUR WEEK, published by Howard.

Great Quote: “The best prayers have often more groans than words.” John
Bunyan

THE CHRISTIAN CALL TO SERVICE

“No soldier when in service gets entangled in the enterprises of life;
his aim to is to satisfy and please the one who has enlisted him.” 2
Timothy 2:4 (The Amplified Bible)

“The soldier is summoned to a life of active duty, and so is the
Christian. The very nature of your calling precludes a life of ease. If
you had thought to be a summer soldier, consider your commission
carefully. Your spiritual orders are rigorous. Like the apostle, I would
not have you be ignorant on this point and will therefore, list a few of
your directives.

Those sins which have lain nearest your heart must now be trampled under
your feet. And what courage and resolution this requires! You think
Abraham was tested to the limit when called upon to take Isaac, ‘your
only son … whom you love’ (Genesis 22:2), and offer him up with his
own hands. Yet what was that to this: ‘Soul, take the lust which is the
child dearest to your heart, your Isaac, the sin from which you intend
to gain the greatest pleasure. Lay hands on it and offer it up; pour out
its blood before Me; run the sacrificing knife into the very heart of it
– and do it joyfully!’

This is more than the human spirit can bear to hear. Our lust will not
lie so patiently on the altar as Isaac, nor as the lamb brought dumb to
the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7). Our flesh will roar and shriek, rending the
heart with its hideous cries. Indeed, who can express the conflict, the
wrestlings, the convulsions of the spirit we endure before we can put
our heart into such a command? Or who can fully recount the cleverness
with which such a lust will plead for itself?

When the Spirit convicts you of sin, Satan will try to convince you, ‘It
is such a little one – spare it!’ Or he will bribe the soul with a vow
of secrecy: ‘You can keep me and your good reputation, too. I will not
be seen in your company to shame you among your neighbors. You may shut
me up in the attic of your heart, out of sight, if only you will let me
know and then have the wild embraces of your thoughts and affections in
secret.’

From the devotional writings of William Gurnall in his classic THE
CHRISTIAN IN COMPLETE ARMOUR – Daily Readings in Spiritual Warfare

Powerful stuff this morning. Is there an area that the Holy Spirit is
placing His finger on this morning? Are you willing to put that Isaac
closest to your heart to death?

Great quote: I prayed for faith, and thought that someday faith would
come down and strike me like lightning. But faith did not seem to come.
One day I read in the tenth chapter of Romans, “Now faith cometh by
hearing, and hearing by the Word of God”. I had closed my Bible, and
prayed for faith. I now opened my Bible, and began to study, and faith
has been growing ever since.
Dwight L Moody

THE CALL TO REMEMBER

“Consider your own call, brothers and sisters; not many of you were wise
by human standards, not many powerful, not many of noble birth.” 1
Corinthians 1:26

In my ten years of rubbing shoulders with men who have graduated from
the Colony of Mercy, our 120-day residential for men struggling with
life-dominating addictions, there have been men who have wanted to
forget “where they came from.” While Paul instructs us to “forget those
things which are behind,” it is good for us to REMEMBER where we have
come from. It is a good review and it helps us with our perspective on
life.

In his devotional, BETWEEN SUNDAYS, Shawn Craig writes: “I love the word
REMEMBER. It literally means to bring back the picture to your mind. To
relive it, to see it, to do it again. When a man set’s a photograph of
his wife on his desk, he wants to call her image to mind. As he looks at
her photograph, he REMEMBERS her.

The Apostle Paul wanted the Corinthians to remember something as a way
of attaining the proper attitude of mind and spirit. In essence he was
saying, ‘When you are tempted to boast and become prideful, recall your
humble beginnings. Bring back to your mind the picture of who you were
before Christ found you.

In the say way, Moses reminded the children of Israel, ‘Remember that
you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of
there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.’ (Deut 5:15)

Why does a superstar athlete go to the ghetto and reach out to the poor
and destitute? He wants to REMEMBER his humble beginnings. He looks at a
young boy and sees himself a few years earlier when someone reached out
to him with compassion and caused him to believe that he could escape
the tyranny of poverty.

REMEMBERING empowers us to move forward. Woodrow Wilson said, “A nation
which does not remember what it was yesterday does not know what it is
today, nor what it is trying to do. We are trying to do a futile thing
of we do not know where we came from or what we have been about.”
Remembering our calling and who we were before Christ found us does two
things: It causes us to boast in the Lord instead of ourselves, and it
gives us faith in the mighty power of God. REMEMBERING, we can boldly
stand and say, ‘Christ saves! Christ delivers!’ because we are living
witnesses of His grace. We REMEMBER what he has done for us.”

Take some time today to REMEMBER. It will be a good exercise at the
beginning of this new year.

Great quote: “Head knowledge of the things of Christ is not enough; this
following Christ is primarily a matter of the heart. If your heart is
not fixed on its purpose, your principles, as good as they may be, will
hang loose and be of no more use in the heat of the battle than an
ill-strung bow. Half-hearted resolve will not venture much nor far for
Christ.” – William Gurnall

Please note: From time to time we hear that folks get bumped off the
daily THINK VICTORY! Freedom Fighter list. If you stop receiving Freedom
Fighters, you can sign up again by visiting our website:
http://www.americaskeswick.org.

January 1

CONQUERORS

“…we are more than conquerors ….”
(Romans 8:37)

We have in another place considered the “more” nature of God.
He is always “more.” He always provides “more.” He always does “more.”
That is just the way He is. Now it is good for us to see and know how
His “more” affects us in a more personal way.
God’s “more” is personal for US. He is not “more” just for
Himself. He is “more” on OUR behalf. He knows WE need His “more.” We
see that in so many of His assurances. He manifested it in His
declaration that He had come in order that WE may have “life… more
abundantly.” (John 10:10) We see it in the promise that His grace is
sufficient for US for his strength is made perfect in weakness. (2
Corinthians 12:9)
That is why our Bible tells us that “WE (emphasis added) are
more than conquerors….” We are not merely more than the ordinary. We
are not in the category of those who “barely make it” in our efforts to
overcome the problems of this life. We certainly are not those who are
held captive by desires and circumstances. Neither are we captive to the
pressures of peers. Corrupted culture holds no claim over us.
Neither are we the ones who merely study about the conquerors.
True, those stories of conquerors are exciting. They raise some hope
and excite some discipline in those who would like to join the ranks of
the victorious. They encourage other conquerors that share the victory.
But the promise to us is that WE are the conquerors. In fact WE are the
ones who are “more than conquerors.” We are the ones who wear the crown,
occupy the throne and hold the victor’s sword.
Are you now saying that such is not the case in your life? Are
you saying that your struggle for such victory continues? Are you
wondering why this victory has not replaced your defeat?
Why should we ask? The answer to victory is so obvious. For
“we are more than conquerors THROUGH HIM THAT LOVED US.” Have you not
claimed your crown, your throne and your Victor’s sword? Have you not
claimed your victory in Christ? Robert L. Alderman

Today’s devotional was written by my mentor and friend, Pastor Bob
Alderman and is from our daily devotional, REAL VICTORY FOR REAL LIFE,
published by Christian Literature Crusade.

On behalf of the Board and staff of America’s KESWICK -HAPPY NEW YEAR!

THINK VICTORY! FREEDOM FIGHTER FOR Friday, December 29, 2006
DOES YOUR HEART BREAK FOR THE LOST?
During the next several days our nation will have an opportunity to
honor and remember the 38th President of the United States, Gerald Ford.
His body will lie in repose at various locations around the country
until his body is laid to rest in Michigan at the Presidential Library.

It is expected that millions of people will walk by his casket to pay
their last respects to a great patriot and leader of the free world.
Gerald Ford was a man who loved God and served the people of America at
a time when our country was reeling from the impact of Watergate.

In contrast, another world leader may face the hangman’s noose in the
next several days — a world leader who used his power to kill thousands
of innocent men, women and children who refused to bow the knee to his
political agenda or accept his tyrannical leadership.

Like me, you have listened in horror to the atrocities committed by this
madman. My heart breaks when I think of the many innocent people who
have lost their lives because of this evil man. Fox News reported that
there are hundreds of Iraqi’s who are standing in line wanting to be
chosen to be the one to lead Saddam Hussein to the stand where he will
be hung in front of his people. For many, this will be the justice that
they have been waiting for in payment for what he has done to their
loved ones.

My heart is heavy this morning for Saddam Hussein because he faces a
Christ-eternity. Is he guilty of the crimes he has committed?
Absolutely! But the tragedy is that for him, his death is just the
beginning of an eternity separated from the One who gave His very life
for him. Yes, he will have paid for his evil – but how sad that he will
spend eternity without the Savior who loved him and died for him.

It’s not too late. I pray that somehow before it’s too late, Saddam
Hussein will repent of his sins, believe that Jesus died on the cross
for his sins, and accept Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. Does your
heart break today for the lost who need Christ? As we countdown the
hours to a new year, may God birth in your heart an even greater passion
for souls that need Jesus!

Great quote: If you thus pour out all your weaknesses, needs, troubles,
there will be no lack of what to say. You will never exhaust the
subject. It is continually being renewed. People who have no secrets
from each other never want for subject of conversation. They do not
weigh their words, for there is nothing to be held back; neither do they
seek for something to say. They talk out of the abundance of their
heart, without consideration they say just what they think. Blessed are
they who attain to such familiar, unreserved intercourse with God. —
Francois Fenelon

Would you please consider a year-end gift for the ministry of America’s
KESWICK. Our year-end needs are great. If Freedom Fighters have touched
your heart this year, please consider a gift today. You can use our
website for your donation (www.americaskeswick.org) or call
732-350-1187. Please let our Guest Service representative know that you
are a member of our Freedom Fighter family. Thanks for your
consideration.

DETHRONING IDOLS

“So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.” Acts 19:20

“Paul’s world worshipped idols. No idol was more revered in Ephesus that
the goddess Diana. The great statue was housed in a magnificent temple
and was recognized as one of the wonders of the world. An idol-making
industry, providing a livelihood for many people, developed in Ephesus
to support the widespread idolatry of the day.

Paul did not go to Ephesus to condemn those worshipping idols but to
unashamedly proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. As Paul shared the
truths of God, and as people were set free from sin’s bondage, idol
worship began to decline. The contrast between stone carvings and God’s
power to change lives became obvious.

The righteous lives of the Christian stood in stark contrast to the
hedonistic practices of idol worshipers. The victorious Christian
witness was so compelling that the economy of the entire city was thrown
in upheaval as idolatry diminished in favor of Christianity.

An idol is anything that diverts our devotion from God. Our society is
as idolatrous as Paul’s was. Rather than worshipping statutes, we choose
possessions, pleasures, or careers as our gods and pour our time,
finances, and energy into these things.

Each of us is called, as Paul was, to live a victorious, joyful, and
purposeful Christian life in the midst of an idolatrous society. We do
not have to seek out and condemn today’s idols. Rather, as we live out
our Christianity, enjoying the abundant life God gives, our lives will
discredit the idols around us. We may face opposition and hostility from
those angered at the contrast between our God and theirs. People do not
like to have their idols dethroned! Yet as we uphold Christ, others will
see a difference and be drawn to Him and the life that He offers.” From
Dr. Henry Blackaby’s devotional, EXPERIENCING GOD – THE DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Good thoughts for us to ponder as 2006 comes to an end. How about you,
my friend? Are there idols in your life that you need to destroy or
surrender? Take some time to pray about it today.

Have you considered your year-end giving opportunities? If you would
like to give a special year-end gift to America’s KESWICK, you can do so
right from our website: http://www.americaskeswick.org. We need your help
today. Thanks for your consideration.

Great quote: What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it
up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of
our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account
of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from
which the obedience and the work flow. Martin Luther