ANOTHER WHACK ON THE HEAD

One of the dangers that we face in our lives is thinking that the more
we DO for God the more He will love us. We sometimes think the BUSYNESS
is a sign of an effective, mature believer. The bottom line is that God
is more interested in us BEING first than doing. The DOING is an
outgrowth of our RELATIONSHIP with Him and will be more balanced if we
keep the proper perspective.

Today’s thoughts from Oswald Chambers help us with an understanding of
that proper perspective:

“The great enemy of the Lord Jesus Christ today is the idea of practical
work that has no basis in the New Testament but comes from the system of
the world. This work insists upon endless energy and activities, but no
PRIVATE life with God. The emphasis is put on the wrong thing. Jesus
said, ‘The kingdom of God does not come with observation … for indeed,
the kingdom of God is WITHIN you.’ (Luke 17:20-21) It is a hidden,
obscure thing. AN ACTIVE CHRISTIAN WORKER TOO OFTEN LIVES TO BE SEEN BY
OTHERS, WHICH IS THE INNERMOST, PERSONAL AREA THAT REVEALS THE POWER OF
A PERSON’S LIFE.

We must get rid of the plague of the spirit of this religious age in
which we live. In our Lord’s life there was none of the pressure and the
rushing of tremendous activity that we regard so highly today, and a
disciple is to be like His Master. THE CENTRAL POINT OF THE KINGDOM OF
JESUS CHRIST IS A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM, NOT PUBLIC USEFULNESS
TO OTHERS.

Your strength lies in being immersed in the truths of God to soak in you
before Him. You have no idea of where or how God is going to engineer
your future circumstances, and no knowledge of what stress and strain is
going to be placed on you either at home or abroad. And if you waste
your time in over-activity, instead of being immersed in the great
foundational truths of God’s redemption, then you will snap when the
stress and strain do come. But if this time of soaking before God is
being spent in getting rooted and grounded in Him, which may APPEAR to
be impractical, then you will remain true to Him WHATEVER happens.” My
Utmost for His Highest

Take time today to allow the Word of God to soak into Your heart. You
cannot negate your own personal time with the Lord just because you are
busy. As NIKE said – JUST DO IT! 🙂

Great Quote: Wherever God’s finger points, His Hand will clear the way.
Never say in your heart what you will or will not do but wait until God
reveals HIS way to you. As long as that way is hidden, it is clear that
there is no need of action that HE holds Himself accountable for all the
results of keeping you exactly where you are.

IT’S NOT FOR THE GIPPER

You might think that I have lost my marbles … hang on … stay with
me. President Ronald Reagan used the phrase often … “Win on for the
gipper” or “Let’s do it for the gipper.” One of Reagan’s nick name was
the “gipper” coined after a baseball friend whose name was George Gipp.
He died at an early age from a throat infection.

Before dying he told the coach that someday they were going to be
playing with their backs up against the wall and not sure what to do.
Tell them to go out there and “do it for the gipper.”

Some of us get frustrated in life in the areas where we work. We THINK
we are doing what we do for a boss or an organization or a Board. We
work and serve in an imperfect world surrounded by imperfect people and
sometimes forget who we are really serving.

“Abraham Lincoln once made these two statements, as he evaluated the
decisions he was making in his attempts to heal a worn-torn nation:

‘I desire so to conduct the affairs of this administration that if at
the end, when I come to lay down the reins in power, I have lost every
other friend on earth, I shall at least have one friend left, and that
friend shall be down inside me.’

‘I do the very best I know how; the very best I can; and I mean to keep
doing it to the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said
against me will not amount to anything. If the end brings me out all
wrong, then a legion of angels swearing I was right will make no
difference.’

‘Whatever you are doing, and in whatever conversation you find yourself
engaged give it:
* Your whole heart
* Your undistracted attention
* And your maximum energy.

Give your all to each task you choose to do; give you best creativity to
each idea you ponder. You may not be the greatest success in the world,
but you will have made a success of YOUR world.” (from “God’s Little
Devotional Book for Leaders”

But it goes beyond that … the bottom line is that we need to
continually remind ourselves of what the Apostle Paul says … “And
WHATEVER YOU DO, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not to men … And
WHATEVER YOU DO in WORD or IN DEED … do ALL in the name of the Lord
Jesus …” (Colossians 3:23; 17)

Today, go out and give it your best – not for the gipper, but for the
Lord!

Great quote: It has been well said that no man ever sank under the
burden of the day. It is when tomorrow’s burden is added to the burden
of today that the weight is more than a man can bear. Never load
yourselves so, my friends. If you find yourselves so loaded, at least
remember this: it is your own doing, not God’s. He begs you to leave the
future to Him, and mind the present. — George Macdonald

SOMETHING SERIOUS TO PONDER

“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through
which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Galatians
6:14

“They were people who were living to themselves. Their hopes, promises,
and dreams still controlled them, but the Lord began to fulfill their
prayers.

They had asked for a repentant heart and had surrendered themselves with
a willingness to pay any price for it, and He sent them sorrow.
They asked for purity, and He sent them sudden anguish.
They had asked for meekness, and He had broken their hearts.
They had asked to be dead to the world, and He killed all their living
hopes.
They had asked to be made like Him, so He placed them in the refiner’s
fire.
They had asked to help carry His cross, yet when He held it out to them,
it cut and tore their hands.
They had not fully understood what they asked, but He had taken them at
their word and granted them all their requests.
They had been unsure whether to follow Him such a long distance or
whether to come close to Him. Yet there was an awe of Him … The
disciples were so filled with awe, they felt like asking Him to either
depart from or to hide His glory.

They found it easier to obey than to suffer, to work than to give up, to
carry the cross to hang upon it. But now they could not turn back, for
they had come too close to the unseen cross of the spiritual life, and
it’s virtues had pierced them too deeply.

Now at last their opportunity had come. Earlier they had only HEARD of
the mystery, but now they felt it. He had fastened His eyes of love on
them, as He had on Mary and Peter, so they could only choose to follow
Him. And little by little, from time to time, with quick glimmers of
light, the mystery of His cross shone upon them.

They say Him “lifted up from the earth” and gazed on the glory that
radiated from the wounds of His holy suffering. As they looked upon Him,
they approached Him and were changed into His likeness. His name shone
out through them, for He lived within them. Their life from that moment
was one of inexpressible fellowship solely with Him above. They were
willing to live without possessions that others owned and that they
could have had, in order to be unlike others so that would be more like
Him.

This is the description of all those who throughout the ages who “follow
the Lamb wherever He goes” (Revelation 14:4). If they had chosen
selfishly for themselves or if their friends had chosen for them, they
would have made other choices. Their lives would have shone more
brightly here on earth but less gloriously in HIS kingdom.

Yet God strengthened them and protected them, even from themselves.
Often in His mercy He held them up when they otherwise would have
slipped and fallen. And even in this life, they knew all that He did was
done well. They knew it was good to suffer in this life so they would
reign in the one to come; to bear the cross below, to wear a crown
above; and to know that not their will but His was done in them and
through them.” Adapted from Streams in the Desert

Very powerful words for us to consider today. Something serious to
ponder …

Great quote: Give me a stout heart to bear my own burdens. Give me a
willing heart to bear the burdens of others. Give me a believing heart
to cast all burdens upon Thee, O Lord. John Baillie

HIS ROAR IS WORSE THAN HIS BITE

Our dumb dog Crystal is really a good watchdog. Her bark is quite
impressive. It is so loud that when she barks the ground beneath you
shakes. But deep down, she is a big baby and loves people. But if you
didn’t know her personality or were acquainted with her, she would scare
you.

The enemy of our souls, Satan, is like that. We need to not dwell on him
and make him our focus, but neither should we be like an ostrich burying
our heads in the sand. We need to be aware of his methods and devices
and also become acquainted with his ways.

Peter wrote in his letter “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your
adversary, the devil, prowls about LIKE a roaring lion, seeking someone
to devour. But resist him, firm in YOUR faith, knowing that the same
experiences of suffering are be accomplished by your brethren who are in
the world.” (1 Peter 5:8-9)

My friend, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. And the
reality is that Satan DOESN’T love you and has a plan for your life. He
is always on the prowl seeking someone to “gobble up and destroy.” His
ways and methods are so subtle. He and his crew are desperately
unfurling and unleashing their wicked ways to try and take you and me
out of the race. We must remember that while he is walking around
seeking someone to devour – he is already a defeated foe!

But I love what one writer said: “If Satan is/was defeated, why does he
still control “the lie?” In reality, his fangs have been removed and he
has been declawed, but if he can deceive you into believing that he can
chew you up and spit you out, he can control your behaviors. In reality,
he is faking Christians into defeat!” Wow!

My dear brothers and sisters, this is why we need to be in the WORD
constantly. This is the instruction manual for life to keep is alert and
sober in these evil days. Remember today – his roar is worse than his
bite. Don’t fear him – resist him!

Good words to consider for today.

Great quote: “Those who have been gripped by the power of the Holy
Spirit and are used for God’s glory are those who have been broken in
their finances, broken in their self-will, broken in their ambitions,
broken in their lofty ideals, broken in their worldly reputation, broken
in their desires, and often broken in their health.” _Mrs. Cowman –
Streams in the Desert.

DO YOU NEED A FACE LIFT?

I know I wrote about this several weeks ago, but as I was reading
through Proverbs this morning, three verses jumped out at me that are
worth sharing.

Proverbs 15:13 – “A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad
heart makes it hard to get through the day.”
Proverbs 15:15 – “A miserable heart means a miserable life; a cheerful
heart fills the day with song.”
Proverbs 15:32 – “A twinkle in the eye means joy in the heart, and good
news makes you feel fit as a fiddle.”

One of my pet peeves when folks gather together for worship is the lack
of joy evident on their faces when they are praising the Lord. I’m not
suggesting that we plaster fake smiles on our faces … but I sure wish
we could turn the video cam’s on our congregations when they are
singing. Sometimes when I look out over congregations I lead, they look
… well I won’t go there.

I realize that on any given Sunday there may be folks who are going
through tough times, but when you and I stop to think of WHO we are
worshipping and what HE has done for us … the joy in our hearts should
bubble out to notify our faces. My grandmother used to say you become
like the people you hang around. Hang around miserable people and you’ll
become just like them!

Friday night we were walking in the mall with our kids and Garrett was
holding baby Emma. It is amazing to me how a baby can make a shift in
someone’s countenance. People would see her and big smiles would break
out on their faces. It is even more fascinating to watch older people
when someone brings a baby into the room.

Well think about that … this morning we are worshipping the BABE of
Bethlehem that came to give you and me ABUNDANT LIFE! We deserve hell
and have been given newness of life, our sins have been forgiven, we
have a new name that is written in the Lamb’s book of life with ink that
cannot be erased, we have been adopted into the family of God, and have
heaven too! Now if that doesn’t put a smile on your face – then as by
good friend Dr. Ron Blue would say – your firewood is wet!

Try it today. As you are worshipping Him allow the joy in your heart to
register on your face. Who knows – the person standing next to you might
even ask – What happened to your face? Did you get a face lift? Have a
wonderful Lord’s day.

Great quote: The Bible is the greatest traveler in the world. It
penetrates to every country, civilized and uncivilized. It is seen in
the royal palace and the humble cottage. It is the friend of Emperors
and beggars. It is read by the light of the dim candle amid Artic snows.
It is read under the glare of the equatorial sun. It is read in city and
country, amid the crowds and solitude. Wherever its’ message is
received, it frees the mind from bondage and fills the heart with
gladness. Arthur Tappan (A. T.) Pierson

THE PRIMARY LABORATORY

“Wives, be subject to your husbands … Husbands, love your wives …
Fathers, do not exasperate your children (Colossians 3:18-21)

“God works in our lives primarily through committed relationships. Your
family is the primary laboratory for your character development. This is
precisely the order of Scripture: Establish YOUR identity in Christ,
then focus on living out who you are at home. Notice the order in
Colossians 3:10-25:

* God’s great goal for His children is that we conform to HIS
image: “Put on the new self” (vs.10).

* Our identity is no longer in racial, religious, cultural, or
social ties: “There is no distinction … but Christ is all, and in all”
(vs. 11).

* Character is the focus of development once identity is
established: “Put on the heart of compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience” (vs. 12).

* Character is developed in the context of relational living:
“Bearing with one another, and forgiving each other” (vs. 13).

* Love is the highest level of character development: “Beyond all
these things put on love (vs. 14).

* The means by which all this is accomplished is Christ in you:
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts … Let the word of Christ
richly dwell within you” (vss. 15-16).

* The primary setting for character development is the home:
“Wives be subject to your husbands … Husbands, love your wives …
Children, be obedient to your parents … Fathers, do not exasperate
your children.” (vs. 18-21)

As a parent, you are not just shaping your child’s behavior, you
are developing his character. Training a child means discipling Him to
be Christ-like. Don’t be a phony at home; your spouse and children will
see right through it. You can’t model perfection, but you can model
growth.”

Adapted from Daily in Christ – A Devotional by Neil T. Anderson
(Harvest House)

Great quote: “Difficulty is actually the atmosphere surrounding
a miracle, or a miracle in an initial stage. Yet if it is to be a great
miracle, that surrounding condition will be not simply a difficulty but
an utter impossibility. And it is the clinging hand of His child that
makes a desperate situation a delight to God.” – Mrs. Cowman Streams in
the Desert

Recommendation: This week an incredible movie on the life of
Esther will be showing in movie theaters all over the country. I highly
recommend it to you. For information check out:
http://www.onenightwiththeking.com.

ARE YOU ANXIOUS?

Today is Friday the 13th and I have a Board meeting. I have been blessed
with a great Board of men and women who love the Lord and are committed
to the mission and vision of the ministry of America’s KESWICK. But in
all honesty, Board meetings for me are always anxious times. This
morning as I woke up and opened the word, it was neat to know that the
Lord once again knew what I needed to hear from Him for today.

From STREAMS IN THE DESERT ….

“Do not be anxious about anything …” (Philippians 4:6)

“Anxiety should never be found in a believer. In spite of the magnitude,
quantity, and diversity of our trials, afflictions, and difficulties,
anxiety should not exist under any circumstance. This is because we have
a Father in heaven who is almighty, who loves His children as He loves
His ‘one and only Son’ (John 3:16), and whose complete joy and delight
it is to continually assist them under ALL circumstances. We should heed
His Word, which says, ‘Do not be anxious about ANYTHING, but IN
EVERYTHING, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, present your
requests to God.”

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

BY PRAYER AND PETITION – earnestly pleading, persevering and enduring,
and waiting, waiting, waiting on God!

WITH THANKSGIVING – always laying a good foundation. Even if we have no
possessions, there is one for which we can always be thankful – that He
has saved us from hell! We can also give thanks that He has given us His
Holy Word, His Holy Spirit, and the most precious gift of all – His Son!
Therefore when we consider all this, we have abundant reasons for
thanksgiving. May this be our goal.

AND THE PEACE OF GOD WHICH TRANSCENDS ALL UNDERSTANDING WILL GUARD YOUR
HEARTS AND YOUR MINDS IN CHRIST JESUS (Philippians 4:7) – This is such a
wonderful, genuine, and precious blessing that to truly know it, you
must experience it, for it ‘transcends all understanding!”

May we take these truths to heart, instinctively walking in them, so the
result will be lives that glorify God more abundantly than ever before.
Search your heart several times a day, and if you find something that is
disturbing your peace, remember to take the proper steps to restore the
calm.”

Wow! Thank You, Lord, for this powerful reminder. I pray today that this
will be an encouragement to someone in our Freedom Fighter family as
well! Amen.

Great quote: It has been well said that no man ever sank under the
burden of the day. It is when tomorrow’s burden is added to the burden
of today that the weight is more than a man can bear. Never load
yourselves so, my friends. If you find yourselves so loaded, at least
remember this: it is your own doing, not God’s. He begs you to leave the
future to Him, and mind the present. George MacDonald

FREEDOM IN YOUR WORK

Do you like your job? Are you fulfilled? Do you look at your job as a
necessary evil or do you enjoy what you do?

I guess I have a weird personality (no comments from the peanut gallery)
… but I have been blessed with positions that I have really enjoyed. I
enjoy what I do at America’s KESWICK. Now I would be lying to you if I
would say that there has never been a day that I have thought or said,
“I can’t do this anymore” or “I am throwing in the towel.” But those
days are relatively few.

I read this quote recently: “Find out what you love to do and you will
never have to work another day in your life.” Now it intrigues me as to
how many principles the world teaches that come from the Scriptures.
Today in my reading of Proverbs, and I hope that there are many of you
that are still on that journey with me, I came across this verse: “The
diligent find FREEDOM in their work; the lazy are oppressed by work.”
(Proverbs 12:24)

“A designer in Dallas, Texas, was once asked by a client to build a
large, elaborate model. It was one that called for several building
interiors and hundreds of human figures. The model was to be created in
a scale of one inch to five feet, which meant that each of the human
figures was only a little more than an inch in height. Each had to be
hand-painted, using a brush with a single hair.

As the designer hunched over his table one day, painstakingly painting
the figures and then carefully gluing them in place, one of his
employees asked him, ‘Don’t you find this tedious?’

The designer replied, ‘Tedious?’ My goodness, no! I’ve loved making and
painting models ever since I made my first model airplane at age seven.
I just can’t believe someone is actually paying me to do this!

Whether you work with your hands or your mind, loving what you do is the
secret to having ‘fun’ while you make money. Indeed, work will cease to
be “work.” A kindergarten teach once said about her class of
five-year-olds, ‘They build and tear down and rebuild in a day more than
most construction workers do in weeks, but they never call it work. They
call it play!” from GOD’S LITTLE DEVOTIONAL BOOK FOR LEADERS

How about you, my friend? Do you have FREEDOM in your work today? Or are
you oppressed? Might be a good time to step back and prayerfully look at
what you are doing. Good thoughts to ponder today.

Great quote: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient
paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest
for your souls . . . ” Jeremiah 6:16 (NIV)

ALL THINGS ARE PURE

“To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.”
Titus 1:15

“Your heart’s condition will be expressed through your life. It will be evident by your ATTITUDES, your WORDS, and your BEHAVIOR. Jesus said that you can clearly see others only when your own eyes are unobstructed (Mark 6:42). If your vision is hindered by sin, you will not look at others properly.

If your heart is pure, you will approach life without malice. You will not question the motives of everyone around you; you will not doubt the truth of everything others tell you; you will not look for the faults in others. Instead, you will look for the good in others, finding what is praiseworthy. You will not be naïve or gullible, but you will seek what is good rather than what is evil. If your heart is pure, you will see others the way God sees them (Matthew 6:22).

If your heart is defiled, everything with which you are involved will seem corrupt as well. You will assume evil motives in others because you know what you would do given the same circumstances. You will be cynical about what you hear because your own words are deceitful. You will be drawn to evil people and evil things.

How do you look at the words and actions of others? Are you critical of them? Are you judgmental? If so, ask God to purify your heart. Once He has, you will be free to see yourself and others as God does.” Powerful words from the pen of Dr. Henry Blackaby – Experiencing God – The Devotional.

GREAT QOUTE: “When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible – with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation. If God has given you a silence, then praise Him – He is bringing you into the mainstream of His purposes.” – Oswald Chambers

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

I had the opportunity to spend some time last night with Margie
Blackley, the wife of Chaplain Bill Blackley who went home to be with
Jesus on Friday evening. Margie and Bill will have been married for 61
years in just a few weeks. Chaplain Bill has been in ministry for almost
their entire married life.

In talking with Margie, she shared with me several stories of how
Chaplain Bill had made a difference in someone’s life by just being
dressed up when he went into a restaurant. She shared a story of how we
was headed to the rest room and a man sitting alone at a table called to
Chaplain Bill, “Hey, did you pray for me today?” Blackley, looked at the
man and realized he was a total stranger, smiled and waved and walked
into the men’s room. When he came out, he walked over to the man, and
again the man said, “Did you pray for me today?”

Blackley was curious as to why the man asked the question. The man said,
“I figured you must be a preacher ’cause of the way your dressed. Will
you pray for me?” Right there in the restaurant, Chaplain Bill had the
opportunity to share Christ and prayed with this total stranger. He made
a difference in the life of this man.

The question was asked, “Can one person really make a difference in the
world today?” Listen to what one writer said: “One New Yorker thought
so. He was so determined to be complimentary to every person he saw,
every day. A friend asked him, ‘Do you even compliment cab drivers?’ The
man said, ‘Certainly! If I am nice to one cab driver, he’s likely to be
nice to the next twenty fares, at a minimum. If they are in turn nicer
to the shopkeepers, waitresses, and their own families, that one gesture
of goodwill might influence a least a thousand people.’

‘Now, if only three people that I talk to today have a happier day
because of what I say to them, I might indirectly influence the attitude
of 3,000 people. If a few of those I talk to are teachers, or people who
have contact with more than the usual number of people . . . why my good
mood might touch more than 10,000 lives. Not one thing I do today is
likely to have that kind of impact!” (adapted from God’s Little
Devotional Book for Leaders, published by Honor Books).

So what about you … are you willing to make a difference today in
someone’s life? It could have a rippled effect that could turn this
world upside down! Think about it.

Join us on Thursday evening, October 12th for our first Men’s Fellowship
night of the new season. Dinner begins at 6:15 PM followed by a time of
worship, testimony and a challenge from the Word. Our speaker this month
is Pastor Ed Hlad. Following the gathering, you may use the Activity
Center. Call today for reservations: 732-350-1187.