A LOOK INTO THE MIRROR LOOK IN THE MIRROR

“And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!'” (Luke 18:13)

If you’ve ever wondered how far God would go to show His love, look in the mirror and wonder no more. We need not look any further than ourselves to find the most shocking and amazing displays of God’s grace. If we think otherwise, it is only because we have not seen ourselves as we truly are.
It has been said and sung many times: “There but for the grace of God go I.” At first this sounds grateful, but such sentiment masks a dangerous pride. It is actually not unlike the statement of a religious leader in Jesus’ day as he looked upon a sinner on his knees crying out for God’s mercy. “Lord I thank you that I am not like that sinner over there,” the Pharisee prayed. It is a view that focuses on someone else’s misfortune. Someone else is worse than I am. Much better to be thinking and praying, “Here, because of the grace of God, and for no other reason, am I.” I am the only person I truly know about when it comes to sin. I am the authority on the subject.
The Pharisee hasn’t a clue about the sinner-who he is or what he has done. Nor does he have any business making the assumption that the sinner is lot is any worse than his. The only prayer any of us can pray on the subject of sin is: “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” This is the only prayer that sends heaven scurrying.
It is best to steer completely clear of the comparison game. Any attempt to better oneself at the mercy of someone else’s failure will always bring a twisted view of both ourselves and others.
The immensity of God’s mercy is not displayed in what He did for the world, or for someone else. Nor is it discovered through some theological understanding of the many nuances of His grace. The immensity of God’s mercy is revealed finally-and only-in the incredible realization that, lo and behold, it found out the worst of the lot. It looked from heaven and found out me!

John Fischer

Scripture Reading: Genesis 29-30; Matthew 9:1-17

This morning’s devotional is from the Keswick daily devotional, REAL VICTORY FOR REAL LIFE, soon to be released in it’s second edition. Watch for details. To order a copy, call the KESWICK BOOKSTORE — 800-453-7942 ext. 31.

Join us today for our Community Open House right on the beautiful grounds of America’s KESWICK. 11-3!!! See you there. Please be sure to mention to me that you are a member of the Freedom Fighter family.

YOU TOOK SATAN’S BAIT

The following was given to me by one of my staff members. It was written by Mary Eldridge.

Sin will take you farther
than you want to go.
You will soon find out
that it becomes a foe.

The deeper you fall
into that old stuff,
Satan will laugh,
and call your bluff.

He’ll get you so busy,
listening to him,
he won’t be happy,
till you’re on a limb.

Once you get there,
he laughs with glee,
he says, now boy,
it’s just you and me,

He has stuff to offer,
he knows you’re blind,
while he has you,
he’ll play with your mind.

It’s movies, porn, booze,
and pretty prostitute girls,
there’s wining, and dining,
while your head swirls.

Can’t you just see,
what sin does to you,
If you weren’t so blind,
you’d know what to do,

You took Satan’s bait,
You’ve fallen so low,
You’re drowning in sin,
grief sorrow and woe.

There’s hope for you,
you don’t understand,
I know of someone
who’ll take your hand.

He loves you no matter
what you have done,
And because of this,
God gave us His Son.

He surely can help you,
and set your soul free
The reason I know this
Cause He did it for me.

If you mean business,
and I sure hope you do,
Give everything to Jesus,
He gave His all for you.

Good words for you to consider today. Have a great Memorial Day Weekend. Coming in June, Pastor John Strain, Senior Pastor from First Baptist of Toms River, will be sharing with us some thoughts from the book of Proverbs.

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HELP FOR DISCOURAGEMENT AND DEPRESSION

From the pen of Fenelon in his timely book, THE SEEKING HEART:

“You get discouraged because your mind wanders too much? What do you expect? Theresa of Avila says, ‘The imagination is the fool of the house.’ It concocts wild scenarios and takes you away from being aware of God in the present moment.

Go forward. Stop listening to all the horror stories your imagination whispers to you. Go forward. You feel sad because you look for God and do not FEEL His presence as much as you want. You tire of trusting God by faith. You tire of hanging in the air. You want to see progress! You make one mistake and fall into a depression. What pride! What self-obsession!

Love God and stay still before Him. You would rather punish yourself, and stir up a commotion, than forget yourself and look to God. Mourning your weakness will not make you better. It will only contribute to a good case of self-pity. The slightest glance toward God will calm you far more.

As far as a natural depression that comes from physical reasons, simply endure it in peace. Set your eyes on God. Do what He shows you to do. If He has need of you, fine. If He does not, then live and wait for Him in peace.

As far as being disappointed in others, you must learn not to expect so much from people. It is the only way to avoid disappointment. You must take the fruit that a tree bares — but remember that some trees only put out leaves and caterpillars! God has an infinite amount of patience with YOU, as He does with all people. He is not even put off with your resistance to Him. Try to imitate HIS patience and mercy. Only imperfection is bothered by the imperfect. The more mature you grow as a Christian, the more patient you will be toward the faults of others.

When depression weighs you down, there are two things that might help you. First, relieve your sadness with the means that God gives you. Don’t overload yourself with difficult things. Guard your strength of mind as well as your strength of body. Don’t take more upon yourself than your courage can bear. Set aside time for being with God, for reading, and for good conversation. Take time for the harmless entertainment which will relax the mind with the body.

Secondly, bear in peace all the feelings of sadness which still remain with you after you have done all this things to help yourself. Don’t fight with them and they will go away in due time.” Pretty powerful words written over 400 years ago!

THOUGHT: “Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit you way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. And He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” Psalm 37:3-7

Have you made plans to come to America’s KESWICK for our Community Open House on Saturday? Visit our website for information: http://www.americaskeswick.org

HUMILITY

“Everyone who has deeply walked with God knows that humility is the foundation that you build your spiritual life on. True humility comes from seeking the interests of God before your own. Humility comes in no longer living for yourself but in letting Jesus Christ live His life in/through you.

You are always trying to ‘be something’ or to be noticed for your spirituality. There are a lot of people who have an OUTWARD spirituality, but inwardly they still think too much of themselves. People who think they are lowering themselves have a lot of conceit. They think they are doing others a favor in ‘getting down to their level.’

True humility is not like this. I know it sounds incredible but a truly humble person is content in ALL situations. He doesn’t notice if he is being praised or blamed, and isn’t always weighing if what is being said to him, or about him, is to his advantage. A simple person allows himself to be led by the Lord Jesus.

So let go of yourself with courage. Whether God lifts you up or lets you remain unknown, the glory is still all HIS!” from FENELON — THE SEEKING HEART.

“Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and HE will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant].” James 4:10 The Amplified Bible

THOUGHT: “Peace of heart lies in perfect resignation to the will of God. What you need is true simplicity, a certain calmness of spirit which comes from entire surrender to all that God wills, patience and toleration for your neighbor’s faults, and a certain candor and childlike docility in acknowledging your own faults. The trouble you feel about so many things comes from your not accepting everything which may happen to you, with sufficient resignation to God. Put all things, then, in His hands, and offer them beforehand to Him in your heart, as a sacrifice. From the moment when you cease to want things to be according to your own judgment, and accept unconditionally whatever He sends, you will be free from all your uneasy retrospect’s and anxieties about your own concerns.” Francois Fenelon

Join us at America’s KESWICK for our Memorial Day Weekend conference with Drs. Jamie Mitchell and Les Ayars. For information about the weekend conference, visit our website: http://www.americaskeswick.org.

FIVE BENEFITS IF YOU LEARN TO WAIT

My good friend, Dr “B,” president of INVEST IN A LIFE, sends me all kinds of encouraging notes throughout the year. She also has a resource equipping center (THE BEEHIVE) at Sandy Cove. Recently she sent me a bookmark that gives five principles of learning to wait.

SLOW ME DOWN, LORD . . .

1. Waiting is the key to PERCEPTION
“Show me your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in you truth and teach me for you are the God of my salvation; on you do I wait all the day.” — Psalm 25:4,5

2. Waiting results in PROTECTION
“My soul waits for the Lord; He is my help and shield. For my heart shall rejoice in Him because I have trusted in His holy name.” — Psalm 33:20-21

3. Waiting gives PERSPECTIVE
“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him: Fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices.” — Psalm 37:7

4. Waiting sees God’s PROVISION
“The Lord is good to them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him.” — Lamentations 3:25

5. Waiting results in POWER
“But they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.” — Isaiah 40:31

Good words for you to ponder today.

THOUGHT: God is looking for imperfect men and women who have learned to walk in moment-by-moment dependence on the Holy Spirit. Christians who have come to terms with their inadequacies, fears, and failures. Believers who have become discontent with ‘surviving’ and have taken the time to investigate everything God has to offer in this life. — Charles Stanley

Join us this Saturday for our Community Open House at America’s KESWICK from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM. I’d love to see you! Games, great food, and helicopter rides! For information, visit our website (www.americaskeswick.org) or call 732-350-1187.

WHAT ARE YOU CRAVING?

Having three of our kids pregnant is going to get interesting. They are all have their unique cravings for food right now. And being that I am still on this journey with my weight, I still have cravings for several things. In fact, after four years of this, I still crave those dumb Pepperidge Farm Gold Fish! And right now, the thoughts of a “Chunky” candy bar could push me over the edge.

Webster defines craving as “an intense desire for.” What is it in your life that you crave? In my reading of Proverbs today (Amplified Bible) 21:21 (I am a day behind) jumped off the page: “He who earnestly seeks after and craves righteousness, mercy, and loving-kindness will find life in addition to righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God) and honor.”

The footnote for his verse led me to Matthew 5:6: “Blessed and fortunate and happy and spiritually prosperous (in that state in which the born-again child of God enjoys His favor and salvation) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God), for they shall be completely satisfied! Matthew 6:33: “But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His Kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be give you besides.”

If today you are IN CHRIST — you have been clothed in HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS and you are “right with God.” Your righteousness are described in Isaiah, as filthy rags. Because of what Christ did on the cross for you, when God the Father looks down at you, He does not see you — He sees Christ. Isn’t that an awesome truth. Because of Christ, we have a right standing with God the Father.

But as we are growing IN CHRIST, are desire is to live a life THROUGH CHRIST that is pleasing to Him. Where we once craved sin, we now crave a life of purity and integrity in our walk. We look at life from a different perspective. Our new identity IN CHRIST causes us to act, speak, and think, very differently. I need to step back and ask the question: WHAT AM I CRAVING TODAY? Is it the desires of the flesh or is it RIGHTEOUSNESS, MERCY, and LOVING-KINDNESS?

Here’s a suggestion: If you find yourself craving something today, take a moment to stop and talk to the Lord about it. Rather than seeking “it,” why not seek HIM!

Good inventory questions for us to ask as we begin this new week. My friend, what are you craving today?

Thought for today: “When God is your Father, He never stops being your Father. To put it in theological language, not only is your justification (being saved) by grace, your sanctification (becoming more like Christ) is by grace too. The trouble is that most Christians think they’re saved by grace but grow by sweat. Many of us believe that when we were saved, God took our slate filled with sin and rebellion and wiped it clean. That’s a lie…Listen! God took our slate and He broke it in pieces and threw it away. He does not deal with His family by keeping track on a slate of how we are doing. The slate is irrelevant because of the blood of Christ.” Steve Brown, When Being Good Isn’t Good Enough

This week on Keswick Today, Dr. Scott Turanksy and JoAnne Miller share insights into parenting from their new book PARENTING IS HEART WORK. Listen right from our website: http://www.americaskeswick.org.

ANSWERED PRAYER

“BEFORE HE HAD FINISHED PRAYING, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder . . . Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord, saying, ‘Praise be to the Lord, . . . Who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness.'” Genesis 24:15, 26-27

“Every godly prayer is answered BEFORE the prayer itself is finished — ‘BEFORE he had finished praying . . .’ This is because Christ has pledged in His Word, ‘My Father will give you whatever you ask in my name’ (John 16:23). When you ask in faith and in Christ’s name — that is, in oneness with Him and His will — ‘it will be given you.’ (John 15:7)

Since God’s Word cannot fail, whenever we meet these simple conditions, the answer to our prayer has already been granted and is completed in heaven AS WE PRAY, even though it may not be revealed on earth until much later. Therefore it is wise to close every prayer with praise to God for the answer He has already given. ‘Praise be to the Lord, who has not abandoned His kindness and faithfulness.”

When we believe God for a blessing, we must have an attitude of faith and begin to act and pray as if the blessing were already ours. We should respond to God as if He has granted our request. This attitude of trust means leaning upon Him for what we have claimed and simply taking it for granted that He has given our request and will continue to give it.

When people get married, they immediately have a new perspective and begin to act accordingly. This is how it should be when we take Christ as our Savior, our Sanctifier, our Healer, or our Deliverer. He expects us to have a new perspective, in which we recognize Him in the capacity and the role we have trusted Him for, and in which we allow Him to be everything to us we have claimed by faith.” from Streams in the Desert

Good words to consider as we worship the Lord together on HIS DAY!

TRACTORS

Now is that an interesting title for a devotional? I just spent the last week with our grandson, Tanner, who is year and a half. He lives in Minnesota (soon to be New Hampshire) on the family farm. This little guy is obsessed with tractors. He has several videos/dvds about tractors, books, and of course, numerous toy tractors. For his age, he has a great vocabulary (proud grandpa, hey?) and one word that he says constantly is . . . You guessed it — TRACTOR.

Everywhere we went this week, that is all he talked about. He would see a tractor and just flip. He’d get the biggest smile on his face just talking about a tractor. And when he saw one, well forget it … he’d just about climb out of your arms to hop on board.

I thought about Tanner’s enthusiasm for tractors and pray that one day he will have that same awe, wonder and enthusiasm for God. Think about it as we prepare our hearts for worship. We get obsessed with so many things. I did a quick search this morning using the word “obsessed” in THE MESSAGE. Here’s what I found:
Job 36:17 And here you are laden with the guilt of the wicked, obsessed with putting the blame on God!
Psalm 37:12 – Bad guys have it in for the good guys, obsessed with doing them in.
Psalm 64:1 – Listen and help, O God. I’m reduced to a whine And a whimper, obsessed with feelings of doomsday.
Ec. 9:3 – I find this outrageous – the worst thing about living on this earth – that everyone’s lumped together in one fate. Is it any wonder that so many people are obsessed with evil? Is it any wonder that people go crazy right and left? Life leads to death. That’s it.
Eze. 22:3 – Tell her, ‘This is what God, the Master, says: You’re a city murderous at the core, just asking for punishment. You’re a city obsessed with no-god idols, making yourself filthy.
Eze. 23:9 – “So I left her to her Assyrian lovers, for whom she was so obsessed with lust.
Hosea 12:1- Ephraim, obsessed with god-fantasies, chases ghosts and phantoms. He tells lies nonstop, soul-destroying lies. Both Ephraim and Judah made deals with Assyria and tried to get an inside track with Egypt.
Am. 6:6 – Woe to those addicted to feeling good – life without pain! those obsessed with looking good – life without wrinkles! They could not care less about their country going to ruin.
Luke 16:14 – When the Pharisees, a money-obsessed bunch, heard him say these things, they rolled their eyes, dismissing him as hopelessly out of touch.
Act. 22: 19 – “At first I objected: ‘Who has better credentials? They all know how obsessed I was with hunting out those who believed in you, beating them up in the meeting places and throwing them in jail.
Acts. 26:11 – I stormed through their meeting places, bullying them into cursing Jesus, a one-man terror obsessed with obliterating these people. And then I started on the towns outside Jerusalem.
Romans 8:5 – Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them – living and breathing God!
Phil. 2:4 – Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.
2 Th 2:11 – And since they’re so obsessed with evil, God rubs their noses in it – gives them what they want.
1 Tim 5:11 – Don’t put young widows on this list. No sooner will they get on than they’ll want to get off, obsessed with wanting to get a husband rather than serving Christ in this way.
1 Tim 6:17 -Tell those rich in this world’s wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage –
I want to do a deeper search, but what amazed me is that there is no references to someone being obsessed with God. We get obsessed with TV shows, sports, food, cars, computers, and all kinds of things — but there is ONE who desires that we become obsessed with Him and Him alone.

One thing for sure — it isn’t going to happen if we wait to Sunday to focus on HIM. Worship needs to be a part of the fabric of your life and mine each and every day. Kids do learn from us. The shoe is one the other foot though — Tanner is teaching me a good lesson — I want to be obsessed by God in the same way he is obsessed with tractors. Thanks, Tanner.
Now how about you?

GOD IS OUR FORTRESS

“My soul followeth hard after you, your right hand upholds me.” — Psalm 63:8

“We cannot escape the dangers of this world without the continual and constant help of God. We experience many trials and difficult situations daily. When our problems overwhelm us — when family, money, health, and work issues seem like they are going to crush us, this is when we must cling to God and put our trust in Him. God knows we cannot overcome these problems on our own. As Christians, God expects certain resolutions on our part. To depend wholly on Him and not on human beings or the material world is one of them.

No matter how strong we think out life in THE LORD is, He is the only one who can deliver us from evil. The trials God sends us are meant to make us, not break us. God demands us to look to Him for help in times of trouble. He removes all possible means of escape, save Him. He will teach us to lean on Him when we are at our weakest, if we let Him.

As Christians, we need to form a holy habit of appropriating Christ for our every need at every turn. In ourselves we are nothing; in Jesus we are everything. “Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” (John 15:5d) Our Lord does not say, apart from me things will be difficult, or apart from me you stand a 50% chance of succeeding. He tells us we can do NOTHING. In order to live a victorious Christian life, we must have the all-sufficient hand of God upon us. Everything else in life pales in comparison. Everyday is a new opportunity for our soul to seek out and find HIM! This must be in our constant thoughts of God. If we do not know this, we must learn it. Today is the day to proclaim: JESUS CHRIST IS ALL MY LIFE — THE HOLY SPIRIT IS ALL MY POWER.”

I am a creature of God, and He has an undoubted right
To do with me as seems good in His sight,
I rejoice that I am in His hand — that He is everywhere
Present and can protect me in one place as well as in another. — A. H. Judson

Today’s FREEDOM FIGHTER was written by one of our recent Colony grads, Chris Conners, who is now in our Discipleship program. Chris trusted Christ during his 120-day stay at the Colony of Mercy and has had no “church” background. It is a great reminded of how Christ works in a life — transforming us from glory to glory!

PRESSURE

“We were under great pressure … so that we despaired even of life … this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.” 2 Corinthians 1:8-9

Pressed beyond measure; yes, pressed to great length;
Pressed so intensely, beyond our own strength;
Pressed in my body and pressed in my soul,
Pressed in my mind till the dark surges roll.
Pressure from foes, and pressure from dear friends.
Pressure on pressure, till life nearly ends.
Pressed into knowing no helper but God;
Pressed into loving His staff and His rod;
Pressed into liberty where nothing clings;
Pressed into faith for impossible things.
Pressed into living my life for the Lord,
Pressed into living a Christ-life outpoured.

“The pressure of difficult times makes us value life. Every time our life is spared and given back to us after a trail, it is like a new beginning. We better understand its value and thereby apply ourselves more effectively for God and for humankind. And the pressure we endure helps us to understand the trials of others, equipping us for to help them and to sympathize with them.

Some people have a shallowness about them. With their superficial nature, they lightly take hold of a theory or promise and then carelessly tell of their distrust of those who retreat from every trial. Yet a man or a woman who has experienced great suffering will never do this. They are very tender and gentle, and understand what suffering really means.

Trials and difficult times are needed to press us forward. They work in a way the fire in the hold of a mighty steamship provides the energy that moves the pistons, turn the engine, and propels the great vessel across the sea, even when facing the wind and the waves.” from STREAMS IN THE DESERT

Good word for today. Trust that it will encourage your heart if you are feeling PRESSED today.