LOVING GOD WITH ALL YOUR SOUL . . .

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength . . .” Mark 12:30

“The soul is the ‘heart’ of personality. Loving God with all your soul
means centering thoughts on God, governing emotions by His character,
and setting the will on the Lord and His Kingdom interests,” so writes
Pastor and author, Ed Young.

“A daily spiritual exercise helps me express love for God at the soul
level. I pray using the acronym SELF. It works like this:

S = Surrender — I surrender myself to God in prayer, acknowledging His
Lordship over my whole personality.
E = Empty — I ask the Lord to examine my heart and to help me empty
myself of anything that is out of line with His character or that would
block communion with Him.
L = Lift — I ‘lift’ praise, worship, and thanksgiving to God.
F = Fill — I ask the Lord to fill me with His Holy Spirit.

Loving God will all your soul keeps you from falling into fundamental
idolatry: the worship of self or your own personality.” from 365 Days of
Total Heart Health by Dr. Ed Young, published by our good friends at
Countryman. You can order this book at http://www.americaskeswick.org
.

Good words for today.

THAT WHICH MATTERS MOST

Yesterday was one of those crazy days where I found myself saying to my
self, “Stop the world, I want to get off!” Ever have one of those days
that just seem out of control? Well in my quiet time this morning I read
this words from Dr. Mark Swenson, writer of the powerful devotional, A
MINUTE OF MARGIN . . .

“Life has a way of getting away from us, of cascading out of control.
Soon we are scrambling to keep our balance, desperately trying to keep
our head above water. At such moments, we are seldom guided by
transcendent principles but instead by survival pure and simple. When
the phone is ringing and the doorbell is ringing and the kids are
fighting and the baby is crying and we are trying to get ready for a
meeting that started ten minutes ago, it is hard to sustain lofty
thoughts. Priorities are lost in the din. And modernity, to be sure, has
lots of din.

Inherent in understanding about overload is the need to prioritize. If
our lives are besieged with excessive clutter, crowded schedules, and
continuous interruptions, then we have some choices to make. If we have
more to do than we can possibly do, then we have some decisions to make.
[And if we are too busy to spend time with the Lord — WE ARE TOO BUSY!]
And such choices and decisions, if pursued wisely, will be guided by
eternal priorities and God-honoring criteria.

Many people often do not consciously realize what their priorities are.
A French anthropologist, Claude Levi-Strauss, once remarked, ‘History is
something that happens to people; what happens is always different from
what people would rather have done.’ Upon first reading that statement,
I realized it was both true and tragic. Priorities DO matter.

The following are principles to use in establishing and guarding our
priorities:

1. Obtain priorities from God’s Word.
2. Look through God’s eyes, and then act on what is seen.
3. Seek first the kingdom of God, and everything else later.
4. People are more important than things.

‘Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that
matter last.’ (Goethe) Listen to God’s advice. Take control of each area
of your life where He has given explicit instructions. When you bring
your balancing problems to God, you will discover that He never assigns
you twice as much as you can possibly do. Instead the Father reveals the
appropriate priorities to use and then always provides whatever time and
resources are needed to accomplish His will.”

These were good words that I needed to hear, especially after a crazy
day yesterday. Thank You, Lord, for speaking to my heart.

A MINUTE OF MARGIN (NavPress) can be ordered at the KESWICK ONLINE
BOOKSTORE — http://www.americaskeswick.org.

GUARD YOUR HEART

I have shared from this verse before, but it is worth reviewing over and
over again. For those of you who read a chapter in Proverbs daily, you
are going to read these verses every month, twelve times a year!

As men of God, we need to guard and protect our hearts! Solomon wrote:
“Keep vigilant watch (guard) over your heart; that’s where life starts.
Don’t talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white
lies and gossip. Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow
distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth
before you. Look neither right or left; leave evil in the dust.” —
Proverbs 4:23-27

One of the ways we guard our hearts to lay a good foundation in our
lives. That is why spending time with God each day must be a
non-negotiable for us. Many of us use Daytimers or some other
time-management program. We diligently record meetings and appointments
that we don’t want to miss or forget. How easy it is for us to miss our
time with the Father. We cannot afford to miss that time, my friends.
Reading the Word, meditating and praying help us build a firm foundation
in our lives — it strengthens and fortifies our hearts.

I just read this morning that “Frederic-Aguste Bartholdi faced two
challenges when designing the Statue of Liberty: how to hold together
100 tons of copper plate and how to make a structure strong enough to
resist fiercest winds. The answer was a 94-foot high skeleton of wrought
iron at the core. It is so strong that Lady Liberty sways only three
inches in a 50-mile-per-hour wind!” (from 365 DAYS OF TOTAL HEART
HEALTH)

Are you guarding your heart this morning? Did you miss your appointment
with the Father? Why not journal some of the ways that you would guard
your heart and strength the inner core of your life. It will be worth
the time today to do that!

Have a great day.

Join us for our first Men’s Fellowship Night of the new year —
Thursday, January 12, 2006. Pastor Larry Green, Senior Pastor of Shawnee
Baptist Church will be our speaker. Call today for reservations:
800-453-7942.

DEPEND ON GOD

“The best place to be is where God puts you. Any other place is
undesirable because you chose it for yourself. Do not think too much
about the future. Worrying about things that haven’t happened yet is
unhealthy for you. God Himself will help you, day by day. There is no
need to store things up for the future. Don’t you believe God will take
care of you?

A life of faith does two things: Faith helps you see God behind
EVERYTHING that He uses. And faith also keeps you in a place where you
are not sure what will happen next. To have faith you cannot always want
to know what is happening or going to happen. God wants you to trust Him
ALONE from minute to minute. The strength He gives you in one minute is
not intended to carry you through the next. Let God take care of His
business. Just be faithful to what God asks of you.

To depend on God from moment to moment — especially when all is dark
and uncertain — is a true dying to your old self. This process is so
slow and inward that it is often hidden from you as well as others.”
from THE SEEKING HEART by Fenelon

“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out
everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in EVERYTHING you do,
EVERYWHERE you go; He’s the one who will keep you on track.” Proverbs
3:5-6 from THE MESSAGE

Good words for today. To order a copy of THE SEEKING HEART, visit our
KESWICK Online Bookstore — http://www.americaskeswick.org.

THE WORD OF GOD — AN AMAZING BOOK . . .

“God is the creator and HIS WORD speaks to a lot more than just our
faith and practice. It speaks to EVERY essential discipline of society.
The statement, ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth’
(Genesis 1:1) speaks directly to matters of theology and philosophy.
God’s prohibitions to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil
(Genesis 2:9) is the starting point for ethics. The mention of animals
‘according to their kind’ (Genesis 1:21) recognizes the importance of
biology. The statement that ‘man became a living being’ (Genesis 2:7)
suggests our physical, psychological and spiritual nature. The command
to ‘be fruitful and increase the number, fill the earth and subdue it’
(Genesis 1:28) speaks to matters of sociology and the relationship of
humans to the natural order. The statement, ‘Whoever sheds the blood of
man by man shall his blood be shed’ (Genesis 9:6) sets legal and
political precedents. God’s gift of grain and fruit for food (Genesis
1:29) speaks to economic relationships. The statement, ‘I will put
enmity between you and the woman (Genesis 3:15) foreshadows
misunderstandings that will occur between men and women through history.

God underlines the significance of all the above disciplines in the
ultimate revelation of Jesus Christ. In theology, Jesus is the fullness
of the Godhead (Colossians 2:9). In philosophy, Jesus is the Logos
(Word) of God (John 1:1). In ethics, Jesus is the true light (John 1:9).
In biology, Jesus took on the form of a man (Philippians 2:7), and
became our source for physical and spiritual life (see John 1:4). In
psychology, Jesus is the true and perfect man who saves and transforms
us (see Luke 1:46-47). In sociology, Jesus is our example for social
relationships (1 Peter 2:21). In law and politics, Jesus came to fulfill
the Law (Matthew 5:17) and is the Lord of lords and the King of kings
(Revelation 19:16). In economics, Jesus is the owner of all things (1
Corinthians 10:26). All things were created by Christ and for Christ
(Colossians 1:16). Finally, in history, Jesus is the Alpha and Omega —
the beginning and the end (Revelation 1:8).

All that from one book! What an amazing book — but what an amazing GOD!
Celebrate and worship Him today.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Here is a great poem from one of our Freedom Fighter
members, Pastor George VanSandt. Enjoy your day!!!

Just Thinking!
When God made man His work was done
He never created another one.
Now of all the things that God has made
Man was the only one who disobeyed. (Romans 5:12)

Man, the king of God’s creation, alone
Can sit upon his little throne
As he remembers the past with all that’s done
And dreams of the future race he’ll run.

And all the while he will understand
That time is like small grains of sand
That slips through fingers no matter how strong.
No one can hold sand for very long!

The past we can picture and the future we dream,
The present we have–but it is unseen.
Life moves swiftly, like a bird on the wing,
Its rhythm and beat are the songs we sing.

But sound fades and fire becomes a glowing ember
January begins but a year ends in December.
Could we catch time and hold it tight,
Or make the Sun shine in the night,

Then we would know as God does know.
(He gave Noah his promised rainbow.)
(Geneses 9:12-16)
If in the NOW we could always live and be
No future to fear and no past to grieve.

That is where our God lives-in the present.
He is coming again although He hasn’t
One tick of the clock and the new became old
Nothing stays new (or so I am told).

We this New Year now must face,
For time moves in its steady pace,
As we the past year must review
Here’s to Him who makes All Things New, (Rev. 21:5)

For our New Home and our New Name, (John 14:1-3;
Rev. 2:17)
Our New Relationship with Him who came
To take our robes all tattered and torn
And gives us the Robe that He has worn.
(Isaiah 61:10)

He gives us New Friends and a New Reason to live,
New Hope, New Joy He will give and give!
So, until your final breath when life is through
Look only to Him who makes all things new!

Approaching the end of the year is a good time step back and reflect on
the events of the past year. Normally we get involved in the hustle and
bustle of the celebration and neglect to take the time to look back and
review the past year.

In preparation for Ken Brown’s memorial service, I took a look through
his Bible and pulled out verses that he had underlined. They are good
verses to use as we bring this year to a close. Take some time to read
them and reflect on this past year. By the way . . . how did you do?

It is because of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because
his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Thy
faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore I will
hope in him.

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to
be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are persecuted,
but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not
destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus,
that the life also of Jesus Christ be made manifest in the body.

You, therefore, endure hardship, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No
man that warreth entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that
he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of
you, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy
God?

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His
commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring
every work in judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or
whether it be evil.

Therefore by beloved brothers and sisters: be steadfast, immoveable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labors are
not in vain in the Lord.

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the
faith; Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day; and not
to me only, but unto all them who love his appearing.

On behalf of the Board, staff and the Freedom Fighter family, have a
blessed 2006 IN CHRIST. We love and appreciate you.

“Just as the eye converts photons into electrical signals that can be
‘seen’ by the brain, so the ear converts sound waves into electric
signals that can be ‘heard’ by the brain — no less a miracle. In some
ways the ear actually outperforms the eye. It can hear over an even
wider range of sound intensity (one trillion times) than the range of
light intensity over which the eye can see (ten billion times).

The eardrum has the same thickness as a piece of paper and is
exquisitely sensitive to any vibration. It can vibrate as slowly as
twenty times per second. Even sound waves that move the eardrum less
than the diameter of a hydrogen molecule can be perceived by the brain
as a sound. It is this sensitivity that makes it possible to hear a
cricket chirping one-half mile away on a still night.

The sensitivity of the hearing mechanism is very impressive. The reason
‘sound’ happens at all has everything to do with the sensitivity of the
equipment God has designed for us and almost nothing to do with the
energy of the sound wave itself. A noise loud enough to pain the ear,
for example, measures a mere 0.01 watt of energy.

The sound energy generated by our speaking is likewise negligible. A
person could ‘talk continuously for hundred years and still not produce
the sound energy equivalent to the heat energy needed to bring a cup of
water to the boil.’ That is the extraordinary sensitivity of the ear
itse
lf that permits hearing.

The ear has a million moving parts and is yet another evidence of the
microprecision of God. Yet as wish so much of life, the creature abuses
the gift. The ear is increasingly assaulted by an epidemic of noise and
commotion. Noise is to the ear what excessively bright lights are to the
eyes.

Noise is toxic to the sensitive cells of the ear, the cardio-vascular
and nervous systems, and our mental and spiritual health. ‘Noise usually
drowns out the voice of God,’ maintains Gordon MacDonald. ‘Few of us can
fully appreciate the terrible conspiracy of noise there is about us,
noise that denies us the silence and solitude we need for this
cultivation of the inner garden.’

Realizing that EXCESSIVE noise leads to stress, seek to diminish the
ambient noise in your life. ‘Regular times of quiet are absolutely
necessary,’ wrote Dietrich Bonhoffer. ‘After a time of quiet we meet
others in a different and a fresh way,’ Adds theologian John Stott:
‘I’ve learned the necessity of stepping back, looking where I was going,
and having a monthly quiet day to be drawn up into the mind of God.'”
from A MINUTE OF MARGIN — RESTORING BALANCE TO BUSY LIVES by Richard A.
Swenson and published by our good friends at NavPress.

It happened this morning like it has happened hundreds of times during
my quiet time — everything I read tied together. It is an amazing thing
when that happens. Today’s reading of Scripture from the DAILY LIGHT
were these: “Understand what the will of the Lord is. This is the will
of God — your sanctification. Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at
peace . . . ” (Ephesians 5:17, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, Job 22:21)

I am sure you have been there. As you have prayed and opened your heart
to Abba Father, asking Him for clear direction for your life, it has
come in unexpected ways. It is crystal clear what HE wants you to do.
But the question is — do I just listen to it and do nothing, or do I,
by faith, accept it and do it — not just in the “big” things, but as He
reveals how I should live daily in my walk with Him — do I revel in the
revelation only — or do I apply the truth to my heart, and as NIKE says
— JUST DO IT!

Oswald Chambers said today: “When God, by His Spirit through His Word,
gives you a CLEAR vision of His will, you must ‘walk in the light’ of
that vision. Even though your MIND and SOUL may be thrilled by it, if
you don’t ‘walk in the light’ of it you will sink to a level of BONDAGE
never envisioned by our Lord. MENTALLY DISOBEYING the ‘heavenly vision’
will make you a slave to ideas and views that are completely foreign to
Jesus Christ . . . Our tendency is to lie back and bask in the memory
of the wonderful experience we had when God revealed His will to us. But
if a New Testament standard is revealed to us by the light of God, and
we don’t try to measure up, or even feel inclined to do so, then we
begin to backslide. It means your conscience does not respond to the
truth. You can never be the same after the unveiling of a truth. That
moment marks you as one who either continues on with even more devotion
as a disciple of Jesus Christ, or as one who turns to go back as a
deserter.”

What will it be today? As my good friend, Pastor Ron Schmidt, Senior
Pastor of Davisville Baptist says, “It’s never too late to do what He
reveals to you to do.” Understand the will of the Lord and JUST DO IT.”

“Love the Lord, love people, and keep your life clean, and the Lord will
give you so many open doors you will not be able to fill them!” (Jack
Wrytzen) as quoted in a recent newsletter from Billy and Paula Speer.

“If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure; real survivors
learn wisdom from others.” (Proverbs 28:26)

One of the ways that you can grow in life is to find yourself a mentor
who can disciple you. I have been blessed over the years to have several
men in my life who have been willing to come alongside of me to help me
develop in different areas of my life. When I was 12 years old, Bill
Winterberg from our home church, put his arm around me and encouraged me
to serve the Lord in our church using my musical gifts. Each Sunday he
would pull me aside and share some words of insight with me. Years later
I would consider him a respected counselor and friend and would often
seek his advice.

For over 30 years, Neil Fichthorn, former President of Sandy Cove
Ministries has mentored me in my professional life. He took the time to
teach me the ropes of Christian conference ministry. What I learned from
him could never be bought through a college course. We still chat on a
regular basis and compare notes. Our Board Chairman, Howard Bateman
talks with me every day. Most people would think that is
micro-management. Howard has been more than a “boss” — he has been a
friend who has invested time in my life. I have learned volumes about
family, finances, and integrity from observing this man’s life and walk.

Over the years, the Lord has brought into my life men who have mentored
me spiritually — Newton Conant, Joe Dariano, George VanSandt, Bill
Raws, Pastor Bob Alderman — men whom I have had the privilege of
getting “up close and personal” with to learn from them. I am so
blessed!

One of the sad things about my generation and those below me, is buying
into the lie that we can make it on our own. Well guess what — you can
save yourself a lot of pain and unnecessary difficulty by drawing close
to a “seasoned” saint who you can learn from. I challenge you today —
find a mentor. Get up close and personal with a godly man who will teach
you from his own life! It is an investment that will pay rich dividends.
Don’t be a know it all!