Making a Difference

 It is a memory still etched in my mind. I was in high school. I had only been a Christian for less than a year. I was sitting in my youth pastor's office along with another minister in the church. They were talking about problems in our town. Zealously I offered the solution to the problems. Just win the town to Jesus. Both of those men laughed at me and ridiculed my idealism. They said I would learn over time. 

That event happened nearly 40 years ago. Nothing has changed in me. I still want to make a difference. To believe God to work in mighty fashion like He did in the book of Acts. The zeal has not worn off. Sadly, the results I prayed for, labored for, and sacrificed for did not happen. I'm no longer 17 but 58. Some would argue I am past my prime. My joints certainly reflect that. My soul, mind, and passion burn has hotly to make a difference as they ever have. 

I have to own up to my track record. We attempted two church plants and they both did not survive. Another church merged with a sister congregation. The first church I served as pastor barely hangs on. The church I served as youth pastor has declined from 45 students to an average of 6. At last count these blogs were only visited a dozen times in the past 24 hours. My last book sold less than 50 total copies. 

That does not mean the dream does not blaze in my soul as white hot as it ever has to make an impact. Don't get me wrong. I am not looking for fame. I prefer to live out my remaining days to minister in obscure places in the backwoods off the beaten path. I don't have to be in the spotlight. I prefer to invest my life and ministry into a local flock. To love them, pray for them, and feed them the word of God. It is my desire that God would reach lost souls and pack the pews with people who are being transformed by God. 

Some would argue that at 58 I am used up. That my best days are behind me. That I might just be looking to coast into retirement. They could not be more wrong. I believe my best days in ministry are still out in front of me. God is building greater faith in me and more wisdom. I have as much passion to serve as a shepherd today as I ever have in my ministry. I am not looking for retirement. I plan to serve God as long as I am physically and mentally able. There will come a day when it becomes prudent for me to operate on a year-to-year basis with the church as pastor. I want to stay long but not too long beyond my effectiveness. I desire to give the church an easy out when it comes time for me to step down. I have a date in my mind, but ultimately that is in God's hands. I think retirement is highly overrated. 

I understand I am entering the dusk years of my life. All that does for me is make me more focused to pray harder, work longer, preach louder, and write oftener hoping some or all of it will make some difference for God. With 2024 winding down I am winding up to hit the new year running. I don't know what making a difference really looks like. At the end of my life journey, I want my life to have counted. I want to do more than take up space and live an ordinary life. I want to tap into an extraordinary life through God. With that I am off to bed and will let the new year ring in without me. Perhaps the Lord will allow me to make a greater difference in 2025. 

15 Hours and Counting

 I sit down to write this with 15 hours left before 2024 fades forever into history. Earlier this morning I prayerfully reflected on this past year. I recalled high points as well as a few low points. There were joyous celebrations and a few heart wrenching situations that shook me to the core. There was one constant all year long. 

God was there. He met with me in the secret place over and over again. He encouraged me when I was discouraged. He strengthened me when I was weak. He filled me when I was empty. He nourished me when I was spiritually famished. He comforted me in sorrows. He inspired me with writing 199 of these posts. He anointed me to preach and teach His word. He gave wisdom to make difficult decisions. He gave endurance to persevere through grueling seasons when I overcommitted myself. He chastised me when I drifted into sin and needed adjustments in my behavior and attitude. He loved me through it all. 

There is no way I could ever recount all He did in the past year. For the past couple of months my times with the Lord have been some of the sweetest of my life. He wakes me at all hours and beckons me to the secret place to meet with Him. The hunger He creates in me is greater than my desire for sleep. I never know when He will awaken me. That is why I go to bed so early. The standing appointment I have with Him is more important than anything else going. 

I have not stayed up to ring in the new year in a very long time. It just seemed silly to stay up to midnight just to watch a ball drop in New York or to say I was awake when it officially became 2025. Those festivities go on fine without me. I hope to start 2025 just the way I started today. Alone soaking in His presence. Communing with Christ. Seated at His feet in the secret place. 

I am neither happy nor sad to see 2024 go. It was another year where God showed Himself faithful over and over again. I fully expect in 2025 He will do the same. One thing I am certain of is that 2025 will bring change. A new year always does. We will inaugurate a new President. There will be new catastrophic events. More people will die. New babies will be born. People will get married, and others will get divorced. The economy will rise and fall. Health crisis will happen for many. Through it all God will sit sovereignly on His throne ruling with an iron fist and a compassionate heart. Goodbye 2024 and welcome 2025 in 15 hours. 

Courage to Obey

 The mission was simple. Infiltrate opposition land and discern the threat level. Brave men stepped away from comfort and security to stealthily cross over into hostile territory. The mission took over a month to complete. Each soldier returned safely and gave their report. The consensus was not united. The majority thought the risks were too great and the enemy forces too formidable for occupational success. There were a small number of holdouts who thought the mission possible for success. 

The majority won the vote and the consequences were lethal. An opportunity was missed. An open door was shut for decades because of a bad report from a handful of soldiers. You can read about this story in Numbers 13:1-25. 

Caleb and Joshua were the only two hold outs in a nation of over one million people. Nobody sided with them. They had courage to obey God no matter the odds. They did not put their confidence in their own military might. They went all in on God's unlimited ability to do what He promised Abraham centuries before. It took courage to believe God and to follow. Sadly, the majority embraced cowardice instead of courage. They suffered for that decision forty years. A whole generation of faithless people had to die before God allowed them to possess the promised land. 

Do we have the courage to obey when God calls us to do something? It is easy to say yes in the comfortable confines of our cushioned sofa or in the plush pews of our church. Saying yes leads to a crisis of belief we learned from Henry Blackaby. There comes a moment when you have to go all in, sell out, surrender all, and courageously obey even though you cannot see the outcome. 

We operate just the opposite. We want guarantees in place. We want to minimize risk and maximize reward. We profess Yahweh is God, but we are at times reluctant to really radically obey. We come up with excuses because obeying is not a good option. The Bible and history are filled with the stories of people who ignored all that and courageously obeyed. These are the history makers, the Kingdom shakers, and the promised land takers. 

I for one have no intention of sitting around the rest of my days reading about the great stories of mighty exploits through God spectating from the sidelines. I intend to courageously obey even when I am frightened out of my mind and logic tells me how foolish obedience to God may be. I don't just want to be a preacher. I want to be a testifier of the great things Almighty God does. I want to live similar stories like the ones I read about in scripture. I do not want to be in the audience watching others do mighty things for God. I want to courageously follow God and see Him do mighty things in me, through me and around me. 

Just as sure as I write those sentences, I know exactly what I am doing. I am inviting God to call me to something impossible, improbable, illogical, and yet hopelessly irresistible to the adventurous thrill seeker faith walker like I dream to be. Something that the majority may not support. Something that forces me to trust God like I never have before. Even if all of that happens and God calls me out of comfort and security, I must courageously obey or forever shut my mouth about faith walking trusting God. Even if none go with me, I want the courage to follow and obey. I believe there are multitudes who have the same desire as I do. May we all surrender and courageously obey no matter what. What glorious thing will God do next because of our courageous obedience? 

My 58th Christmas

 Christmas has come and gone for the 58th time for this scribe. I certainly enjoyed sitting in a room surrounded by Brenda, our four sons, and our daughter in law and one dog named Buster. It was a treasured time. We laughed. We celebrated the birth of our Savior. We exchanged gifts and watched mouths gape open wide in astonishment. We ate our traditional breakfast of homemade biscuits, breakfast casserole and this year added sausage gravy. We capped off the evening by playing a board game. I lost again and was not happy about it. 

As a child I would go to bed so excited on Christmas Eve I could barely stand it. When I did finally fall asleep it did not last long.  I was ALWAYS the first to wake up. Most of the time it was around 2:00 a.m. I snuck out of bed and tiptoed to the living room where I saw bright shiny toys around the tree. Some were left unwrapped. I can still see them in my mind. The action figure BIG JIM with his jeep and action toys. There were all those footballs and football uniforms. Several times I got bicycles. One year I got a gift that still haunts my memories to this day. MR. QUARTERBACK. It had a mechanical arm and a timer that would launch a pass to you. I dreamed of that toy so I could play football by myself. I broke it in the living room one Christmas morning and it never worked. I never got a pass from MR. QUARTERBACK. 

Brenda has always done a great job at surprising me. One year it was golf clubs. Another it was several watches which I still wear. This year she did it again. She got me a MY PILLOW 2.0. Mike Lindell was right. In the two nights I have used it I have had the best sleep of my life. 

A few years ago I contemplated something on Christmas morning. After the last gift was opened and everyone was sitting around mountains of wrapping paper it dawned on me. We spend a whole year waiting for Christmas to come around. People repeatedly say it is their favorite time of the year. Radio stations blast Christmas classics. TV specials run spreading Christmas cheer. People hustle from parties to shopping. Retailers rejoice at profit margins. Kids make their Christmas lists. Decorations come out and bright lights twinkle everywhere. There is so much hype around Christmas. Candlelight services, egg nog,(which I have successfully avoided trying for 58 years), looking at Christmas lights, and Christmas trees. So much hype. 

All the anticipation building toward the big day. Some count down to how many more days are left until  Christmas. Children put on Christmas plays. Choirs sing Christmas carols. Then in a flash it is over. The last gift is exchanged. Family pack up and head back home. Tanner left on Thursday. Tucker will leave on Monday. Turner will head back for his last semester of college in about a week. 

If that is all that Christmas is; family, gifts, and decorations, then it does not live up to the hype. In a flash it is over. People hustle in stores returning gifts they did not want or in exchange for the right size. All the big build up and then it ends. The same thing will happen next year I suppose. 

When Jesus really is the focus of Christmas, it lasts all year long. I am no Scrooge. I enjoy all the festivities. I just do not buy into the hype. I see how fast and hollow all of that is in comparison to an ongoing relationship with Jesus all year long. Just a few reflections from my 58th Christmas. 

The Cloud and the Fire

 After God delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt, He led them through the wilderness by a cloud by day and fire by night. When the cloud or the fire settled Israel pitched camp. The cloud and fire might remain in place for days or months at a time. There were other times when they moved after just one day. Each time those moved Israel packed up camp and moved with them. 

God has never directed my steps with a cloud or fire. Discerning His path has been challenging at times. I was tempted to wish that God sent a cloud and fire so I would know which direction to go. He reminded me this morning that I have been given His word and the Holy Spirit to guide my steps. 

Ps 119:105 reminds us that His word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. This really hit home for me a couple of years ago when I got invited to preach a youth camp in the mountains of New Mexico. The path from where I preached back to my cabin followed a stream to a narrow bridge where I crossed a pond. Along the trail I had to navigate roots, holes, rocks, and of course the stream. Each night it was pitch black except for the stars overhead. The first night I forgot my flashlight. I stumbled trying to make my way back to our cabin. The following nights I had a little flashlight. It did not give off a great deal of light. It did illumine the path in front of me for a few steps. It was so much easier to navigate the trail back to my cabin with that light than without it. 

God directs our paths with the light of His word. He brings certain verses in timely fashion to get us from where we are to where He wants us to be. When I look back over my life of following Jesus I see repeatedly how He used His word to guide me. At critical junctures certain passages came to me from different sources repeatedly. His word is like a cloud telling us when to move forward and when to wait. This may not mean that God's word will reveal the future for months and years ahead. He will give enough light for today. That is all we need is light for our path for this day. 

We also have the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is interesting that one of the symbols of the Holy Spirit is fire. Many years ago a friend counseled me to let peace be my guide. What he meant is that when the path forward is unclear and you have decide which path to take at a fork, the Holy Spirit will give peace about one direction over another. His peace has helped Brenda and me make many critical choices over the past several decades. Some were seemingly inconsequential like giving to a need or choosing how to invest money. Other decisions had greater consequences like relocating to a new ministry. His peace has helped us in knowing how to counsel others in what we said or did not say. The Holy Spirit helped us navigate the trail of parenting one teenaged girl and four sons. 

The word of God and the Holy Spirit are our cloud and fire. When we remain focused on them I am confident God can get us from where we are to where He want us to be. That might mean emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. God still guides His people. When He moves we are supposed to follow. When He stops we are to stop. In this way we will always keep in step with God. 

Commanding the Ravens

 An interesting story is recorded in I Kings 17:1-7. A drought came upon Israel as judgment from God. God told Elijah to go and hide himself by a brook called Cherith. That is not so unusual. King Ahab was mad at Elijah for prophesying about the drought. Elijah was a wanted man so God hid him. 

God told Elijah that he would get water to drink from the brook. He next told Elijah that He commanded the ravens to bring the seer bread and meat. That is ludicrous. A raven's brain is about the size of a walnut. They do not have reasoning abilities. Yet they heard and were moved by God to provide for the prophet at his place of refuge. 

Ravens have a diverse diet. They eat rodents, fish, nesting eggs, berries, and decaying flesh. Taken all of this into account, it is even more amazing that they would bring Elijah bread and meat. The natural tendency for the raven would have been to eat the meat. They submitted to the command of God to bring Elijah food twice a day for a long time which is not their nature. They were door dash before there was door dash. 

God commanded the ravens. God can also command people and move them to do all sorts of things on mission for Him. They might uproot and relocate as Abraham did. [Heb 11:8] He might call people to suffer for Him. [Acts 9:15-16] They might be commanded to love unlovable people. [Matt 9:36-37]. God might direct them to lay down their lives as martyrs. [Acts 7:1-60]. He also might lead someone to give financially to God's cause. [Mark 12:42-44]. 

God's ability to communicate His desires is far reaching. His creativity in communicating those needs is vast. In a thousand years nobody would have come up with a plan to sustain Elijah with ravens delivery service. The more probable solution would have been that Elijah go hunting for his food by killing deer or catching fish and possibly forging plants to feed himself. He never considered God would command ravens to bring him for food. 

Don't miss this. God commanded the ravens to deliver the food to the Brook Cherith. Elijah had to be in relationship with God to hear such a word of direction. If Elijah did not walk with God and listen for His voice this story would have had a tragic ending. He would not have hidden at the brook. He would have missed out on what God planned. God is able to speak to people and in this case even ravens. Do we listen? It is imperative that we do. 

Elijah had to obey by faith. It made sense to go into hiding and be close to a water supply. Would you have believed God when told He would command the ravens to bring you food? That is illogical. Many things God calls us to believe Him for are illogical. They just don't make sense. They are not in the natural order of things. God can do anything He pleases, however He pleases, through whom He pleases and when He pleases. 

His supernatural activity happens after the faith steps. Like God telling Moses to hold up his staff over the waters and telling the people to walk across on dry ground when the waters parted. [Ex 14] Somebody had to be the first in line to walk between the two walls of water. Moses had to believe God would do something He never had done before. Elijah had to believe that God would provide for him in a way He never did before. It comes down to trust. Do we believe what God says?

I am praying and believing God for something I've never asked before. I am asking God for financial provision. I have done that hundreds of times, but not this way before. You see, I am asking God for a huge financial blessing because I feel prompted even commanded by the LORD  to GIVE AWAY $10,000! That's right. I believe God has called Brenda and I to give away $10,000 in total to five different families. It does not make sense because we do not have that money, but I trust God to command the ravens to bring His provision to us because He is commanding us to give it to others. Stay tuned. I will let you know how that goes soon. 

Appointment With My Father

 I looked forward with great anticipation to a recent appointment I had with my father. After years of being fatherless I had the opportunity to meet with my father. Something I looked forward to with great eagerly.

 I spent my whole childhood without a father. My grandfather served that role in my life until he died when I was sophomore in high school. I wept inconsolably at his loss. None of my siblings or cousins did. My Papaw meant everything to me. We both enjoyed a love for sports. I often curled up in bed with him to watch a Monday Night Football game. We also watched baseball, track and field, and other sporting events. He took me to my first high school football game. That stadium seemed like an NFL stadium and those Lufkin Panthers like heroes to this wide eyed little boy. My grandfather was a Lufkin Panther. I proudly wore the purple and gold of the Panthers in high school too just like him. I wanted him to be proud of me. He never saw me play one down of football in the purple and gold. He died of Leukemia. 

Papaw taught me how to throw and catch a football and baseball. He bought me my first baseball glove made by McGregor. I used that glove all the way into college until the padding wore out. He used to ask me to drive him places when I got my license. It was not because he could not drive. He just wanted to spend time with me. I never saw him do that with my siblings or cousins. We enjoyed a special bond. He was not my father though. 

Growing up without a father had far reaching implications. I grew up a very sullen angry child. I also struggled with insecurities. My only way of proving my worth was through sports. Football to be more specific. I did not excel in any sport except football. I drove myself to be successful in the hopes that people would like me. I was not comfortable in my own skin. I desperately wanted to be liked and to fit in, but remained aloof much of the time. I grew up not trusting people. I got wronged so many times that I didn't let many people get close to me. After my grandfather died, it felt like I was skating through life on thin ice. I had no foundation. No firm footing. 

Fast forward about thirty years. Brenda and I went to see a movie in the theaters. We knew it was a Christian film about fathers, but did not know any real details. Turns out the movie was a documentary about fatherhood and the impact of fathers. In one scene a fatherless athlete is going to meet his former coach who turned out to be his father. Neither knew. The athlete was conceived in a one night stand. The coach was happily married for decades and had other children. Providentially God stepped in and revealed that this coach was the biological father of the former athlete who was now a grown man and married. 

The son drives to the house to meet his father. They were already close. The two talked on the phone regularly as coach/mentor relationship. He had been to the coach's home before. Never as a son meeting his father though. He was reluctant to get out of the car and come to the door. When he finally summoned the courage he walked up the sidewalk and knock on the door he was unprepared for what happened. He waited nervously for the door to open. The father opened the door and joyfully said, "Welcome my son." 

I teared up and choked back a waterfall of tears. On the drive home after the movie I told Brenda I have never heard any man ever say to me, "My son." NEVER my entire life. That wounds a child and a man. You better believe I took fatherhood seriously when God started blessing us with those four little boys. I often put them to bed and after praying for them I told them, "I don't know why out of all the dads in the world God chose me blessed me to be your dad, but I am sure glad he did. Out of all the little boys in the world I would still choose you." 

In the past two days I talked to three of my four sons either in person or on the phone. I still hug them when I see them though they are all men and three of the four taller than me. There is a bond they have with their mother. They talk to her more than me. The bond between our sons and me is different. They contact me when they do something good and want my approval. I still cheer them on in their career paths. I've told each of them there is nothing they could ever do to make me love them more or to make me love them less. Getting to be their father is one of the greatest blessings and joys of my life. 

I never got any of that growing up. So making an appointment with my father was a long held dream. On the appointed day I got up early and dressed. I walked out the door headed for our rendevouz spot. What a joyous time we shared that day. Words could never describe what I experienced. 

You see the father I met that day was not an earthly father. It was my Heavenly Father who is a Father to the fatherless. [Ps 68:5] He is the Father I meet in our secret place. He waits me for there and communicates with me in profound ways. We have an early morning appointment everyday. We meet in our secret place. [Matt 6:7] In every conceivable way an earthly father can love and guide his children, my Heavenly Father has also done for me. He guides me. He counsels me. He provides for me. He rebukes and chastises me. He encourages me. Most of all He loves me. I cannot tell you what all of that means to a fatherless grown up boy like me. Indescribable. Transformational. 

I'm Not Making This Up

 God answers prayers. He answers in His way, according to His desires, and in His time. There are seasons when we do not align with any of those things. We want what we want and when we want it. We ask. We say we believe but I wonder if we do not wish more than believe. We offer prayers like random chances. Sometimes we hope God comes through and other times we half expect He won't help us. 

I've spent three decades practicing prayer. I certainly do not claim to be an expert. I have learned a few things along the way. Real praying must be fueled by real faith. [Heb 11:6] We must learn to pray God's will if we hope to get answers consistently. [I John 5:14-15] It just makes sense that when we pray what God wants to do our prayers will be much more effective. 

In recent posts, I talked about the ways God provided for Brenda and me during this season where she is recovering from surgery and unable to work. We watched God come through over and again. We were on our way to rehab yesterday when I asked how our finances were. She told me they were very tight and then she started crying. That is not unusual. I have kidded with her over the years that in the body of Christ she must be the tear duct. She was not crying because she was sad or stressed. She cried because God provided in another miraculous way that she had not told me about yet. Her boss gave her a $1,500 Christmas bonus. He has never given her anything remotely close to that in the past 13 years. God moved her boss through prayer to give to us during this time of need more than ever before. God did it again. I promise I am not making these things up. God hears our prayers. Her boss does not know how I've prayed. He does not read these blogs or watch our services. He has no idea. God did though. God used him to be the vessel of a miracle and he most likely is not even aware of it. 

Every day we lean into God and trust Him to do what otherwise would be impossible or at least improbable. We have used this money to pay bills like car insurance (our largest monthly expenditure with five vehicles), Turner's last tuition payment for the semester, groceries, gas to go back and forth to rehab an hour away from where we live (that is what her insurance set up and it has turned into a ministry), and helping our sons out with car repairs and their needs. God sees all of it. He knows and He is able to provide for all of it. We don't have to go around dropping hints. We pray to God in secret and He has rewarded us openly. 

I struggle at times to even write or speak about such testimonies not wanting anyone to misconstrue these as my attempt to play on people's sympathies and manipulate emotionally for money. I have to testify about what God has done and is doing. I am telling honest stories about what our Father does for us. He chooses to provide in the most creative ways. Cash in an envelope left in an abandoned office. Forgotten payment for a PE class where the mother was awakened in the middle of the night remembering she forgot to remit payment, and an extravagant Christmas bonus. I am humbled by His power and mighty ability. There is nothing that my or your family needs or will ever need that He does not already have in ample supply. 

I assure you I am not making these stories up. They are not fabricated out of my imagination. They are real. Just as real as the keys on this keyboard under my fingers. Just as real as this office chair I sit in. Just as real as the aroma of the delicious food cooking on the stove we will eat later today. God hears and answers prayer. 

He is able to do abundantly and exceedingly more than we ask or think according to [Eph 3:20] I for one am taking Him up on that offer. I have asked God for some really big things in the past. I have been asking for some really big things in the present. Some of them might shock you. It is our hope that with each answer our platform to testify about His faithfulness is enlarged. We pray others might be encouraged and inspired to keep believing God for greater things themselves. 

Prayer That Moves People

 I have long made prayer and faith a central focus in many of these posts. It is not something I write about from theory. I write out of conviction and first-hand experience. I believe part of the reason I even exist is to inspire people to pray and trust God. 

I was recently fascinated by a story related by Hudson Taylor in the biography written by his son Howard Taylor Hudson Taylor God's Man in China. Hudson felt called of God to go to China at an early age. He saw as part of his training that he needed to trust God for provision without the help of his family while he trained. He secured an apartment in the slums and worked as a medical assistant. 

Hudson Taylor adopted the attitude of not revealing his personal needs or the needs of his ministry except to God through prayer. He resolved to discover if he could really trust God to meet his needs by praying for God to move people to give supply what he was lacking. He was put to test. 

During one season the doctor he worked for neglected to pay him. He simply forgot in his busy schedule. Taylor never reminded him. He got down to his last coin in his pocket. God tested him further when Taylor met a man in severe need for his family. God prompted Taylor to give the coin away. It was a real struggle. He wrestled over the invitation to give and trust God. God won over his heart and he gave his last money away. 

Taylor prayed for God to move people to help him in his poverty and the following Monday he received a financial gift of greater value than what he gave away. Still the doctor did not remember to pay Taylor. Days turned into weeks. 

The Saturday came when Taylor had to pay his rent. He had nothing to pay it. He often retreated at the physician's office where he worked in the back pleading with the Lord to remind the doctor that he forgot to pay Hudson. God answered. The doctor suddenly asked him if it was time to pay his salary. Humbly Taylor replied that it was past time for several weeks. Taylor exalted that God heard his prayer and reminded the good doctor of his oversight. 

Just as fast as Taylor's faith soared it came crashing down. The doctor bemoaned that he wished he had remembered earlier. He sent all his cash to the bank for deposit. Being that it was a Saturday a check would not do Taylor any good until Monday. Hudson tried to hide his disappointment. 

The day ended and Taylor returned to his apartment doing all in his power to avoid his landlady. He busied himself with preparations for street ministry he engaged in on Saturday nights. He snuck out the door that evening again avoiding his landlady. At that moment he heard a voice laughing approaching. It was the doctor. The doctor related the story of how his most wealthy patient had just found him and paid his bill in cash at that late hour. It made no sense to the doctor, but amused he thought he ought to stop by and pay Hudson his wages. 

Not only did God move the doctor to remember. He moved the wealthy patient to pay his bill in cash on a Saturday evening when he could have waited until the following Monday and written a check. God moved the doctor again to seek Hudson out that very evening to pay his wages. Hudson learned that not only could he trust God with his personal needs, but in the future, he could trust God with his needs as a missionary. 

What God did for Hudson Taylor, Brenda and I have seen him do for our family repeatedly over the past 30 years. Like the time when we were planting a church and walked away from a $78,000 salary from the church we served previously. It was one of our largest steps of faith. One of the members of our previous church showed up on his travels and brought us love gifts from private people in the church totaling $8,000. Our previous church never gave us a dollar as a church organization. God moved people individually who gave us over $115,000 over the span of a decade. We did not mention our needs to anyone. Not to the people where we were planting or our previous church. 

The treasurer of the church we planted had recently contacted me telling me there was enough offerings to pay our salary. God knew and God more than paid it and helped us for months and years down the road. Over and over again for a decade God moved people. One person paid our mortgage for several years. It is the only way we were able to keep our home. We never told anyone and never asked. God revealed the need and called someone to meet it. 

He did it again yesterday. A mother of one of my P.E. students told me last week that she thought she had forgotten to pay me. I had no record of that and dismissed it and told her not to worry about it as the semester is nearly over. I found a check on my desk yesterday for $160. She said she woke up in the middle of the night and thought about that. I know God heard my silent prayers asking Him to move people through prayer to help in a time of need. She thought she neglected to pay. God had her delay so that the payment would show up at the right time. 

Why do we doubt that our loving Father knows our situations? He can be trusted. Sometimes you might be the vessel of blessing for someone us. At other times you might be the recipient of blessing. God is faithful to bless and use you as a channel of blessing. In all of it He gets the glory. Hallelujah to His name. 

Leaving a Legacy of Faith

 Legacy can be defined as the long-lasting impact of a person's life. This morning, I read about Noah in Genesis 6. Noah left a legacy of faith. One that saved his family from the flood when he built the ark. It is estimated it took Noah over a century to build that massive boat. 

Noah is a unique character. He lived in a very pagan world. There were no followers of God in his day. Noah stood alone. He did not cave into the cultural times. Everywhere he turned and whomever he came into contact with were pagans. They only thought about doing evil. Noah walked with God. That must have been difficult to stand firm in the faith when everyone else went along with popular opinions and attitudes of the day. 

God tasked Noah with building an ark. He had no power tools. He could not go to a hardware store for supplies. Everything about building that ark was hard physical labor. Everything about it was a step of faith. To believe God would send a flood in judgment of the world was faith. I am sure Noah was ridiculed and questioned many times over that span he built the ark. He just kept sawing, measuring and connecting boards to construct a boat that was 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high in faith. It was his legacy of faith not just for his family but for the whole animal kingdom. 

The proof of Noah's faith was the ark. It was his crowning achievement. His life's work. His masterpiece. The ark was Noah's legacy of faith. I wonder about my legacy. What legacy of faith will I leave behind? Some financial miracles. A handful of souls saved. Three dead churches. Two others that barely keep the doors open. A couple of revivals. Not much. 

I am fueled by Noah's legacy to trust God more and pray harder to leave a legacy of faith after I am gone. Something that is tangible proof of what I believed God to do. I cannot say what that will be. Maybe it will be the church I shepherd. Maybe it will be a book or these blogs that I write. Maybe it will be something I've not even thought of yet. I want to leave a legacy of faith. Some monument of what I trusted God to do. I've got more praying and faith walking to do before that becomes reality. 

Anna's Ministry

 Anna was not a prominent character in the Bible. The total biblical account of her life only takes up two verses. There is a lot packed in those three verses. Her ministry was amazing. The story of her life is both tragic and triumphant. You can read it in [Luke 2:36-38]. 

Like most young girls she dreamed of marriage one day. We are not given her husband's name. For seven years we believe she lived in marital bliss. Suddenly everything changed. We are not given any details. All we know is that her husband died after seven years. Anna lived another 84 years without him. Think about that. She lived over eight decades as a widow. Over eight decades with crushing grief. Eight decades alone. The Bible does not report that she had any children. She plodded through life without human companions. 

She is identified as a prophetess. This is unusual. We are familiar with prophets. Not so much with prophetesses. We know prophets both heard and spoke for God. It seems reasonable to deduce that Anna also heard from God. She may not have had a large audience to share God's message with, but I am confident that she did hear from God and speak for Him as well. When possible and appropriate I believe she shared those messages with others. 

That is not what drew me to her story. It is what we read next. She did not leave the temple complex serving God night and day with fasting and prayer. [Luke 2:37]

She devoted herself to prayer. She served God night and day in prayer. The word serving means that she offered worship. It was her ministry. When we think about serving God, we think about doing a task for Him. We go on mission, we teach, we cook and serve food, we visit hospitals and many other things like these. We do not often think of prayer as serving God. Prayer as a ministry. She didn't just pray. She prayed and fasted night and day. She didn't leave the temple complex. 

While she was a widow who lost her husband, she wedded herself to God and devoted herself to prayer. The outside world was oblivious to her as she remained singularly focused on time shut up with God. She did this for 84 years. Can you imagine how close she was to Jehovah? All the things that He revealed to her in that span must have been wonderful. One of those things was the coming of Messiah. She thanked God and told others about the coming Messiah. 

What would our walk with the Lord be like if we were as devoted to seeking God as she was. I do not know how she made it financially. I am sure people supported her ministry with private donations. People have to go to work these days. There are bills to pay. There are family responsibilities. I am imagining what serving God more seriously in prayer would look like. Less entertainment. Less television. Less time with other people in lieu of more time in the prayer closet. A life of worship and communion that would enthrall and enrich the soul. Increasingly getting out of step with the culture but keeping in step with Yahweh. 

Anna's ministry was supernatural. Not just in the multitude of answered prayers she assuredly saw in those 84 years. It was supernatural in that she desired God so much. That she did not wallow in her grief and quit yearning for God. Supernatural in its length. Supernatural in focus and self- denial. While none of us can be Anna, I sure wish I could be like her. To devote myself to prayer and worship of God. From that service would flow preaching, teaching, writing, shepherding and leading. It is a service I'm asking God to help me perform. How about you? May we all strive to be more like Anna. 

It Only Took Three Weeks

 Peter got arrested and incarcerated in a Sudanese prison for 14 months. He was placed in solitary confinement. One of the hardest parts of his sentence was being without his Bible. Other than scriptures he had memorized, he did not have access to even one verse. 

After months Peter received a copy of the Bible. The only way he could see to read it was to stand up and get in the sunlight from the small window in his cell. He often stood more than eight hours a day reading scripture. He couldn't sit down to rest or the cell was too dark to read anything. For hours on end he devoured the Bible. In just three weeks he read it through entirely from beginning to end. He hungered for truth found in God's word. 

Do we hunger for God's word like that? Would we stand up for eight hours a day to catch the sunlight so we could feed our souls on the timeless truths in the Bible? Many Christians find it hard to make time to sit down anytime of day and read it with artificial light. 

This morning, I finished reading through the Bible again completing the book of Revelation. I assure you I read it in the comfort of climate controlled conditions, with adequate lighting and sitting in a recliner or an office chair. Would I plod through truth if it inconvenienced me?  I hope I would. I know I would not read through the whole Bible in just three weeks. 

It is easy to waste time and get distracted by things like television, surfing the internet, social media, and sporting events. Now with streaming people can binge watch their favorite programming cramming in whole seasons of sitcoms in days rather than weeks. All the while, Bibles sit on shelves collecting dust while our souls drift further from God. 

We need a ravenous hunger for spiritual food. An intense craving for spiritual meat. An insatiable appetite for the word of the Lord. We may not read it through in three weeks, but we can read it and find nourishment to strengthen our souls for the journey of life. 

Another Miracle Story

 One of my spiritual heroes is George Muller. A man of faith and prayer who housed thousands of orphans and provided for them. What inspires me most about him is the fact that as a young man he committed to God that he would never tell people what he and wife needed personally. They would only make their needs known to God. When he served as a pastor he refused to take a salary. He sat a simple wooden box in the back of the church and people gave free will offerings that he and his wife lived on. While that may sound noble, there were plenty of times when those offerings were extremely low. They never told anyone if they were in need. They took their needs to God in prayer alone and watched God provide in the most unusual ways. 

When Muller started the first orphanage, he operated it on the same principle. He trusted God for rent money in the first house they used. He trusted God for all the furnishings, the staff to help work, clothing for the children, and for all the food. When the orphans kept coming, he expanded to other rental properties. Eventually he believed God to build permanent orphan houses that could accommodate over a thousand children at a time. He still did not tell anyone when they needed large sums of money for provision or a single meal. He prayed and trusted God to send just what they needed each day. God did and his biography is one miracle story after another. 

Several decades ago, Brenda and I adopted that same philosophy in our marriage.  No matter how great the need, we prayed and trusted God. What ensued over the past three decades has been a series of miraculous answered prayers that many would find hard to believe. What we have learned over and over again has been that God provides. He not only provides, but He does so at the exact time we need it. 

Many times, over those years wealthy people have told me, "If you need anything just let me know." I respond the same way each time. "I never will. We tell God what we need and watch God answer those prayers." This is not out of pride. It is because God has called us to live by faith and to encourage others to trust God and to pray more. We do not always delight in the numerous trials we have face. We do rejoice in the multitude of answered prayers. I try to glorify God in writing in these blogs and in books as well as when I preach so there will be a record of what God has done. We live by faith to promote the glory of God and to show people that God answers prayer. 

Brenda has not worked since November 12. She had her right knee replaced on November 13 after having the left one replaced on July 10. This meant she did not work for close to two months the first time and has not worked in weeks this time. Both times we knew that our income would be cut in half. We did not tell anyone. We just prayed. How God provided back in the summer has already been recorded so I need not go into that again. 

We knew this time of year would be a challenge going into Thanksgiving and Christmas. It has been a regular topic of prayer starting on November 13th the day of the surgery until now. Even this morning I recorded this prayer in my journal. "I ask You to penetrate the thoughts of people with the abundance to give." Well, sit back and let me tell you another miracle story. 

For three weeks I have walked in faith to our P.O. Box hoping for a miracle. I have also walked to the mailbox at our home in faith waiting for God to answer those prayers. I live in expectation of God's help. He surprised me today. 

Someone from the school asked me to check the mail for them. They receive their mail in the church mailbox. I went for them but also in faith for Brenda and me. There was no miracle waiting. The school was missing an item that was reported as delivered. The delivery drivers often leave things outside the sanctuary door and sometimes those items get placed in my old office. I thought I would check there just in case. 

I entered the office but did not see any mail. I did see a hat on my old desk along with a few reference books I leave in there when I need a quiet place to study. I noticed a hat on the desk. The hat was not mine. Nobody uses that office except Turner during the summers when he interns with us at the church. Under the hat sat a white envelope. Curious I looked under the cap and turned the envelope. One word was handwritten on the envelope. "Matt." I picked it up thinking one of the members left me an article to read. When I peeked inside, I saw another miracle. Several crisp $100 bills. Ten to be exact for a total of $1,000. We told no one our need. How long that money sat in there I don't know. 

I had no plans to go into that office today or in the days to come. I spend more time these days working from home so I can be close to Brenda to help her with whatever she might need. I cannot even remember the last time I was in that office. God sent me on a mail mission to lead me to His provision. I am humbled once again by His power and provision. 

If you knew the specific things I pray and believe God for most of you would think I am crazy. I cannot tell you what those things are. I have laid those requests before God and wait eagerly to receive and to testify once He answers. They are big things. People have thought I was crazy before when I believed God for downpayment money for houses. They really thought I had lost my mind when I reported that I spent three years praying for vehicles and watched God answer that prayer in the form of five vehicles in thirty days back in 2019. That was not hard for God and fuels my faith to believe Him for future needs. 

Here is my honest conviction. There are no difficult things with God. There are just requests. Nothing is impossible with Him. I decided years ago I would take Him up on that. I do not ask flippantly or selfishly. The things I pray and believe Him for are legitimate needs. 

I may never understand why God called Brenda and I to walk this faith life step by step. I used to resent it. Now I embrace it. I get to see God do some amazing stuff. You haven't heard anything yet. He can and will do exceedingly and abundantly more than I can ask or imagine according to His power that is at work in me. [Eph 3:20] That power is working in me to grow more faith to believe Him for more and greater things in the future. In turn that will lead to other miracle stories where God will get more glory. 

Casting Cares

 In recent days I have visited with people carrying all kinds of cares. Some of the stories were painful. People are suffering all around. The devastation is far reaching. 

One lady was laid off just before Thanksgiving. Her previous employer even tried to shortchange her last paycheck. A grown daughter faced the deaths of her stepfather and mother within two weeks of each other. If that were not tragic enough, her relationship with her mother was estranged. The mother treated the daughter horribly her whole life. Even after death the mother found one more way to inflict pain on her daughter leaving a critical letter behind to be read after she deceased. One family was hit with an unexpected $7,000 bill they cannot possibly pay. A matriarch of a family was diagnosed with cancer. Another faces debilitating depression that renders her incapable of even getting out of bed on some days. Another lady lives with the dreadful remembrance of grief and the pain of losing a soul mate this time of year. The health crisis happened on Christmas morning as the family opened presents. One other had a heart attack requiring open heart surgery. 

I Pet 5:7 exhorts us casting all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. 

When the future is obscured by dark circumstances it may not feel like God cares. It may seem just the opposite. Just like the clouds can hide the sun so can our troubles overshadow our view of God for a season. That is why it is so imperative that we remain in our Bibles to discover truth that encourages us keep believing. The sun still shines behind the clouds and God remains in compassionate control behind frowning providences. God is faithful in nature. That means that He cannot be anything other than trustworthy and reliable. That is who He is. He will come through for His people if we trust long enough and wait long enough. I am not saying it will always work out the way we want. He will be faithful. 

From time to time each of us face problems too large for us to solve. We cannot fix them. We cannot solve them. We are forced to trust or worry. Anxiety destroys health.  Cast all your cares on Him. Every single one of them. One by one cast those cares onto God. We must let God do the heavy lifting. I assure you He is able to handle whatever His children are facing. He can handle all of it. Cast it on Him and leave it with Him. Seriously. Throw it off onto His broad shoulders and leave it with Him. It will lead to less stress and more peace. 

Surprised by the Voice of Jesus

 It was an early morning. I was in my office by 3:15 a.m. I couldn't sleep so I decided to get up and try to be productive. I started my time with the Lord by reading [Heb 1:1-2]. I was especially struck by the phrase, In these last days (God) has spoken to us in His Son... [Heb 1:2] Verse one refers to God speaking in older times through prophets. He speaks through His Son in latter days. 

I cracked open my journal and asked Jesus to speak to me today. Did He ever. From that prayer I opened a devotion book titled When Faith is Forbidden. It a devotion put out by Voice of the Martyrs. The verse for today was [Is 6:8]. A verse I have memorized, highlighted, preached, and prayed over numerous times. I prayed over it again making myself available to be sent on mission for God. 

I next opened a devotion book written by several pastors from years gone by. I read one from a pastor written in the mid 1800s. I was pretty surprised when I noticed the scripture for the reading was [Is 6:8] God is asking who He can send. Isaiah responds with the famous response, "Here I am, send me." I could not believe in the span of just a few minutes Jesus spoke the same thing to me He spoke earlier. One more time I prayed making myself available to God and making sure I got the message loud and clear. 

After all of that I took out a book I've had for several years but never read. Two days ago, I felt impressed to find that book in my library and read it even though I am currently reading a biography on the life of W.A. Criswell. The book I felt impressed to read is titled J. Hudon Taylor God's Man in China. The book was written by Hudson Taylor's son Howard Taylor. Hudson Taylor felt a call to go to China when he was a young man and eventually took the gospel of Jesus to the interior of China which no missionary had ever done before. Other missionaries focused on ministry along the coastlands. 

I read about Taylor's conversion and desire to obey God. On the fourth page I couldn't believe my eyes when for the third time this morning in three different books I read [Is 6:8]. When God speaks it is important to listen. When Jesus repeats Himself three different times in such a brief span, I admit I was surprised by the voice of Jesus. I couldn't miss the message. 

Why should I be surprised? I had just asked Him to speak to me earlier that morning from [Heb 1:2]. He did what I asked. He did so in dramatic fashion so I could not miss or misunderstand what He communicated. To be blunt I was blown away. I have sensed God speaking to me on many occasions over the past several decades. I cannot recall a time when He did so as emphatically as He did this morning. Three different times through three different books but the same scripture. [Is 6:8] Then I heard the voice of the LORD say, "Who can I send? Who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I, send me." NASU 1995

I don't know what mission God is going to send me to do. I only know that I am supposed to be available. So along with Isaiah's response I replied to Jesus this morning, "Here I am, send me." 

Fueled Forward

 This morning I prayed something I do not ever recall praying previously. I prayed, "I turn to Your word. That is the only place I get words of life. Words that fuel me forward. Please speak for I am listening." 

It is the daily time with God in His word that fuels my energy, fuels faith to overcome trials, fuels perseverance not to give up during trials, and fuels hope that God is faithful working all things for my good. I need that fresh supply of fuel that comes from the scriptures. 

He fuels me to keep pressing ahead. He fuels me to keep praying, to keep laboring, and to keep believing for God's supernatural intervention in my circumstances. It is needed. We were hit with an unexpected trial that threw us for a loop today. We were surprised but God wasn't. He knew and knows. He is more than capable to fuel what is needed to press forward to pass this test. 

God is fueling people forward to just get through this Thanksgiving on the heals of death in the family and people still in the grip of grief. He is helping them moment by moment as others gather with joy and they remember. Memories abound of the one they loved who is forever gone never to sit at a Thanksgiving feast again. That is tough to wrap your heart and mind around. 

God fuels students forward to get through finals at the end of the semester. He fuels shift workers to get through their work schedules when their body is fatigued. He fuels people in their recovery from surgeries and diseases like cancer. He fuels people with faith when they get laid off like the lady we learned of today. In every season of life God's word has fuel to propel us forward. 

I am thankful for the feast coming. Not the traditional Thanksgiving meal enjoyed by millions tomorrow. I am thankful for the bountiful feast of His word that keeps nourishing me for the road ahead. It is a never ending source An inexhaustible supply of fuel for saints all over the world. May we enjoy it and the benefits we receive from it. 

Estranged

 We live in a world where relationships can be fractured. This might happen in a family, among friends, and even people of the faith in churches. When you are estranged, you are no longer close in relationship with another person. You are alienated from them. 

While that is certainly true in our earthly relationships, it is much truer in our relationship with God. Each of us started out estranged. Born in sin with a sin nature. It did not take long for each of us to give into our carnal nature which is hostile to God and wants to sin. Even as young children it did not take long before we exhibited our self-will and defiance against parental authority. That only increased as we aged. We were estranged from God. 

We needed help to get things right. We needed reconciliation. Someone to help mediate and to make amends for our trespasses. Enter Jesus onto center stage. By His death on the cross, [Heb 12:2-3] He forever claimed the right to commend us to the Father not based on our track record but on His. [Rom 5:8-9] His death on the cross forever satisfied the holiness of God. Jesus substituted in our place taking our punishment. He did this for estranged people of every generation, race, and nationality. 

I came to Jesus with nothing but a sinful past and meager faith to believe He loved me enough to forgive me. The night I heard the gospel message it was not just good news. It was the best news I had ever heard. [Rom 1:16] It is still the best news I have ever heard. The simple gospel message that Jesus died to make atonement for our sins. People who believe will be forgiven and saved. [Jn 3:16] We don't deserve it, but God deals with us in compassion. Jesus shows us mercy giving us what we could never earn. [Eph 2:8-9]

Jesus is constantly reconciling estranged sinners to God the Father making reconciliation. He is constantly commending us as recipients of amazing grace. He brings us into peace and harmony with God. What glad tidings that is for people everywhere. 

You may read this today and know you are estranged from God. Your list of sinful offenses is long and inexcusable. You know that you can never undo the wrongs you have done. The guilt and shame of those things hangs around your neck like an anvil. He offers the gift of salvation, forgiveness, and a whole new way of life if you believe. Believe He died on a cross to take on the punishment for the sins of humanity. Believe Jesus rose from the dead conquering death. Believe that if you call on the name of the Lord you will be saved. 

I have seen Jesus reconcile people all over the world. In Cuba, Canada, Honduras, California, New Mexico, Florida, Arizona, Louisianna, and all over Texas. He has saved estranged people in jail cells, prisons, mountain camps, college campuses, backwoods churches, grand cathedrals, in gymnasiums, and ball fields. If you find yourself estranged from God today, I invite you to call out to Jesus for salvation and reconciliation with God the Father. May this be the day of salvation. Please do not wait until it is too late. 

While God abounds in love, compassion, and mercy, He also can abound in righteous indignation, fury, seething anger, and wrath for those who refuse His lovingkindness. One way or the other everyone will face one side of God or the other. May you no longer live estranged. Call out to the Lord today for salvation before it is too late. 

The Captain of Our Souls

 Several years ago, when our boys were young, we went on vacation to Hot Springs, AR. One of the things we did was to ride on a paddlewheel boat. During that trip the captain of the boat offered an invitation to the children to come to the bridge and steer the ship. Taylor was about four years old at the time. We made our way to where the captain was busy letting boys and girls steer the ship for a few seconds. Taylor refused to go. I tried to coax him, but he was not having anything to do with the captain. We sadly walked away with my thinking Taylor missed out on a great opportunity to make a memory. 

I contemplated that event later that day. I related it to Jesus. In the same way, our Captain Jesus invites people to meet Him and get the opportunity of a lifetime. For various reasons millions of people do just what Taylor did. They reject the invitation and walk away. Every person in history who has decided this has regretted it. Some for all of eternity. Eternity is too long to be wrong!

I met Eric last week in a Bible study. There were only four of us. When I reached the end, I offered each person an opportunity to ask Jesus to save them. Eric prayed asking Jesus to forgive him and to rescue him. He had tears in his eyes when he looked up. Those tears remained as he hugged me before I left. 

Eric has a new Captain of his soul. A new Captain to chart the course of the rest of his life. A new Captain to navigate him away from danger. A Captain who knows the way. He has travelled this way before. Eric has a Captain who will not abandon ship when stormy seas come. He has a Captain who knows the way home. Eternal home. 

Those of us who met the Captain of our souls, Jesus, have found safe passage. He rescued us from the raging seas that nearly engulfed us. He threw out the life preserver of His redeeming grace and pulled us to safety. He warmed us in His love and offered a change of clothes of robes of righteousness instead of the rotten ruined clothing of our sinful pasts. What a Captain Jesus is. He is the Captain of our souls. 

Directed Steps

 The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps. [Prov 16:9] NASU 1995

Are you a planner? A person who lays out detailed plans? Do you like to organize your life in tight schedules to maximize your use of time? 

It is not wrong to be organized. Where we get into trouble is when in our minds, we plan thinking we know what is best. In this way we try to control our circumstances. Control the desired outcomes. Often this works precisely. There are other times when we get it totally wrong. When our plans fail and God steps in to direct our steps. 

God might shut repeated doors you leveraged to open. He might bring unforeseen financial setbacks directing you to trust Him and not your financial reserves. He might throw your carefully planned schedule out the window with unforeseen delays, distractions, and detours. 

I recall walking back to the field house from football practice as a freshman at Howard Payne University. Our senior starting quarterback strolled up next to me. He asked what plans I had for my life. I laid out my long-term future plans. I planned on working as a youth minister for a few years before stepping into the pastoral role. I planned on starting in a small church and eventually working my way up to a larger church. He laughed and said, " You have it all figured out." He then asked me about my Bible reading habits. I was reading through Proverbs at the time. 

I laugh now in hindsight. What a cocky young follower of Jesus I was. I had my plans. God threw my plans out the window over and over again the past 30 years. Life and ministry did not go the way I planned. God directed my steps. I did not even plan to go to Howard Payne University. I planned on going to Stephen F. Austin University which was less than 30 miles from my hometown. God had other plans. I planned on marrying a girl I dated in high school and the first couple of years in college for five years. God had other and better plans when that girl chose to go to a different college, and we broke up. God directed my steps to Brenda. I cannot imagine my life without Brenda who is my soul mate and best friend. 

In subsequent years, God directed our steps in faith to serve as a youth pastor, church planter, evangelist, and pastor. We have followed His leadership all over the state of Texas. Many times, we had our plans. Like the time I thought I was supposed to serve a church in Odessa, TX as pastor. I even interviewed wit that church. I thought it was a slam dunk open door. They chose to go with another candidate. The same thing happened at FBC Wink, TX. That door was shut. It was sometime later when God directed our steps to serve the FBC of Paradise, TX. 

Over the years God has laughed at my plans. He has opened and shut doors as He directed us to His plan. I have learned to let Him lead. He certainly knows better than I do about what is best. My plans and schedules are loose now. I know God can step in at any time and change everything. That is comforting and exciting. I never know when and where He will direct our next steps. It may not be easy, but it will be God's best if we are willing to step out in faith. 

At this stage of life, I no longer have a detailed long-range plan. It is more like living as Abraham did when God called him to leave his country and go to the place that God would show him. [Gen 12:1] Abraham trusted God to direct his steps day by day in faith. [Heb 11:8] It sure makes life a grand adventure. God does not always direct our steps to easy paths or pain free journeys. He does direct our steps purposely and can be trusted. So, Lord please keep directing our steps getting us where you want us to be and doing what you want us to do. 

I Used to Beat Him

 I read the story of a man on a mission trip who met an Ethiopian pastor named Haji. Haji was a former Muslim. He was radicalized even going to Saudi Arabia for specialized training in how to persecute Christians. He made it his mission to eradicate Christians and Christianity in the section of Ethiopia where he lived. 

All that changed when Haji met Jesus in a profound encounter like when Paul met Jesus on the Damascus Road. [Acts 9:1-8] Haji draped his arm over the shoulder of an evangelist who helped him come to faith in Jesus. Haji's testimony is sobering. Looking at the evangelist he said, "I used to beat him." No matter how severely Haji treated the evangelist, this man of God would not respond in hatred and would not quit proclaiming the good news of Jesus. It eventually won Haji over. 

Haji is now a pastor. Muslims hate him for turning to Jesus. They tried to burn his house down, but Haji was able to put the fires out. Heavy stones are thrown onto his grass roof leaving gaping holes and creating danger for his family when the stones fall through the roof. Haji once persecuted followers of Jesus and now he is the one persecuted. He accepts this joyfully. He is undeterred in his faith and resolved to show other Muslims the way, truth, and life found in Jesus. [Jn 14:6]

It is easy to judge people and write them off. Weekly I encounter such people at a substance abuse detox center. The language is vile. Most of the clients are tattooed all over and smoke. If they are not smoking outside, they are vaping inside.  Most have been rejected by churches. Many are written off as too far gone. I've encountered alcoholics, meth addicts, prescription pill addicts, homeless people, and even people on fentanyl. Some are Christians caught up in bondage. Some have never heard about Jesus and never held a Bible. It is refreshing to see God open their eyes and draw them to Himself. Nobody is too far gone that God cannot reach them. Jesus has saved numerous people over the last few years. 

The evangelist did not give up on Haji. He prayed, he witnessed, and he suffered at the hands of Haji bravely and joyfully. Now Haji lives on mission for the very Jesus he used to persecute. What a powerful testimony. One I hope we can learn from today. 

The Wilderness

 It was a costly decision. A fear-based decision instead of a faith based one. The popular opinion of the masses turned out to be dead wrong. Israel did not believe God to possess the promise land. You can read about that in Numbers 13-14. The decision cost them dearly. They were sentenced to wander in the wilderness until a whole generation died. They remained in the wilderness for 40 years. 

The wilderness is a barren, desolate, wasteland. Many people live in a spiritual wilderness because of disobedience. The wilderness is not a pleasant place to be. You may be in a wilderness as you read this. A spiritually dry, desolate, and desert place. You may be withering in your spirit in the wilderness. You may even have been there so long that you lost hope of ever getting out. It might have nothing to do with disobedience. God just might have things to teach you. 

There are lessons to be learned in the wilderness. Israel had to learn the lesson of trusting God by faith over and over again in those years of wandering. They were tested with lack of water, lack of food, lack of meat, and lack of protection from enemy forces. Israelites were not quick learners. They needed remedial courses in faith development. They had to be tested over and over again. 

If you find yourself in a wilderness, what lessons does God want you learn? You will be in the wilderness as long as it takes for you to learn. To embrace the things God wants to teach you and to build in you may expedite your time in the wilderness. The more you resist the longer your stay may be. 

Some of God's most amazing works can happen in the wilderness. God met Moses in a burning bush in the wilderness. God provided water at Mara. He provided mana in the desert. He brought water out of a rock. He sent in quail by the millions. He was Ebeneezer in a battle. God gave Elijah water and food through the door dash of raven's special delivery for years. 

We can become so fixated on getting out of the wilderness that we miss the mighty miraculous work of God in the wilderness. He might be doing things right underneath your nose that you do not even take notice. Quit looking at the misery of the wilderness and set your gaze firmly on Jehovah who is at work. [Jn 5:17] Sometimes He works in ways you do not easily see at first glance. Gaze deeper. Look longer. If you do God will reveal Himself. 

I have learned to thank God for the wilderness years. I have spent decades there. They were painfully confusing years. God proved Himself faithful. The wilderness of 2004-2005 was difficult. God taught me forever that He is our provider and not a church. He may use a church, but He is not limited to a church to meet our needs. The years of 2011-2017 were the most difficult years of my life. I lost hope and sank into a several years long depression I could not climb out. How I managed to preach and teach the word of God is a testimony of His unfailing faithfulness. Many times, I sat on the front row on a Sunday morning without the strength to preach. I buried my head in my hands pleading with God to help me. I dreaded the worship ending. I could not bring myself to preach those days. God did miracles week after week as I strode from my seat to the stage. I opened His word, and He made me come alive again to preach. Afterwards I sank right back into despair and fought it all week long scraping messages together. Then I fought the battle without faith, passion, or strength to preach on Sunday morning all over again. 

In those years people confessed to me that my preaching helped them through the hardest times in their lives. They did not know that I was preaching to myself. Out of my pain in the wilderness God helped others. 

I went through another wilderness in 2022-2023. I have rarely talked about what triggered it. I hit the bottom. My faith was tested and shattered. I am ashamed to admit during that wilderness I could barely pray at all. When I did, it was only mouthing words that I did not mean in my heart. I spent vast amounts of time in the prayer room at the church. I felt just as empty leaving as I felt entering. Even reading scripture did not help me out. I read through the scripture the most I had ever done before in that window of time. The darkness of the wilderness gripped me like a vice. 

It was a full year and a half before God let me exit the wilderness. It was a dark period. A lonely isolated period few knew about except Brenda and my closest of friends. Even some of those friends did not know because I did not share it. 

Going through the wilderness is part of our spiritual journey. One thing I have discovered is that just like we enter the wilderness, in God's due time, we also exit the wilderness. God does not waste wilderness experiences. There are lessons to be learned if we are teachable. What is God trying to teach you now in your wilderness season? The quicker you learn those lessons the faster He will lead you to the exit. 

Life is a Vapor

 Where did the time go. The man I see in the mirror defies the youthful playful person I feel inside. Wrinkles appear. The hair is thinning or already thinned. The remaining hair is greying. Muscles are weaker than they used to be. Former eagle eyes require glasses for vision improvement. Joints ache and make noises like the cereal Rice Krispies. Loss of balance makes me less sure footed than when in my prime. Strength is fading. I can only do a fraction of the things I used to could do. 

James wrote that life is a vapor. We just appear for a little while. [James 4:14] In our youth, we are in such a hurry to grow up. We played dress up in grown up clothes. Pretended to be firefighters, police officers, teachers, bakers, doctors, and a host of other professions. One day we realize that we are grown. We long for the simpler days of our youth. Then we enter the winter season of our lives. We remember the good old days. 

The cycle of life comes and goes. We are only here for a little while. The average age of death for most Americans is 76. I don't know where you are on that scale. I am way past the halfway point. We are exhorted to number our days so that we can present wise hearts to God. [Ps 90:12] To live life to the fullest in our service and love of God while we can. 

My study of Ecclesiastes has convinced me that the essence of living is not about how much money we make or what we accomplish in our careers. What matters in the end can be summed up in the last two verses of the book found in [Eccl 12:13-14] Fear God. Keep His commands. The rest is vanity like chasing the wind. 

It is true that life is a vapor appearing for a little while and then vanishing. Our days on this planet need to count for something. Solomon thinks it is to fear, respect, and revere God. It is also to obey Him keeping His commands. A life spent doing those things is not a wasted life. It might not even be a prolonged life. It will be full life. A satisfying life. A purposeful life. A God besotted life. May we strive for that in our short stay on this planet. 

The Scapula

 The surgeon places the patient in a sterile environment. He makes sure the patient is put under asleep. Then he takes the scapula in hand and makes an incision. He cuts not to harm or with ill malice. He slices to ultimately bring healing. To remove an infected area. To repair a broken or ruptured area. His skilled hands inflict pain to bring about eventual healing. 

If physicians can do this does God ever do it? Does He ever inflict pain for ultimate good. Look at Joseph's story in Genesis. Enslaved and imprisoned later on false accusations. It did not seem like the pain made any sense. Until Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dreams and was exalted to the second highest office in the land of Egypt. Then it all made sense. God worked good out of that situation to save Israel in years of famine. 

Israel spent four centuries enslaved in Egypt. They cried out for deliverance. Generation after generation were denied. It appeared God was not listening and that He was absent. Don't interpret God's silence as absence. God was working all the while. Building the great nation of millions of people promised to Abraham centuries before there was even one. 

Sometimes the ways of God hurt. Sometimes He takes the scapula making incisions in our circumstances that painfully confusing. He is working to bring about His purposes, our ultimate good, and to promote His own glory. 

Many times, I have doubted God in the pain. Each time when I trusted Him long enough, He worked everything for my good just like He said He would. [Rom 8:28] His skilled hands are sculpting me as a potter to make me more useful in His hands. He applies pressure and conforms me to His desire. This is painful but beneficial. I don't like the scapula or the Potter's wheel. I have learned that I need them. He is wise and His hands are skilled. I trust Him to do what is best and necessary to accomplish His purposes even if it hurts initially. Bring on the scapula if it will make me more useful in His hands. 

Search and Rescue

 Feb 18, 1952 was no ordinary day off the coast of New England. A Nor'easter blew in causing boisterous angry sea conditions. The SS Pendleton, a tanker ship, got into trouble. A search plane discovered that the ship had cut into two halves. The pounding surf made it impossible to get a rescue boat to them. 

Back at the Chatham Lifeboat Station four men volunteered to risk their lives attempting to save the surviving crew members. Taking a small CG36500 boat Captain Bernard Webber and this three men crew battled tidal wave conditions to reach the distressed ship. Against all odds Webber navigated the small boat to the sinking ship. The only way to rescue the sailors was to pull up next to the ship and for the men to climb down rope ladders. It was suicide for sure. Webber timed each swell to pull up next to the ship and get a few men off each time. Out of the 33 surviving crew members of the Pendleton they only lost the cook who fell in the sea and drowned. 32 men were saved that day. 

They made a movie about that daring rescue. It is a thrilling adventure ride. One of the greatest rescue missions in the U.S. Coast Guard history. All four of those brave men who went out that day were awarded the highest honors. 

Truth be told that rescue mission pales in comparison to the rescue mission of the Lord Jesus Christ coming to planet Earth to die on a cross to rescue people from their sins. It is the greatest news in a world filled with bad news. Jesus rescued us when we were completely helpless. [Rom 5:8] He rescued and delivered us. [Col 1:13-14] He redeemed us. His sacrificial death atoned for our transgressions. It was a lavish gift of grace. [Eph 1:7-8]

Jesus saved me 41 years ago. I am just as humbled, grateful, and unworthy today as I was that October evening back in 1983. He rescued me like a lifeguard rescues a drowning man. I was drowning in my sin. I could not free myself. My life was headed in the gutter. Jesus paid my ransom to set me free. He deserves my allegiance, love, devotion, and lifelong service. 

The greatest search and rescue mission in history was Jesus dying on a cross so that people like us could be saved from the impending wrath of God. He bravely took on the sin of the world as our propitiation and our advocate. [I Jn 2:1-2] What a glorious thought that brings joyous bliss that our sins have been washed away and we are forgiven. Jesus pardoned us. May we spend our days searching and rescuing others by telling them this great news. 

Send Me

 I received an invitation to preach to a football team before their game where I used to coach. I had not been back on that campus in about a year. I rejoiced to see men I used to coach with and students I coached who are all grown up now. God inspired a challenging word for me to share with those TCA Eagles. God opened the door and I responded with send me. 

The message was a word about worship over complaining. It was a word about dealing with adversity with the proper perspective. Praising in the good times and bad times as well. It was also a word about calling out hypocrisy and challenging those athletes to consecrate themselves before taking the field last night. 

I don't know how the game turned out. That is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that 98% of those young men responded to the challenge and remained in the room we met in praying for a long time before they each left one by one. I could see conviction on faces. I also saw the sincerity of some of those guys fervently seeking God. Repentance happened. That is a bigger win than what happened on the game field. 

My time on the campus was very short. There were several people I wanted to see. Former colleagues and students whom I bonded with. I did not have that much time. The team had a pregame meal to get to and I had a pressing appointment right afterwards. It was a privilege and a honor to go back on that campus to share God's word. 

We never know where ministry will take us. It has taken me to foreign countries and to back wood churches some so tiny there were only five pews deep on each side. God has called me to preach multiple funerals for people I did not even know including one three-month-old baby. I have preached camps, rallies, retreats, and revival meetings. Several times I taught God's word to a congregation of one including last Sunday at our substance abuse detox ministry. On a few occasions God sent me to preach to over 1,000 people. I've preached on mountain sides, lakeshores, under pavilions, around campfires, in hayfields, near ocean front beaches, and in beautiful churches. Yesterday God allowed me to teach to a room full of athletes. I have a Bible and am willing to travel to places where God opens the door. 

Young or old. Large crowds or small. For compensation or for free does not matter. I am called. I accept God's invitations to share His word. That is part of that follow Jesus mentality. If He keeps sending the invitations, like Isaiah I will keep praying, "Here am I send me." [Is 6:8]

Tip Toeing at the Gate

 Picture a mansion surrounded by a rod iron fence and protected by huge gates. Many people may drive by and observe the mansion behind the fence, but will never get close. Much less will they ever have the privilege to be invited inside the mansion. It can only be viewed from a distance. 

Now suppose the owner of the mansion invites some for a visit. There is no rhyme or reason for the invitation. It is a good will gesture by the owner. Totally unmerited and undeserved, but it is an open invitation to come visit. Appointed times and dates are arranged. 

On the day of the official visit people show up outside the gate waiting for it to be opened. At the exact appointed hour the automated gates slowly creak and grind open. Instead of rushing up the long driveway to the mansion people just stand at the gate. They tip toe back and forth, but do not cross the gate and make their way to the mansion. 

The owner waits eagerly for the visitors to arrive. He peaks out the windows wondering why the delay. He is bewildered that his guests are tip toeing outside the gate, but they are reluctant to come inside. He waits longer, but still nothing changes. 

Eventually the owner sends one of his staff to go to the people and to personally bring them inside. He ushers them through the gate, down the driveway, and through the front door. He makes the formal introduction of the owner to the guests and they are brought to a banquet table. 

This little parable is to illustrate what many followers of God do. They are invited into the presence of God into His throne room. Instead of coming close to the Father, many tip toe outside the gate. They are reluctant to come close for various reasons. Past sins. Current lack of commitment. Present doubts and confusion about circumstances. All of these and more keep us from coming close to God. 

These people do not want to abandon God. They hang around the gate. They are reluctant to come through and enter the court of God. What does God do? He sends Jesus to personally usher us into the presence of His Father. He eagerly makes the introduction and excitedly shows us to our seats so we can interact and get to know Father God. 

Some will spend their whole lives tip toeing outside the gate. They never accept the invitation to come closer. They will always approach God from a distance. It is sad how few accept the invitation to come closer to God. It is sad that many will never get past the religious obligations to grow closer and enter into endless delight of knowing God. 

May we not tip toe outside the gate. May we all accept God's call for us to enter boldly into His throne of grace to obtain and find help in our time of need. [Heb 4:16] He sits waiting to embrace us, to reveal Himself, and to give us the fullness of joy in Him that we all desire. [Ps 16:11] So enter His courts with praise and walk through His gates with thanksgiving. [Ps 100:4]

Consecrated

 To consecrate ourselves means to fully dedicate, to purge, to cleanse, and to prepare ourselves to be set apart for God. Consecration does not get much play time in our worship and study of the scriptures these days. Compromise is more common than consecration. 

God is looking for consecrated people to serve Him. He uses consecrated people and does powerful things through consecrated people. Look in Christian circles. Do you see consecration? Do you see it in the church? What about in para-church ministries? Do you see it in Christian education. I have been in all those arenas. I have rubbed shoulders with people in each of those institutions. I can tell you that consecration is rare. Hypocrisy abounds. Lukewarm living infiltrates leadership.  

Do we want to be consecrated? It costs something. A price more costly than many of us may be willing to pay. It will require sacrifice, deep commitment, and criticism when we refuse to compromise to go along with the crowd. 

Could it be one of the reasons we do not see God doing more is that God is waiting for a consecrated people to commit to Him. Sitting here I can say I want to be consecrated. In this moment that is the honest desire of my heart. What about when consecration is costly. Like getting up earlier for more prayer. Like staying up later when I am dogged tired. Like being inconvenienced by an assignment from the Master. Like saying no to things that others say yes to including my family. Like spending more time shut up alone with Him to be empowered for service instead of glad handing the crowds in superficial conversations. DO I REALLY WANT TO BE CONSECRATED? DO YOU? 

In Joshua 3:5 God spoke to the people through Johsua commanding them to consecrate themselves. If they did that God assured them, He would do wonders among them. The word wonders means great, difficult, and miraculous things. Our countries are crying out for God to do miraculous things in our midst. To not only change lives but to also transform an entire culture like He did in the First and Second Great Awakenings. Like He did in the Great Wales Revival. Like He did in the Saskatoon Revival that swept over the entire city and filtered through the province. 

O God, please make us willing to be consecrated. Help us to dedicate ourselves fully to You and to Your mission. Help us be willing to surrender our lives at Your feet in sweet surrender. To set ourselves apart in Your service. Please make us useful vessels for Your purposes. Let us joyfully and willingly accept any assignment whether big or small. Then we trust You to do wonders among us. Something miraculous so that You alone get the glory. In the mighty name of Jesus amen. 

The Angels Rejoiced

 Last night was chaotic even more so than on a normal Wednesday night around here. We scheduled Nerf Night for our Creek Kids and Creek Student Ministries. Nerf darts and balls were whizzing all over the gym. Before I got to watch those festivities, I taught our adults. I teach adults first and then go teach our students. 

Let's just say that some took Nerf Night to the next level. They brought in high powered weaponry with ample ammunition. Those Nerf darts and balls filled the air. Participants ducked behind tables turned over sideways to provide barriers of protection. Some adopted the hunker and wait mentality while others took a more offensive approach. People laughed. They ran for cover. Some were ambushed and forced to retreat being overpowered. This is an annual event for Spring Creek. We had multiple visitors last night. 

Because Nerf Night took longer than expected, I knew our Bible study time would have to be shortened for our students. I planned to present the gospel and offer an invitation for people to get saved. I told those students they were in two groups. One group lost in their sins. The other group saved because of the sacrifice of Jesus and asking for His redemption. It was noisy. The students were jazzed up because of Nerf Night. It took a bit to get them focused. 

When we got into the heart of the message, they were attentive. All in. I did not employ high pressured tactics at the end. I told the students if they wanted to talk to me afterward, I would stick around. They all sprinted for the exit. All except one young man. He lingered and asked, "Can I talk to you?" 

When I asked what he wanted to talk about he wasted no time telling me he was a sinner and wanted to be forgiven. He did not know what he needed to do. We went through the Roman Road of Romans 3:23, 3:10-13, 6:23, and 5:8. He was ready. We bowed in prayer asking Jesus to save him and he repented of his sins. When we looked up the angels were rejoicing. [Luke 15:7] Jesus saved him! Hallelujah!

It was all worth it. Setting up the table barriers. Studying for the message. Planning and hyping Nerf Night. Trying to quieten a room of hyperactive students. Dodging Nerf projectiles everywhere. All worth it so that God could transfer another soul from the kingdom of darkness to His kingdom of light. Hell lost another one and Heaven gained a new citizen. I imagine the angels are still exuberant. I am still amazed at the power of the gospel to lead people to Jesus for salvation. I rejoice with those angels.  

Abounding Hope

 Now may the God of hope fill you with joy and peace in believing so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. [Rom 15:13] NASU

God has many titles. Add to that list that He is the God of hope. In this crazy upside-down world, He is still not a god of hope. He is THE GOD OF HOPE. Hope is the expectation of good. The anticipation of something pleasurable. Like a dealer passing out cards in a card game of spades, God deals out hope to people who need it. Even in the most horrific circumstances God still gives hope. He makes us full of hope. 

Maybe that hope is eternal life. Maybe things never get easier or much better here. For the Christian we always have the hope of Heaven. That is especially true for Jesus followers in persecuted countries. Those believers may experience physical torture, incarceration, and even death. How do they maintain hope in such horrendous circumstances. They think of the afterlife. They remind themselves that their momentary afflictions and sufferings cannot compare to what awaits in eternity. So, they press on in hope. 

God wants to fill people with joy and peace. Joy is gladness and cheerfulness that defies circumstances. I have seen people in heart wrenching grief still choose joy. Peace is a tranquil state of the soul and mind. Again, it doesn't matter what the circumstances are. God can still give us the peace that surpasses all understanding that guards our hearts and minds. [Phil 4:7]. 

In some ways this seems to defy logic. How can it be expected that people who are in hot messes just be filled with joy and peace, but to actually abound in joy. That means that they overflow and superabundant gladness. That is not natural. In fact, it is supernatural. Most of our attitudes are dictated by our current circumstances. When things are good our attitudes are good in return. On the other hand, when things go south our attitudes can sour as well. 

Let me remind you that Paul is writing [Romans 15:13] in adverse circumstances. Much of Paul's ministry was one of persecution, imprisonments, and constant travel getting run out of more than one town. Yet he could still find joy, peace, and hope in the Lord. His circumstances were certainly not pleasurable. The Lord was and he found delight and gladness in Jesus. An abounding joy. Excessive delight. Abounding hope. 

I have seen this with my own eyes on many occasions. I have seen people living with chronic disease abounding in joy and hope. It was not logical. It did not compute rationally for a person to live in constant pain and still abound in joy and hope when expectations were that the next day would be just as painful as the current day. I have also read about such people. These people abounded in hope. 

I have stood next to bedsides with deceased loved ones and heard abounding hope flow from grieving lips like water flows in a stream. I have watched people face financial ruin and still overflow in hope for the future. I have seen aging pastors lose spouse and children left to muddle through their last days alone still abound in the hope of the Lord. 

This defies logic. It is not the natural order of things. When people suffer the natural thing to do is to downgrade into despair and sink into sullenness. The Holy Spirit supernaturally empowers abounding hope. That is why the person who has tried with all their might to succeed, and they keep losing do not give up. They abound in hope. They get up and dust themselves off with resolve and try again. That is why the servant of the Lord who keeps getting denied in prayer with delayed answers keeps abounding in hope that the answer will come eventually. They keep asking, seeking, and knocking. [Matt 7:7-8] The Holy Spirit produces and sustains this abounding hope. 

That is how we should approach the day. Abounding with hope. Hope that God is faithfully working His will all over the world. Hope that God knows the future and sees everything we will go through. Hope that He will strengthen us to get through the tough times. Hope that we are one day closer to the rapture of the saints. May the Spirit of God produce abounding and enduring hope in all of us until we finally get home to heaven. 

I Don't Know

 I came across two men yesterday working. I did not have a long interaction with them, but long enough to ask them where they would spend eternity. One of the guys quietly distanced himself from the conversation. The second man started to say something that sounded good, but he stopped. He honestly said, "I don't know." 

They were busy. I knew I had seconds with them and not minutes. In hurried fashion I told them about Jesus and that He was the only way to spend eternity in Heaven. Maybe that brief conversation will resonate with them. Hopefully it sparked a conversation after we parted. Perhaps God rewound that conversation in their minds all through the night and into this morning. 

It is incredulous to me that people consider all sorts of things about their lives without taking into count death and the afterlife. Yesterday there was a funeral across the street in the cemetery where I live. Another reminder that life is brief, but eternity is long. Too long to get it wrong. 

I appreciate the fact that one of those men was honest. I could see him thinking. He knew the way he lived. He knew enough to respect God and not lie. He obviously did not know enough to commit to Jesus as a follower. Following Jesus means changing our lifestyles. Some love sin more than considering the consequences of those sins. It is a dangerous game of Russian Roulette. 

I have contemplated Colossians 1:14-15 this week in preparation for the message Sunday. Those verses start a section describing the incomparable Christ. Our Lord Jesus has rescued us. Have we forgotten from where and what He rescued us from? He paid our ransom so we could be free from our being held hostage by sin and Satan. What a great deliverance He purchased for us. It cost Him dearly. A brutal bloody death on a cross. That cross is no longer a sign of execution but one of liberation for millions of believers. The cross is a symbol of hope. A symbol of victory. 

Because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross, our lives are His bought with His blood. We are crucified to the world and the world to us. Our boast is no longer in our accomplishments but in what Jesus accomplished for us on that cross. Galatians 6:14

I don't know. I don't know why anyone would not immediately respond to the offer of salvation except that the god of this age has blinded them. Blinded them to the abundant life we have in Jesus. I don't know why people are not interested. Why churches are not overflowing with people. I don't know why those who need the message of the cross the most are the most reluctant to come hear it. I don't know why Christians who know the truth refuse to share it with those put in our paths if even for a few seconds. 

The Intercessor

 He knows how to pray. What I mean is he can pray with authority like no one else I have ever heard. He has this uncanny ability to connect those prayers with what God plans and wants to do. He secures answers frequently. He is also a tenacious intercessor. He does not give up easily until the answer comes. His supplications secure answers. We could all learn a few things from the intercessor. 

Who is this mystery master of prayer? He is a bestselling author. Not a one hit wonder. He is perennially a bestselling author. His works are timeless. Classics. They ought to be read by all people.

He is also generous with his time. Willing to add more people to his ever-expanding prayer list. He does not seek attention. He prefers not to be the center of attention. He does his prayer work behind the scenes out of the public eye. His intercessions are both fervent and indefatigable. Tirelessly he makes intercessions both night and day. 

Praying is not his only job. He teaches. He comforts people in difficult times. He fearlessly points out sin in others urging them to repent. He often has a peaceful presence when he shows up in the room. People are less anxious when he prays for them. They are strengthened when he prays. 

You can read about the intercessor in [Romans 8:26-27]. The Holy Spirit is our intercessor. One who stands in the gap between us and God. He knows how to pray according to the will of God. He knows the mind of God and the need of those he prays for. I'm thankful to have an intercessor who can interpret my groans when the pain is too deep that I can't put it into words. He prays perfectly. I hope you find comfort in that truth today.