Body Blows

 In the sport of boxing, one of the strategies for success is delivering body blows to the opponent. These are punches to the abdomen and rib areas. It serves to take the air out of a competitor. These are hard hitting punches that slowly wear down the opponent. Each punch takes a toll. 

There are body blows in life. Punches that are so hard it takes the wind out of us. Some blows are knee buckling. Such circumstances can hit so hard they leave you stunned. You are disoriented. You lose a little heart and wonder how you will keep going. Such staggering hits can cause you to lose a little faith and a lot of hope. These blows often come unexpectedly. It can be a lump on the body that turns out to be cancerous. It can be watching loved ones suffer inexplicably as you view helplessly unable to shield them from the blows. At other times, these blows come in the form of unexpected car repairs or a financial crisis you had not planned. 

I recall sitting in a doctor office with two of my sons on different occasions waiting for the diagnosis of knee injuries. I did that five separate times between the two of them. The doctor confirmed our worst fears every time. Season ending injuries which required surgical repairs. I watched the tears stream down both Tucker's and Turner's cheeks upon hearing this news. Devastating to them as well as Brenda and I. I told both of  them, "What you believe about God right now in the midst of this bad news is really important." In those times it is easy to doubt God loves you and that He is faithful. 

I've learned a lot over the years reading the accounts of people who suffered and yet clung to their faith. The body blows of life did not destroy their faith. Those are the people who inspire me to persevere through difficult times and not waver in unbelief. Sometimes this is easier said and done. Look at the case of Job. His immediate response to immense suffering in [Job 1:20-21] is challenging and inspiring. He did not blame God of wrongdoing. He did not grow bitter. He did not walk away from God in anger. He bowed and worshipped. He still found reason to bless God in the triumphs and the tragedies. 

I've heard numerous stories this past week of people getting punched in the gut by life. Three different people either had cars break down or were involved in a wreck totaling a car. There were other body blows I am not at liberty to write about. What do you say? I turn to a verse I have received comfort and strength from for over three decades. [Ps 46:1]. God is our refuge, strength, and a very present help in times of trouble. Over and over again we go to Him for peace in tough times. He is the one who provides strength to keep going when you are emotionally, spiritually, and physically wrecked. He helps you get through the next moment, the next hour, and the next day. He helps us through the next body blow of a crisis. Those body blows hurt. We are not always shielded from the pain. We are given everything needed to endure the pain and press on to better days. I'm not saying that is easy. I am saying it is possible. May we all believe to see the goodness of God in the land of the living and get past the body blows. [Ps 37:14]

Casual Christianity

 In a church culture that embraces words like comfort, convenience, and casual there is the contrast with Jesus' words from Mark 8:34. There is nothing comfortable or convenient about denying self, taking up the cross, and following Jesus. Deitrick Bonhoeffer once wrote, "When Christ calls a person, He bids them to come and die." What was casual about the disciples following Jesus to martyrdom? Nor is that comfortable or convenient. 

Christianity keeps getting watered down more and more. Grace keeps getting magnified as justification for compromised behavior. You would be surprised at the number of recent conversations I've had with preachers who like to smoke cigars and drink alcohol. They are unashamed in boasting about this fact. Christians compromise with long held convictions among Christians. They use grace as a license to sin because they promote their freedom in Christ. These same people talk little of holiness, repentance, revival, solemn assemblies, fasting, or importunate prayer.  

Following Jesus is serious business for serious sober minded believers. I am not saying there is not joy. It is different joy than the mirth of those flirting with sin and often crossing the boundaries between cultural accepted norms and the cross centered life. Paul might have wrote with a joyful heart while in prison, but that joy was rooted in Christ not sin. I believe following Jesus requires all in commitment. It involves service. It might lead to sacrifice. It will involve surrender. In a time when more Christians are interested in what the least commitment levels are, I believe Jesus is calling us out of casual Christianity to full devoted discipleship. 

Praying the Promises

 When my sons were little, if I promised to take them to the park to play when I got home they were quick to remind me once I walked in the door. They took me at my word. No matter how tired I was they expected me to keep my promise. That is what a good father does. 

God is a much greater Father than any of us. He has made many promises. We are not in the wrong if we expect Him to honor what He says. I realize there are many variables such as God's timing and God's will to take into consideration. There are still promises to be accessed. Promises to claim. It is sad that God wants to do things for His children that we never even ask. 

The more I learn to pray the more I lean on praying what God promises. Praying His word is much more fruitful than praying anything I can come up with in my mind. There are so many. Abounding promises like I Jn 5:14-15. Others like Mark 11:23-24, James 5:16, John 14:14, Jn 15:7, Ps 37:4, Phil 4:19, Matt 6:25-33, and so many others. 

We take I Jn 1:9 to heart. We confess sins and believe God will forgive them. We take Romans 5:8-9 to heart believing Jesus died to declare us blameless before God when we believe on Him for salvation. Why would we not take the rest of God's truth to heart as well. If we could learn to harness our faith with the promises of God and hitch our prayer wagon to those, I believe we would all pray more powerfully and effectively. 

This necessitates that we actually know what His word includes. How can we pray promises we have never read or studied. For people who are crippled by fear Is 41:10 is a great promises. For people covered in anxiety try Phil 4:6-7. For those who are despondent Ps 42:5 is useful. His word is filled with promises packed with truth. May we stand on those truths and pray in the authority God has granted us through His assurance that we can come boldly before His throne of grace to obtain mercy and help in our time of need. Heb 4:16. 

A Prayer For People With Cancer

 Father,

I lift your sons and daughters to you. A sweet spirited thirsty souls in pursuit of you. This diagnosis is devastating for them and their families. So, I come tonight to offer this prayer, you are near to those who brokenhearted and save those who are crushed in spirit. [Ps 34:18-19] You are near to them in this moment I pray this and, in the moments, when they reads this over and over again you will draw near and comfort them. You have not given them a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and a sound mind. [II Tim 1:7] So we can stand against fear in the mind. We plead for you to help them not be anxious about cancer. With thanksgiving and supplication, we all make our requests known for healing. We trust you to guard hearts and minds with the peace that surpasses all understanding in Christ Jesus. [Phil 4:6-7] You are the God who forgives our trespasses and who heals all our diseases. [Ps 103:2] We ask for your healing for those suffering. We understand the mountain that they face. A crushing immovable mountain from our perspective. Again, we stand on your word. You said if we had faith and spoke to our mountain to be moved in belief and did not doubt in our hearts that we would be granted what we asked. [Mark 11:23-24] We ask you in the name of Jesus to move every cell of cancer from her body and totally eradicate all of it. We cry out to you who can do far above what we can ask or imagine. We ask for her complete healing and imagine the restoration of her health in full. [Eph 3:20] We know you can do it through doctors, or you can speak healing over sick bodies. We also know that the confidence we have before you is if we ask anything according to your will, we know that you hear us we will receive the requests we have asked. [I Jn 5:14-15] This is the promise you made. We ask you to will to completely remove the cancer and give life and health to so they can keep seeking and serving you. You told us to call on you in the day of trouble and you would rescue us, and we will honor you. [Ps 50:15] I know Katie stands ready to honor you. So, we ask you to do what you said you would do. To rescue. You also said through David, that he would have despaired if he had not believed that he would see your goodness in the land of the living. As many wait on you, may you fill them with your strength and courage. [Ps 27:13-14] We know we will see your goodness in heaven. We are asking you to allow the hurting to see it in the land of the living right here and right now. We trust that they will not fear because you are with them. Help them not look anxiously around for you are their God. We trust you will strengthen and help. You will uphold with your righteous right hand. [Is 41:10] I ask you to give faith. The assurance of what they hope for and the evidence of what they cannot see. [Heb 11:1] We stand on the truth that without faith it is impossible to please you. We believe that you are everything the suffering needs in this crisis and you reward those who diligently seek you. [Heb 11:6] I come boldly before your throne of grace to find help and grace for the afflicted in this time of need. [Heb 4:16] I do not come based on merit to deserve healing. None of us deserve anything from you. I ask what will bring you the most glory. People testifying about how you preserved life and living to serve you and point others to you will bring you abundant glory and encourage as well as inspire many others. I make my stand in faith for these beloved people of yours. I stand in faith that the child is not dead but only sleeping. I stand in faith not to be afraid but only to believe. [Mark 5:36-39] In your name Jesus, amen!

He Makes Me Lie Down

 It was a grueling ministry season. God opened the door and strengthened me to preach or teach 16 times in the span of a little over the past two weeks. Part of that included a preaching trip to Lubbock. Add to that the other preaching and teaching times through the summer until yesterday afternoon it all caught up with me. The traveling. The constant prayer for the next message. The passion for the lake baptisms. After lunch yesterday, I needed a nap. 

I thought about Ps 23:2-3, "He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads beside still waters. He restores my soul and guides me in the path of righteousness for His name's sake."

The human body was not designed to live in the fast lane perpetually. God created us to need sleep. We cannot function without it. It is the constant reminder that we are not God because He never gets tired nor sleeps. We may go hard for several days, weeks, or even months. There will come a time when the body needs to recover. 

We see same the principle in other areas. Cattle horses cannot go hard every single day. They have to recover at some point. You cannot run a machine at maximum RPMs long before it malfunctions. The same is true for the human body. God made me lie down for a nap. Friends wanted us to go to Amarillo for lunch, which would have meant an extra hour driving time there and back for us. We had to decline. A nap did more for me than I can put into words. It refreshed, revived, and reenergized me for two more times of teaching to round out the day. 

This is exactly why God created the Sabbath. A day for rest and worship. It was meant to be a day to rest and recover before starting another week of work. The Sabbath day is regularly broken. Some have no choice because of work schedules. Others fill the day with recreational activities, kids ball games, work around the house, and many other things besides worship. Do this long enough and it will compromise spiritual, emotional, and physical health. 

The NASU translation of Ps 23:2 uses the phrase, "He makes me lie down." God has His ways to get us to slow down. To recuperate. Some people feel guilty for resting. Like constantly being busy is a bade of honor. The Bible certainly speaks against laziness in the book of Proverbs. It also speaks to resting. There must be balance. In extreme cases, I've seen people hospitalized which forced them to rest. 

I actually felt convicted that we were planning too many things for the church. We canceled two events for this month. I could tell people were tired. They needed a break. Brenda and I needed a break. It was a fast paced summer with things happening nearly every week. Once this past Sunday ended, it signaled the end of the summer season and the ramping up of the fall season with back to school and all that comes with it. Other days of rest will be needed. The rest refuels us to be even more productive. LET'S GO!

I Heard Her Last Heartbeat

 God called a dear sister in Christ home today. A fantastic wife, mother, follower of Jesus, and talented singer. With her husband and kids, they travelled all over the United States leading people in worship. She battled cancer and after months of treatment and excruciating pain, she slowly drifted into heaven while her husband lay beside her in the bed listening to her heart beat head on her chest. 

Of course there are the same old questions why. Why did God take such a useful person in the advancement of His kingdom? Why did God call her her home to Him leaving a grieving husband and devastated children? Why did God not answer prayers for her physical healing, even though we know she is healed now? 

I hurt for her husband. A gifted musician, song writer, and worship leader. His world is wrecked. Those are his words. I know he is not the first widower in the history of the world. It still does not make it any easier. Somehow all the church cliches and Bible verses ring a little hollow in his grief. I know God is near to those who broken hearted and saves those crushed in spirit. [Ps 34:18] I know God works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. [Rom 8:28]. I know that in Jesus we have peace, but in the world we have tribulation. We are to take courage because Jesus has overcome the world. [Jn 16:33] I know precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones. [Ps 116:15] None of truths take away that a middle aged wife and mother is tragically taken from her husband and children. I know she would not return if she had the chance. It still does take away the vice grip of grief. 

All of those things are emphatically and eternally true. It still does not take the pain away from a devoted husband losing his best friend and spouse. I hurt for him and the children. Outside his home, life goes on. People hustle and bustle in frenzied activities of back to school, work, start of football, volleyball, band, and cross country practices. Inside his home are rivers of tears. There is anger and shock that suddenly she is gone forever. No more gentle kisses, hugs, morning breakfasts, movie nights, date nights, or casual conversations. Those things are just memories to cherish. 

I feel both guilty and grateful that I still have Brenda to go home to tomorrow evening. I still have the chance to tell her I'm madly in love with her. Still love to spend time with her doing just about anything. I still get to chase and serve God with her by my side. I kissed her goodbye near the curb of our front yard yesterday morning. Those are blessings my brother will never enjoy again with is deceased bride. It reminds me not to take Brenda for granted. 

I know God will sustain this devastated man of God in his grief. God will help him keep living one day at a time. God will help him write new songs and guide him to be able to sing them authentically. My brother has some very hard days ahead of him. He is in the weeping for a night. I pray God usher him into the joy that comes in the morning. [Ps 30:5]

Rejoice in Suffering

 Col 1:24 exhorts us to rejoice in suffering. To put that another way, it means to be glad in hardship, pain, and distress? Who does that? Isn't the natural reaction more like getting bitter, angry, doubtful of God's love? We feel like we are owed smooth sailing and a trouble free existence. That is a facade. 

Just this week, I had a conversation with a man very concerned about his aging wife's health. Several things have kept her down for months. A storm blew a tree over on power lines and impacted electricity and water for another man. He told me a recent storm took down seven trees. He has piled them up as high as 15' high to be burned at the right time. Another guy and his wife were spending time in Colorado. Their granddaughter checked on their house in Texas and discovered it was flooded. Ruined every room in the downstairs section. He and his wife have lived in a hotel room for the past 21 days as the insurance company drags their feet getting the home restored. His last words to me on the phone were, "We still trust the Lord. We are taking it one day at a time." I received a text today about a worship leader and his wife I have served with at youth camps in the past. The wife has cancer and hospice has been called in for her. The prognosis is not good. The husband and children are wrecked. 

How could we callously tell any of these people they need to rejoice in suffering? That is not what they want to hear in these moments of crisis. Sometimes, maybe even most times, we don't need to say anything to suffering people. Maybe we should just show up and be there for them to listen, hug, and pray. 

Like a burr in our britches, the admonition to rejoice in suffering is still there. Paul says the same thing in Phil 4:4 that we should rejoice always. The truth is our flesh does not feel like rejoicing when our worlds are crumbling around us. When the chronic pain does not subside night or day making comfort and ease illusions. When eyes sting from the salt flowing in continuous tears and are blinded to even the faintest hope, there probably will not be much rejoicing in suffering. 

People suffer. It is a cruel hard fact. All people suffer. This is a truth we cannot ignore. People without God to help or lean on for support turn to toxic ways of coping. This only makes things worse. Christians suffer. Horribly suffer just like others. The difference is that God helps through the hard stuff. It does not always turn out like we want. Like one lady told me recently, life is not a bed a roses and she feels like she's in a briar patch. Tough times do not last forever. Weeping does indeed last for the night, but joy can also come in the morning. [Ps 30:5] What do Christians do in the suffering. We keep breathing. We keep praying. We keep trusting.  We keep casting our burdens on God. We keep persevering one day and one moment at a time. 

You can rejoice in suffering for these reasons. Life on planet earth is not as good as it gets. Eternity in Heaven for the redeemed sinners is beyond imagination. You never know who might be inspired watching you navigate your own sufferings. Others may be inspired to not give up on God. They may keep pressing in close to God because of your example. Times of suffering help us not take times of blessing for granted. 

I'm not suggesting that you get in the middle of troubles and do a fake hallelujah hootenany. Your rejoicing can be silent alone in prayer. You can trust God's purpose. You can choose joy instead of bitterness. That is exactly what a widow did while her husband suffered with a terminal illness and also did after he died and still does to this day. She chose and still chooses joy. They were married in excess of 50 years. God's word would not command us to do something impossible to pull off. Through Jesus who strengthens us, we can choose to rejoice instead of complaining. Not saying it will be easy, but I am saying it is possible with God's strength and focus on His purposes. 

Lake Baptism Day

 Hundreds of hours of prayer. Secured permits. Vision casting. More prayer. VBS, children camp, Bible club, and Summers Last Blast. Gospel messages preached on Sundays. All leading up to over two dozen people who were saved or have been saved, but never followed through with baptism. All leading up today. The day scheduled for the Lake Meredith baptisms. Our youngest candidate who got all this rolling is a young 5th grade girl named Lauren. She trusted Christ as her Savior back at the beginning of summer. She wanted to be baptized in the lake. She agreed to wait so that several of her friends were also saved this summer can join her. She waited up to the last person talking to me last week just to remind me she only had to wait one more week. She will be the first to be baptized today.

Our oldest candidate for baptism is 85. She is scared of large bodies of water, but feels compelled to overcome her fear and be baptized today. There are other adults and students who will join her.

People have reported they have many coming to worship today. Extra chairs have been set out. Following our morning service, where I will one more time make an evangelistic push, we will all travel to the lake. We will start baptizing at 1:30. How many? I don't know. I know it will be largest number of baptisms I have been a part of in one service. I fully expect others to be saved today and to join in the celebration.

They will line up at 1:30 and one other guy and myself will start the joyous celebration. One after the other. People want to know how many. I do not have a number. We will just keep baptizing the next one until there are no others. We will ask each one before plunging them into the water about their salvation experience.

I pray for many more to be added to that number today. Dozens more. To glorify God and demonstrate what God can do in answer to fervent prayer. It will be a day to remember. When all is said and done, we are not finished. There are still thousands of lost souls in this community and county. May we work prayerfully and boldly to see God reach as many of them as possible. May He be pleased to rescue the perishing and the baptismal waters in local churches constantly be stirred with new converts professing their faith through baptism. The harvest is plentiful. May the Lord send out more workers in the fields of lost souls to lovingly lead them to salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.