A Dangerous Trend

Whether we like it or not, artificial intelligence is here and it is here to stay. Many praise the benefits. Others warn of the impending dangers. A.I. is a present reality that is already impacting our world. Coupled with the sobering truth that Gen Alpha, those born in 2010 and afterward, is considered the most anxious generation to ever live. One of the ways many of those students are coping with anxiety is by turning to A.I. for personal support. 1:4 Gen Alphas say that A.I. knows and understands them better than any person. 

A.I. is not a person. It is a thing. If not checked, A.I. could even become a substitute for God. A.I. is rewriting the Bible. I have zero confidence in the inerrancy and infallibility of that finished document. Not in a world who claim God does not exist. Not in a world who rewrite laws God established long ago. Not in a world that values most things God opposes. 

One report said as high as 72% of Alpha students turn to A.I. for personal support. It is easy to type in your question and get an instant response even if it is wrong. Believe me when I write A.I. is no match for God. Let God download all His understanding and the hard drives would crash and burn. God's understanding is unmatched. His power unequaled. 

When Gen Alpha, who have been hurt and had trust broken, was asked what they wanted people to know about them, their answer was simple. They list very high on what they want from adults is for them to listen without judging. As we get older, judging comes easier. We complain about the music being too loud, hair being too long on boys, too short on girls, that they are glued to their cell phones, are lazy, and that they are unfaithful to church. Tap the brakes. 

The church that was supposed to protect them and nurture them has been one of the institutions that has hurt many of them. One sex abuse scandal after another has broken the trust of these students. These students have been criticized, ostracized, and marginalized by many congregations. They are labeled as the anxious generation. No generation before them has faced greater mental health challenges as they do. Especially the girls. Some dismiss the whole idea of mental health even being an issue people struggle with. Such naysayers adopt the attitude of, "Suck it up buttercup." I confess that has been my attitude by and large. I need the attitude Jesus had toward people.

It is interesting that Gen Alpha is open to Jesus but distrusting of the church. Christians are supposed to be representatives of Jesus Christ. Yet, it is us Christians that give the church a bad name. We violate that sacred trust when we have morale failures in leadership. We mismanage that trust when we look down our pious noses in disgust at a generation of students far different that we are. 

Jesus had compassion for people. Matt 9: 36 All kinds of people. He loved people others labeled unlovable. He embraced sinners that religious people shunned. He forgave the ones others condemned. He comforted people the religious leaders hurt. Christians must become more like Jesus if we ever hope to help the "anxious generation." 

Tracing God's Hand of Faithfulness

 Brenda and I sat in my office yesterday before the start of our connection classes. I perused my Bible and Brenda looked on her computer. Without warning we were hit with another trial that buckled us. We did not see it coming. It blindsided us. We sat stunned. We had a decision to make. Did we give into anxiety, fear, anger, or submit to peace, faith, hope, and endurance?

We chose to put it out of our minds and move on through the rest of the day. This morning I prayerfully chose to cast that care onto the Lord. I laid it at His feet. It is not the first time we have faced tests. I am sure it will not be the last time. 

Fast forward to this afternoon. I listened to the a podcast where I heard the phrase, "I traced God's hand of faithfulness." I wrote a book in 2008 titled, Behold the Faithfulness of God, all about the bountiful ways God has shown Himself faithful to Brenda and I. Not just the two of us, but for all of His people throughout history. Over and over again, sometimes at the last moment, God has shown Himself reliable. He has answered prayers in His timing and in His ways. It has not been the journey I would have chosen for myself as as freshman Bible student at Howard Payne University. It is the one God chose for us. 

God's journey for Brenda and I has been filled with unexpected turns. It is hard to write, and for many who will read this it will be harder to believe, I've carried a desire to serve one church for 20-30 years. The longest I served any church was six years. I don't understand why we have moved so much. I know at least one of those moves was a mistake on my part. I totally misread God's leading. I've repented and lived in regret for a long time. I realize my mistake hurt my family and many others close to us. For many years afterward it felt like I lived in a spiritual wilderness. I battled deep depression that plagued me for several years. Even in that God was faithful. One prayer time and one verse brought me out of that depression. God did not forsake me. 

God has been faithful to meet financial needs and material needs. God has provided things from vehicles to furniture. He sent financial provision at those crisis moments when all of our hard work and salaries could not meet the unexpected needs that arose. You have heard many of those stories. When we needed a vehicle for Brenda recently and prayed for over a year for a debt free vehicle, God provided one. A very nice top of the line 2013 Ford Edge. No debt. He worked again to provide a 2012 Nissan Armada that we gave to Tanner to replace his worn out car. He has done that nine times in our marriage. We ask Him to do it again. That is tracing God's hand of faithfulness. 

He has provided places for us to live. Our current home is no mansion, but it is the right home for us. I have asked God for well over a year to pay our house off early. We hate debt and have very little. Our home is the one exception. We have traced His hand of provision and faithfulness on two occasions in our past when someone paid our house payments one for a year and a half and the other for four years without us asking. Unbelievable. That is tracing the God's hand of faithfulness. It encourages faith and inspires hope. 

Our trial is still there. So is our God. What God has done in the past we trust He will do again in the present and in the future. I hope that you will do the same. Look back in your past and trace God's hand of faithfulness. He will be reliable in your present and future. He is trustworthy. He will come through in His time and in His way. 

Flex

 To flex means to bend and tighten a muscle. Most little boys, and even some older ones, stand before the bathroom mirror flexing their biceps hoping their muscles grow. When a person flexes their muscles they are tensing them. The point of this article is not about flexing muscles. As we age, muscles atrophy and weaken. 

I have a total other thought in my mind. It was a phrase I read in Mark Batterson's new book, Gradually Then Suddenly. Batterson wrote about flexing our imagination. Instead of looking at the obstacles we can flex our imagination to see the opportunities. Flexing our God inspired imagination can help us see potential, possibilities, and pathways to get there. 

The problem is that people who are overwhelmed with seemingly impossible situations do not have the energy to flex their imagination. They are focused on the hopeless situation in front of them instead of the God of hope who says nothing is too difficult for Him. Is that really true practically or is it only theory? 

Here is the question we must consider. What does God want done in our situation? If God wills something to be done, we can believe that He will make a way for that to happen. You might have to flex your imagination and think outside the box. 

Let me illustrate. Several years ago Brenda and I started a church. Our first Sunday we met in a daycare. The smell of dirty diapers mixes with cleaning solutions were pungent. On our first Sunday morning, we outgrew the daycare. We scrambled and secured the junior high school cafeteria for Sunday mornings. That space was not available to us for our Wednesday night activities. I prayed and flexed my imagination. We met with our students in the stands of the football stadium for Bible study. We got more than a few confused and amused looks when people walked on the track. We met in the stands until the weather turned too cold, and then we moved into our oldest high school gymnasium. Those things worked until we could rent facilities of our own. We eventually converted a warehouse with grease stained concrete floors into a sanctuary with enough seating for well over 200 people. The bay doors rattled when the wind blew during services. We had a/c and heat, but the place was drafty. It still worked.  II would never have considered building a stage and putting chairs in a warehouse producing a makeshift sanctuary. It worked.  never would have considered any of those options until God inspired and we flexed our imagination. 

If you are up against it, overwhelmed, filled with despair and have lost hope, I want to challenge you to do a couple of things. Take some time and get away. Batterson also talks about how changing our pace of life and changing our place can lead to some powerful God encounters. In other words, change your routine. Sit in a cafe with a journal to meet with God. Take a prayer walk. Go sit in a park. When you do that, pray with all your heart about how God wants you to handle your situation. Ask God to inspire and flex your imagination. Write down the ideas that come to you.  

Flex your imagination and consider what God can do for you. His resources are unlimited. Psalm 24:1 His power is unmatched and capable of doing anything. Jeremiah 32:17 His understanding is inscrutable. Isaiah 40:28 Go ahead and flex your imagination. You might just be surprised by the solution God gives you for your impossible situation. 

14 Times in 6 Chapters

 This morning I read in the book of Numbers. Not the most exciting Bible reading. A phrase kept coming up a total of fourteen times in six chapters. What was the phrase? "Then the LORD spoke to Moses." That struck me especially since the bulk of my prayer this morning was asking God to speak to me and listening. 

Prayer can be rushed with a list of requests without taking time to listen for what God wants to say to us. What He has to say to us is always more important than what we have to say to Him. How many really take time in prayer to listen? Some might ask how do you listen to an unseen God who rarely speaks audibly. You train your spirit to get in touch with His spirit. You must discipline the mind to be quiet before Him. I find this to be one of the most challenging aspects of listening. My mind often races like wild stallions across the prairie. Reigning in those thoughts is a battle. Satan uses his demons to plant thoughts in us to keep us distracted. The father of lies does not want us to quiet our minds to listen to God. With the weapons given us to fight these battles, we have to trust God to take our thoughts captive in obedience to Christ. [II Cor 10:3-5]

Do we really want to hear from God? He does not always speak uplifting devotional thoughts. He sometimes rebukes calling for repentance. He chastises when we are not compliant with His commands. He prophesies about future events. He calls us to assignments that require faith and courage. He guides us in decision making. He also reveals important truths that we do not know. 

My favorite part of seeking God is the listening. I never know what He might speak. This is the difference in religion and a relationship. The relationship consists of back and forth dialogue between followers and our supreme leader. There are times when God speaks something so important it changes our lives. 

He did that for me three years ago one morning reading Acts 16:9-10. Paul had a dream one night about a man from Macedonia calling him to come and help. That same passage showed up repeatedly that same week in several books I read. I knew God was speaking to me. A casual conversation over lunch days later confirmed it. I told Brenda that I sensed God was going to move us to a new church and I believed it was going to be in the Panhandle of Texas. Two years passed. One morning I received an email from pastor search committee in Fritch, TX telling me they received my resume. A friend sent my resume to them without my knowledge. I did not seek them or pursue a job with them. Based on the Acts 16:9-10 I agreed to a phone interview. For two years I believed there was a church crying out to God to send them help and that Brenda and I were the answer to that prayer. The last thing I told them during our phone interview that day was not to ever contact me again unless they were convinced I was God's man for them. I did not hear anything from them again for five months. After all that time they contacted me to inform I was their number one candidate. We had an in person interview and the rest is history. Brenda and my whole lives changed based on God speaking through one passage of scripture on a mundane morning. That is the thrill of seeking and following God. The same God who spoke to Moses also speaks to us. Are we listening? May He show us great and mighty things we do not know. Jer 33:3

Empty

 Have you ever run out of fuel in your vehicle leaving you stranded? It happened to me one time while riding with a friend. He ran out of gas and the engine stalled. The ironic thing is the guy was rich. He just neglected to stop long enough to refuel. We had to push his vehicle to the nearest gas station. Our cars and trucks have gauges to let us know when the fuel is running low. 

People don't have gauges to indicate they are running low of emotional, spiritual, and physical fuel. Many are living on empty. I'm not sure we could even call it living. People are going through the motions coasting on the fumes of past God encounters, and all the while they are empty, dry, and maintaining daily routines robotically. Empty people are often emotionally numb. Unable to feel deeply. 

This can happen as a result of burnout. It can be caused by repeated trials that eventually wear a person down. It can be the outcome of a life of trauma. No matter the cause, there are empty people walking all around us. People who appear to be alive on the outside, but they feel dead on the inside. Empty people are often hurting people. They may not even be able to express what is going on inside of them. They just know they are not right on the inside and in the mind. 

Well meaning believers may exhort them to read their Bible and to pray their way through the emptiness. The empty person may still do those things and still feel they do not benefit. What is a person to do when they feel empty? The enemy who only comes to steal, kill, and destroy [Jn 10:10] wants to isolate people in their emptiness. What they really need is someone to listen, someone to care, and someone who will not try to fix them. That is not our job. It is God's. 

Empty people need to reflect on activities that bring joy and refuel them. They may need to alter their routines to include these activities. Mark Batterson is an author and pastor and he writes that sometimes we need a change of pace and a change of place to get us back on track. Maybe a walk slowly taking in the scenery or take out a book to read for pleasure. Maybe lunch with a friend is a good medicine to refuel your spiritual, emotional, and spiritual tank. It may sound kind of silly, but it is amazing how a good nap can recharge our batteries and give us a fresh perspective. Empty people have little left to give. Refueled people are a tremendous help and blessing to those they encounter including empty people. 

My friend did not stop long enough to refuel his SUV all those years ago. It ended up costing him more in the long run. Maybe you to stop to do some refueling too before you are completely empty. 

Miracle in the Pulpit

 I sat with my head down praying while the praise and worship filled up the room. It had been a day. Two different trips to Amarillo ate up a good chunk of it. Other projects took out significant time. When I finally got in my office to study for an evening message, a visitor dropped in after only five minutes. That was the only time I had to study for the message. I did not feel prepared. I wished anyone else in the place had been chosen for the assignment but me. I cried out to God for help. 

I did not even know how to start the message. I prayed in desperation. I put no confidence in my ability, education, or experience. I've preached thousands of times. I did not feel adequate to preach that night. I heard the worship leader speak words I dreaded to hear as he prayed, "Now Lord, I ask you to speak through our brother whatever you have laid on his heart." I had a text. I had no meat. No introduction, no body, nor conclusion. I just had a text and prayer that God would speak to me. 

I reluctantly walked up and stood there silently for a few moments. I opened my mouth and molten lava of truth spewed forth for the next thirty minutes. Even while preaching, the thought occurred to me that only God could inspire the things coming out of my mouth. When it ended, I bowed my head and silently thanked God for the miracle that had just occurred. I told Brenda, Tucker, Turner, and several others that only God could have done that after the service. 

The next day a lady asked me if I could give her one of the points I made in the message she missed as she took notes. I told her I could not and then explained what happened. I told her I could never preach that message again even if I wanted to because God gave it in that moment. That is not the first time He has done that. I am sure it will not be last. 

Preachers are called to study for preaching to show ourselves approved unto God. There are times when life gets in the way. It is always God who inspires, gives revelation, and empowers people to preach if their is life and fruit in the preaching or teaching. There are plenty of preachers who don't rely on God. They rely on their education  and their vast experience in preaching and teaching. They work on eloquence and carefully crafted sermons. They may appeal to the ears, but they don't ignite the soul and fire new thoughts in our minds spurring us to repent, obey, and step out in faith. None of these things produces lasting fruit or spiritual life. 

I choose to lean into God. To acknowledge my inability to produce life change in people in my ability. Only through the power of God and unction of the Holy Spirit can I be a vessel of any use. He gets the glory. I don't deserve any credit. If He ever uses me to communicate truth and people are saved, moved to repentance, or to follow Him in a deeper level, that is all Him. I am just a vessel. God once spoke through a donkey. I'm humble He called and chooses to speak through me. 

May miracles in the pulpit continue whether I have time to study or not. May He keep using me to proclaim His truth to a lost and dying world, an apathetic church age, and to those hungry for the living God. I trust Him with the results and will do my best to deflect all glory to Him. 

Two Tough Questions

 Two tough questions surfaced recently that are not so easy to answer. Both asked by hurting people who wanted answers when the church does not act like the church Jesus commissioned. Tough questions that draw attention to our flaws and fears. 

Question number one came from a person outside the faith. A person who was covered in tattoos who looked rough around the edges. This individual lived right across the street from a church. He saw people come and go most Sundays. He was often outside washing and polishing his vehicle. Nobody ever approached him. Nobody invited him to attend a service. The man got involved in drugs and other criminal behavior and eventually ended up in prison. It was in prison where he heard about Jesus and got saved. 

When he got out of prison and returned home, he asked another Christian why nobody in that church ever invited him to attend. The fellow believer could only surmise that church members were scared to approach him. They were scared off by his looks. Not a satisfactory answer. 

The second question came from a lady in poor health and her husband who is also ailing. It seems their collective health is deteriorating rapidly. The lady asked me a tough question. She asked, "Why do people hug your neck and act like they care when you are at church, but you never hear from them when we are out of church.?" She went on to say that one deacon and I are the ONLY ones to ever call to check on them when they miss. Both have fallen multiple times recently and it would seem the days of their consistent attendance are in the past. Do they only matter when they sit in seats during a worship service?

I know that people in churches check on one another they are close to. People on the fringes often get neglected and forgotten. This shows another weakness in churches. We are supposed to care about everyone in the body of Christ. I do my best, but I often miss lonely and needy people who need comfort and support. When we notice people are missing we need to take the initiative to check on them. 

These tough questions are not easy to answer. People die and go to hell because we are too fearful to approach them. People are forsaken by the church because they are not popular, not wealthy, nor even faithful in attendance. It is easy to feel like nobody cares. Like you don't really matter. 

Churches, we can do better. First of all, God has not given us a spirit of fear {II Tim 1:7] We must trust God for the courage to approach even the most unlovable, unapproachable, and most resistant to hear the good news of Jesus. Jesus also said that when we did good deeds for one of the least of these it was as if we did it unto Him. We have to do better. Eternity hangs in the balance. 

Not Perfect

 I just proofed something I wrote for our church newsletter. I found a typo. I am sure there have been numerous others. I do proof these blogs before I post them. I do try to get it right. The fact is I am not perfect. That is not a surprise to anyone who knows me. Here is another sobering truth. None of us are perfect. We are perfectly flawed and imperfect people. 

We make mistakes. We fail. We stumble. We crumble under pressure. We make poor decisions. We don't always follow through on promises. We misrepresent the truth. We do things we don't want to do and don't do things we should do. To break it down we sin. I am not suggesting that everything we do is sin. We do sin. We break God's laws. We are imperfect. People who are perfectionist have a hard time with not being perfect. These are the people who don't like red marks on their papers indicating they got the answers wrong. These are the people who stress themselves out trying to keep up the appearance of perfection. It is bone wearying act of pretense. 

None of us are perfect. I am not suggesting this gives us a license to sin. I'm only suggesting that we not beat ourselves up when we fail. We should be sorrowful, regret our actions, and repent. I Jn 1:9 is a wonderful promise for repentant people. When we don't get it right every time. I'm thrilled that God has grace for sinners and mess ups like me. The volume of my sin is large. Those sins include the ones before Jesus saved me and the multitude of sins since He saved me. He has not given up on me. I don't think He ever will. Why? Read Romans 8:35-39. These verses remind us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Not even our imperfection. 

It is a mind boggling truth that God loves imperfect people. His word is filled with the stories of imperfect people He redeemed. Abraham lied. Sarah doubted. Jacob deceived. Moses murdered. Rahab was a prostitute. Saul disobeyed a command of God and lied. He was also jealous. David was an adulterer and murderer. Elijah feared and doubted. Peter disowned Jesus. Paul was a terrorist. All imperfect people whom God loved and forgave. He will do the same for you. 

The Pencil

 A reporter once asked Mother Theresa about the secret to her success. Her response was not what the reporter expected. She reported that she started her day with prayer at 4:30 a.m. Then she told him she was just like a pencil. Here is her full response, "I don't claim anything of the work. It is all His work. I am like a little pencil in His hand., that is all. He does the thinking. He does the writing. The pencil has nothing to do with it. The pencil only has to be allowed to be used."

As followers of Jesus we are like pencils. We are just instruments in His hands. Vessels through whom He works through. It is not up to us to dream grandiose dreams of what we want to do. It is up to us to be available and to remain in the Master's hands. We let Him write His story and the role we play in that story. He plots the drama and we remain in His hands to write it out. 

There are many Christians who desire to play prominent roles. That is not our choice to make. He chooses the parts. We submit and are to remain faithful whether He uses us to do something significant, or whether He calls us to remain faithful in a more obscure role. We are all working together for the same purpose. To advance His kingdom and to glorify Him in the process. 

The reminder of the pencil alleviates the need for striving to get ahead and climb to the top. We are to submit. To surrender our will to His will and allow Him to write His plans through us. Yielding is not a posture that comes easy for many of us. We are doers, movers, and shakers. Yielding and submitting take us completely out of the driver's seat. We are passengers on this journey. Jesus is behind the wheel steering our lives and the end destination. 

The story of the pencil reminds me of what Jesus told His disciples in Matt 16:24. If we want to come after Him, we are called to deny ourselves, take up our cross and to follow Him. Each of those actions require submission. We don't always get to do what we want or even what we think is best. For instance, twice last week Brenda and I were out eating. Each time she looked at me and said, "I think God wants us to buy those people's meal." Both times I had already thought the same thing. Now, I am not saying we are rich. Our finances get stretched like a rubber band sometimes. Nor am I saying we are poor. In one case, two additional people joined the party of four we were paying for. Brenda and I looked at each other and said it is only money. God can make up the difference. We high fived and told the waitress our plan. That is just a part of what denying yourself looks like. Recently, I cast vision for a project at the church requiring us to raise $15,000. I had saved my money for months. I get a weekly allowance and I scrimped and saved. I am not saying it was a great deal of money to most, but it was to me. God prompted me to empty my wallet and to be the first to give to the project. 

Taking up the cross involves suffering. Most of us prefer to avoid suffering at all cost. Sometimes following Jesus leads us to suffering or to minister to the suffering like it did for Mother Theresa. Brothers and sisters we must not mind a little suffering when our own Savior suffered on the cross. 

Following Jesus could lead us anywhere. A little over a year ago He moved us to the Panhandle of Texas. Sometimes I catch myself thinking," I can't believe we live here. " Two years before we moved I got the sense that God was not only going to move us, but that He was going to move us to the Panhandle of Texas. The story is famous around here now, but I did not pursue this church. They contacted me. Someone sent my resume to them without ever telling me or asking my permission. In a phone interview with the search committee the last thing I told them was, "Don't ever contact me again unless you are convinced I am God's choice for your church." I did not hear from them again for five months. They did contact me to tell me I was their top candidate. Now you know the rest of the story. Being a pencil in the hand of God meant moving up north in the state of Texas to serve a church who experienced more hurt in the past ten years than any church I had ever heard of before. God chose to set Brenda and I in the middle of their pain to be pencils for God to write out a ministry of healing. 

I'm grateful for the lesson of the pencil. I hope you found it helpful. All we have to do is remain available to the Master and remain in His hands. He does the thinking and the writing. We are just vessels. 

The Fragrance of Worship

 I estimate that I have preached over 5,000 sermons. That means I've been in over 5,000 worship services as a preacher. I sat in many before I ever started preaching. If I were honest, I cannot say that really did worship in all of them. Some of them I prayed for direction for a message. Others I thought about the flow of worship and if it seemed the congregation was tracking. There were times when my mouth sang the words to songs, but my heart was somewhere else. There were occasions where my broken heart held me back from worship. 

There have been special worship encounters over the past three and a half decades. Times when I sang with such intensity and longing that I thought my heart would burst out of my chest. There have also been numerous private prayer encounters with the Lord when no one could see me get lost in the art of adoration. Some of my favorite worship encounters occurred in the prayer closet and not in a crowded sanctuary. 

I read about a worship encounter that was more intense than anything I have ever experienced. You can read about that encounter yourself in John 12:3. Jesus was invited to supper at Martha's and Mary's house. Lazarus was also in attendance fresh of his resurrection from the dead encounter with the Lord. Mary stole the show though. 

She took 16 ounces of very costly perfume. Instead squirting a few shots on herself to smell good for the dinner guests she anointed the feet of Jesus with it. She even went a step further. She bent over his feet and used her hair as a towel. What a sight that must have been. She had no regard for herself. She lavished love onto the feet of Jesus in a beautiful act of worship. Let your mind take in that scene. See her act of worship. Listen to the sounds of the others in the room. Don't forget to smell the fragrance of worship in the room. That aroma must have permeated the area letting others get in on the worship experience as well. 

Not everyone was pleased with the extravagant act of worship. That hypocrite Judas commented that the perfume could have been sold to help the poor. His real intentions were to embezzle the money as he done with other money entrusted to him as the treasurer. Some people are put off by sincere worship. David's wife Michael certainly was when David danced before the Lord bringing the ark of the covenant back to the capitol city. 

We are challenged to give God more worship. No matter what it costs us or how extravagant others might think it is. The only audience that matters in worship is God and Jesus. They are the audience. What people think is irrelevant. They should not be watching anyway, and wouldn't be if they were absorbed in adoring God themselves. We may not break expensive perfume out in worship, but the fragrance of our love should fill the room. The fragrance of worship is a sweet aroma to our Savior who deserves it. Let the fragrance saturate our prayer rooms and fill our places of worship. Because we have been forgiven much let us love and worship much. 

God Bless America

 No doubt you have heard that the United States is celebrating 250 years of our nationhood. That is a great accomplishment. This nation has endured and survived a lot during those 250 years. A revolutionary war to win our independence. A civil war. Two world wars. Other wars helping other nations. Multiple wars on terror. An attack on Pearl Harbor and on the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon. We survived a great depression, multiple down turns in the economy, the assassination of presidents, and other influential leaders. 

In comparison to other countries, we are but a toddler. China has existed for 5,000 years and the ancient roots of Israel goes back 3,000 years. We are still wet behind the ears as a nation. Even the Roman Empire lasted 2,779 years. I contemplated all this and then I considered the fall of the Roman Empire. What contributed to their fall?

Rome faced economic crisis largely related to financing continuous wars which drained the treasury. Our Secretary of War just asked congress for $80 billion to finance the Iran War. Couple that with the billions spent on the Ukraine War and actions taken in Venezuela and Cuba, and you wonder if we are not headed down the same path. Rome also had an instable government ripe with corruption. They had 20 different emperors over the span of 75 years. Some were assassinated. Others were weak. Those emperors reigned on average 3.75 years. You see the presidential election cycles of the past nine years. Our own government is filled with fraud and corruption. Rome also faced division as the empire was too large to govern efficiently. The United States is divided politically, racially, philosophically, and morally in ways I've never seen before. There was also morale decay rampant in Rome just like in the United States. Enemies invaded Rome helping to bring it down. We have tens of millions in this country illegally who have not been vetted. Some came here will ill motives. America must return to God. 

I love our country, but I'm concerned. We have turned so far from God. The vast majority seem unwilling and uninterested in repentance. Without God's protection and help we are a doomed nation. We may celebrate 250 years, but I find it hard to believe that 250 years from now America will celebrate 500. It most likely is a mute point. The Second Coming of Jesus is imminent in my belief. 

I am sure we will hear the songs God Bless America and God Bless the USA many times over the next week. How can God bless a nation that has forsaken Him. A nation that has allowed the murder of millions of babies through abortions. Sanctioned homosexual marriage. Allow murders and rapist to go free after committing these horrible crimes. How can God bless a nation that allows children to be mutilated in transgendered surgeries, grooms little ones in libraries with sexually deviant people, allows children to be sex trafficked and the guilty not to be held accountable to walk free to continue their pedophilia activities. This nation bows in worship to the gods of sex, sports, and satanic influenced entertainment. We are heading toward a collision of judgment with God. He did not spare His covenant people Israel. I do not believe He will spare us after all He done for us. I cannot sing God bless America. I do hope and pray God will have mercy on us and that His kindness will lead us to repentance as a nation before it is too late. 

Who Has the Most Followers

The World Cup is in full swing. It is the largest sporting event in the world. Like one commentator put it, it is like 78 Super Bowls back to back to back. I was wondering who had the most followers on social media. Cristiano Ronaldo has 666 million followers on Instagram. I'm not making that up. Coming in second is Lionel Messi with 508 million followers. That is a lot of followers. I don't really know what a social media influencer is, but I would think both of these guys qualify. Both men are devout Roman Catholics who give God the glory for their soccer talents and successes. Messi has a tattoo of Jesus on his thigh wearing a crown of thorns. Ronaldo says he attends church each week. 

That got me to wondering. How many followers does Jesus have today? 2.4 billion. Now I am not saying they are all devout followers. Some only follow in word and not in actions. There is no doubt about it. The Lord Jesus Christ is the most influential historical figure who ever lived without equal. He influences literature, the arts, entertainment, music, education, and on and on. There are over 4 million churches world wide. The Bible has sold over 6 billion copies and holds the Guinness Book World Record for the best selling book of all time. Jesus Christ is more than a social media influencer. He is a history influencer. A world influencer. He influences billions of individuals on a daily basis. 

I wish that could be said for all of His followers. Mixed in the multitudes are a host of apathetic, hypocritical, legalistic, power hungry, and insincere people who identify as Christians. There are more holy, loving, compassionate, and gracious followers of Jesus The faithful pastors get marred when a minority number of pastors fail in morale disgrace. That is not true of every pastor. Not even the majority of them. The few give the rest a bad reputation. The same for the unfaithful followers of Jesus who disgrace the faithful followers. When the people of God are devoted to prayer, remain on mission, and all in following they too influence people and communities around them. May our families of faith be a part of that bunch. Groups who influence those around us in good and wholesome ways. Like a man told me once, "May the church leave deep footprints in the sand." That is exactly what happened in the book of Acts. Read [Acts 17:6] May we turn our world upside down. 

Shredded

 Have you ever seen a paper shredder? You take your documents you do not want anyone to see or recover, and you put them through the shredding machine. Out on the other side comes dozens of tiny strips of paper. That is a great when it comes to shredding documents. Picture the same outcome only this time it is a person's heart. Not shredded with a machine. Shredded with words. 

The hearts of many people get shredded by sharp-tongue verbal vigilantes. They rip hearts apart with brutal and careless words. People are wounded by machete like words that pierce, cut, and dice the heart and the soul. Sometimes this happens by the very people who claim to love the ones they wound. 

Social media can add insult to injury. People pile on with hateful, insensitive, and cruel words they typically do not have the courage to speak to a person's face. They shred more than hearts. They can shred the psyche, the dignity, and self worth of others created in the image of God. Nobody is perfect. We all have our faults. Therefore, none of us have the right to verbally assassinate other people destroying them in the process. 

I see this in the eyes of students. They get hammered at home as well as at school in some cases. Many of the students I visit with are defeated because of the horrible things said to them or about them. It is sad. Beautiful young lives created in the image of God get shredded by adults and students alike. No wonder so many battle mental health issues. They feel like they have no worth because some are devalued by parents and peers. If they could only shut out all that noise and hear the heart of a loving Heavenly Father who created them. Here are some of the things God's word says about them taken from [Ps 139:13-16]. Our bodies, personalities, and intellect were intricately woven together with the precision of a loving Creator. God creates people with intelligent design. No two of us are alike. Each a unique and wonderful design of His wonderful imagination. God skillfully crafted us. We were not hastily or absent mindedly thrown together. Before we were ever born God saw us and knew us. More than that, He ordained the days set out for us before we ever took our first breath outside the womb. He saw this day when wounded souls would read this. 

God values His creation. So much so He sacrificed the death of His beloved Son Jesus to purchase our forgiveness and salvation. [John 3:16] God proved that love by sending Jesus to die while we were still sinners. [Romans 5:8] It is true none of us are perfect. It is also true that we are loved and valued by our God. He is also near to those who are brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. [Psalm 34:18-19]. If people shred us, it is God who binds our wounded hearts back together. His opinion should matter more than all the shredders of this earth. We have wroth to Him. 

Dear wounded one. Go to your Father and let Him love you back to health. Let Him warm you in His compassion. Let Him soothe the wounds until they are whole again. He does not shred. He loves, consoles, restores, and rebuilds. 

Increase My Faith

There is a picture of a map hanging on my wall with these words inscribed, "Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders." I need increased faith for my life's journey, ministry, and to pursue God ordained dreams for the future. Increased faith is not increased intellectualism. It is more than knowledge. Increased faith is not increased wishing. It is more than wishing for things to come true. 

Increased faith is growing belief, it is trusting in the tough times, and it is taking God at His word. Increased faith is refusing to be daunted by challenging circumstances. It is believing what God says over what our eyes tell us. To increase faith we must endure some trials along the way. We must learn in the laboratory of life that God is faithful. We stand in trust because we are grounded in truth. God does not lie. He does what He says He will do. 

If I want God to increase my faith, I invite Him to stretch my faith way beyond where I am comfortable. To lead me to impossible situations where I'm challenged to trust Him for improbable outcomes. To behold His miraculous intervention. That is when He gets the most glory. Like Moses at the Red Sea. Like Israel in the wilderness crying out for water and it flowing out of a rock. Like David fearlessly facing down a giant with a sling and stones. Like Elijah digging a trench and pouring water on the sacrifice and trusting God to send the fire. Like Jesus telling people to remove the stone from the tomb for his dead friend Lazarus. 

Increased steps of faith often happen on the wrong side of logic. Increased faith steps are often irrational. That should not deter me. Naysayers will try to sow doubt. Satan will spread fear. Increased faith overcomes those tactics. Increased faith looks at mountains as molehills. Increased faith stands firm when others flee in cowardice. I want to live with increased faith no matter how steep the price required to get it. The amazing adventures that follow will glorify our God and that is the reason I exist. 

What Do You Miss Most

I had the privilege of ministering to one of our widows this morning. She is a treasure. A rare jewel of a person aging alone without her spouse, but she is not a bitter lady. She is classy. She is delightful, interesting, and joyful. I promised her months ago I would come see her. Today was the day. We sat at her dining room table and visited for an  hour and a half. 

She and her husband were married for 63 years. I have not even reached the age of 63. He died in 2019. I asked her at one point what she missed about him the most. Her answer surprised me. She replied misty eyed, "I miss his touch." She lives alone. She is faithful in attendance among a group of other widows in our church. I often stop by their class on Sunday mornings to visit. Those ladies are important to me. Very important. 

As I thought about daily routines, it became apparent to me that she probably never gets physical touch from her class. I've never seen the ladies in her class hug one another. Does she ever get a hug? A pat on the back? Do people shake her hand?  Then I thought about my own life. Brenda and I usually kiss in the mornings and at night before going to sleep. We hug nearly everyday. There are others in the church who refuse to shake hands preferring hugs instead. I shake hands with multiple people during the week. Physical touch is built into rhythms of life. 

The saintly senior lady I visited today does not have that. While she did not say so, I imagine her missing holding hands with her husband. Periodically Brenda and I hold hands during the night. Something this precious lady does not get to experience. She does not enjoy the soft tender peck on the cheek or a quick kiss just to say I love you without words. She does not get any tender strokes on her cheeks nor does she get enjoy a quick hug. She lives a touch free life for the most part. 

Multiple times she choked back tears as we visited about her late husband. He was an interesting gentleman. I wish I could have met him.  63 years is a long time to share life with someone and then that person to be snatched away. 63 years of little day to day touches. A shoulder rub. An Eskimo kiss. Walking arm in arm. 

I left that visit with two take aways. First,  I want to make the most of the moments I have with Brenda. I know those times will not last forever. Either the Lord will take one of us home first, or Jesus will rapture us. The second take away is I need to remember how meaningful a handshake, a pat on the back or a hug might mean to someone who never gets any physical touch. I know this is a sticky topic in this day and time. There is such a thing as inappropriate touching. I certainly want to steer clear of that. On the other hand, God might use me and you to be the hands of Jesus to minister through simple human touch to other hurting and lonely people. Something as simple as human touch is something many of us take for granted everyday. May this be a reminder to keep watch for those who could use a little Jesus with skin on..

The Intruder

 Our financial secretary walked into my office today with surprising news. She informed me we had an intruder came into the main secretary's office. Somehow a bird got in there. We contemplated different plans on how to get the bird out. We settled on turning off all the lights in the officer and opening the door for the bird to find its way outside. It was our first and less intrusive option. We hoped it would work. 

I thought for a moment what if we went in trying to coax the bird to go through open doors. That did not seem like a fail proof plan. We probably would have scared the bird and got it even more disoriented to its surroundings. In our attempts to help, we most likely would have only made things worse causing the bird to panic. 

I thought for a moment if I was only a bird or at least could speak bird chirping so it would know we only wanted to help. I could have communicated that we just wanted to help the bird find freedom again. My inability to communicate with the bird only complicated matters. We depended on the bird's natural instincts to find the way of freedom. 

God tried repeatedly to communicate with humanity through history. He set up the law to reveal His righteous standards. 613 of them to be exact. No human could ever live up to that. People failed over and over again. God seemed so far removed. Too remote to relate to finite human beings. God sent help in the form of Jesus taking on humanity while remaining fully God at the same time. People can relate with Jesus. He was also tempted like us and yet without sin. His sacrificial death was the price redemption required. His resurrection sealed the deal. Jesus ate, slept, worked, sweat, and on at least one occasion even cried. He was born as a baby, though He existed before creation. He also died. He experienced pain and suffering. He understands us. 

God took the ultimate step to communicate His love to humanity. Jn 3:16 sums it up for us. God on His own initiative, sent His only Son, Jesus, because He loves us. Any person who believes in Him will not perish but be gifted with everlasting life. What a deal. It is too good to pass up, and yet many do pass it up over and over again until it is too late. Even though God proved His love. See Romans 5:8-9. Jesus shows us the way to the Father. There is no other way except through Jesus. John 14:6. Thank you Jesus for showing us the way. 

The Lifeguard

 Lifeguards are trained aquatic professionals who oversee swimming areas like pools, waterparks, oceans, and lakes. They are in the prevention business of keeping swimmers safe. They are constantly scanning swimmers to see if anyone gets into trouble and if so the lifeguard springs into action. A good lifeguard is always on high alert when on duty. They search for distressed swimmers and do not wait to be invited to help when they spot trouble. 

Jesus is like a lifeguard. Constantly scanning society and ready to rescue distressed and dispirited people who get themselves into trouble. I was in trouble as a teenager. I was an angry teenager, the by products of physical and sexual abuse as a child. I wanted to be a good person, but down deep in my heart I was not good. My private life was a trainwreck. I dabbled in things that were destroying me. I was drowning in sin. Jesus saved me. He rescued me from the sewage of sin that pulled me under. 

He is always on search and rescue missions with people all over the world. I am forever grateful on a Thursday night in October of 1983, when He came after me throwing the life preservers of grace, mercy, and salvation. There is a popular song where some of the lyrics identify Jesus as our rescue story. He certainly is mine. I am also eternally thankful that He did not give up on me. He could have walked away from me thousands of times. He persevered. His love persisted. His grace prevailed. 

In a few minutes, we will invite little children to our VBS. I want Jesus to rescue them like He did for me. To save them from the sin and shame I endured as a child and teenager. I want Him to save those drowning in dysfunctional homes like I survived. I want Him to do more than rescue children. I want Him also to rescue moms and dads transforming whole families. That's what Jesus does because like a lifeguard, He is always scanning and searching for those who need a rescue story. 

God Is Not Done

 God is not done working on us. We have need for improvement. For some He firmly takes a chisel and hammers off some rough edges. For others He takes a chainsaw to make massive cuts. All of it because He isn't done with us yet. He is completing His good work in us according to [Phil 1:6]

Have you ever left a project incomplete? We start things with great enthusiasm and then the tasks gets too hard or we become too bored. God is not like that. He finishes what He starts. He invests in each person whom He saves. He paid a high price for our redemption in the death of Jesus. After that, He will work on us to make us more like Jesus until our earthly journey ends. What a wonderful promise. 

When we sin and fail, He does not give up on us. When we rebel against the loving pressure from His hands to mold us, He does not throw on the trash heap. Lovingly, skillfully, and patiently He applies pressure where it is needed, He squeezes sometimes painfully to get us to conform to His intelligent design. What He begins He finishes. 

This is good news if you feel like you are failing in serving Him. You may sin. You may grow stiff in your resistance against His designs. You may even try and run away and make so many bad decisions your life feels like a disaster. He does not give up. He is persistent in His desire to conform us to Jesus. His grace is sufficient to forgive our sins. His wisdom is greater than thinking we know what is best. His love compels Him to chase us down when we try to flee from Him like Jonah did. 

Sometimes His hands are heavy to break us and shape us. Other times, His hands are gentle graciously grinding and filing areas that need attention. He is dedicated to us and doing His good work in us to the very end of our lives. When we fail Him we often feel condemned. Those feelings do not come from our Father. He said that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. [Rom 8:1] He is forgiving. [Ps 103:12] [I Jn 1:9] 

We need to keep ourselves in the Father's hands. When we walk closely with Him, we will begin to reflect Him in our actions and attitudes. We also must remain yielded to Him. We must remain soft and moldable in His hands. To resist Him is to grow harder. When that happens, He has to break us to make us pliable again. He is not demanding perfection of us, because none can be perfect except Jesus. He does want us to remain in His hands and to remain soft and pliable. If we do this for our lifetimes, we will be more and more like Jesus. His finished work in us will happen when we die and get to heaven. Then He will finish what He started in us. I can't wait to see the finished product of you. 

Life is Fragile

Every once in awhile we get awakened to the fact that life is fragile. We are often lulled to sleep by the rhythms of life much like ocean waves methodically pounding the seashore. We get used to our routines. We busy ourselves each day with tasks of vocation and recreation. Until those routines get interrupted by the sudden reminder that life is fragile. People die all the time. Celebrities die. Paupers die. People in our communities die. So do people we are close to like family and friends. 

James puts it this way in his epistle, "Yet you do not know what  your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and vanishes away." [James 4:14] 

The point is not to focus on the fact that we all have an expiration date. The point is to live today making the most of the time we have at the present moment instead getting ready to live in the future when the time is right. We make plans for the future that might never come true because we may not live that long. I read the story about a lady who never used her China dishes for fear of breaking them. She died prematurely without using them. Not long after the funeral, the father brought out the China plates for supper one night. We make plans for vacations, retirement, home improvement projects, and lifestyle changes. Some do not live long enough to enjoy those things. 

People have clothes they refuse to wear in fear of messing them up. None of us knows what tomorrow holds. What good will those clothes do for us once we are gone? Let's live life to the fullest extent we can while we have today. We may make plans for the future, but we should hold in the back of our minds that life is fragile. Life is like a vapor. Here for a moment and then it vanishes. 

The funeral business is booming. Funeral homes gross between $700,000 and $1.5 million a year. The average cost of a funeral is around $8,000. The average person will attend around 40 funerals in their life time. Horrible things steal people away we love and admire. Cancer. Heart disease. Alzheimer's. Tragedies. 

I once preached a funeral for an elderly man I did not know. The family was not affiliated with a church and gave no indication they believed in Jesus or the gospel message. They just needed a preacher. Sitting to my right from where I preached was a twenty something year old son. He sat with his head down. Ten days later I stood before that same family preaching that young man's funeral who died of a drug overdose. Life is fragile. It can end for any of us without warning. 

Two things are important to keep in my mind. Each of us need to be ready to stand before God in judgment. We are reminded in [Heb 9:27] after death comes judgment. We are also reminded in [Heb 10:31] that it is terrifying to face the living God. Terrifying if a person has not trusted Jesus as their Savior. The other thing we should recall is to make the most out of our allotment of days. Don't waste our lives on things that have no eternal significance. Make the most out of the time you have left because life is fragile.     

We Must Not Mind a Little Suffering

 Followers of Jesus are not insulated from suffering. They suffer just like the rest of people do. If a person thought when they dedicated themselves to Jesus that they would not never suffer again, they would be wrong. Christians suffer. Godly people suffer. Even the Lord Jesus Christ Himself suffered. It was the 18th century pastor, Charles Simeon, who once said, "Brothers, we must not mind a little suffering." 

Simeon was appointed pastor of a church filled with congregants who did not want him. They did all they could to make him so miserable he would quit. They locked the doors to the pews so that when people came to hear Simeon preach they were forced to stand. He moved chairs in the aisles and found them thrown out in the church lawn one day. Undeterred, Simeon kept preaching to those standing for, get ready for it, 12 long years. Parishioners refused to talk to him or associate with him publicly. They thought they could force him to quit. He persevered in the suffering remaining in that same church over 40 years. 

Simeon also comforted suffering people by telling them, if they were trying to get their heads through a hedge of thorns, that once they could see the view on the other side they would not mind the pricking of the thorns so much. His point is that if we can get and keep our minds wrapped around heaven we shall not mind the sufferings so much until we get there. 

One of the hardest thing for suffering people to do is to get their mind off the suffering. Those living in constant chronic pain find it difficult to endure, if all they ever do is think about the excruciating pain. The lonely person will only feel more alone, if all they dwell on is on being alone. Those with physical impairments, like some soldiers endure after war, will fight severe mental battles like PTSD because of what they experienced. Couple that will being disabled can send such people spiraling out of control. Searching for relief they try to ease the pain in toxic things. 

Simeon dealt with his suffering by keeping his eyes on Jesus and the hope of heaven. That is also what many African American slaves did in their sufferings. They sang their way through the sufferings. In suffering seasons we have to find a safe, secure, and solid place to set our minds. Paul exhorted us to set our minds on things above and not on the things of this earth.[Col 3:2]  It is hard to comprehend it, but everything on planet earth is temporary. Relationships. Health. Work. Even money. Even pain and suffering. They will not last forever for the child of God. 

We must not mind a little suffering, if on the other side of it we have eternal life with no more pain, no more tears, and joys everlasting. [Rev 21:4] We might suffer on our journey to get there. When I'm exercising, I have to use mind tricks to get through some of the workouts. On the bike, I have to remind myself I only to make it a few more miles or a few more minutes and I will get a break. When I am on the row machine, I remind myself I have to endure for a few more meters before I get a break. Or when pushing weights, and the muscles burn like they are on fire, I remind myself that I just have to push out a few more reps to get rest. 

So too in life. We endure painful seasons knowing they don't last forever. The pain and suffering will either go away as God brings needed relief in this life, or the relief will come for believers in Jesus in eternity. A personal relationship with Jesus, where a person repents of sin and trusts Him for forgiveness, is the only door to this eternal life. 

Unfortunately, for every person who refuse to believe on Jesus, a miserable life of suffering and pain will be intensified in eternal damnation with agony and torment beyond what can be imagined lasting forever. I hope you will turn to Jesus before it is too late. 

Burning Embers

 I've spent the vast majority of the last two days editing the new book Shake the City: A Revival Story. Part of that task included blogs written during the days of those revival meetings back in August of 2010. I did not remember many of the stories in those blogs. Something began stirring in me as I read those accounts of what God did back then. The revival embers buried deep in my soul started burning again. 

God put a burden and passion in me for revival going back to college. I got introduced to revival preacher and author Leonard Ravenhill's writings. His classic book, Why Revival Tarries, lit a fire in me. Through Ravenhill's books I was introduced to other revival authors. A few of us students met early in the morning before classes to pray for revival. As the years passed, I bought everything I could find on the subject of revival. I immersed myself in the study of revival. When I heard about genuine revival breaking out in places, I often drove there to attend the services hoping to catch a little of the fire and bring it home with me. 

On three occasions I experienced revival. Once in a church I pastored in East Texas. The second time happened on the Angelina College campus in Lufkin, TX. The other time is the subject of my new book on revival about 23 days of revival meetings at the First Baptist Church of Seminole, TX. That only whetted my appetite for more of God moving like that. 

I felt prompted three different times to lead churches and communities to seek God for similar moves. Each time I was disappointed with the preparation and the end result. After the last time, something died in me. I could not even bring myself to say the word revival for close to two years. I did not pray about it. Nor could I read about revival. I closed that painful door in my life. It felt dead. 

In time, I slowly healed. Editing that new book and reading stories that happened 16 years ago I discovered something. That revival burden and passion was not dead. The embers still burned. God blew His breath across those embers fanning them into a full fledge flame. I asked God this morning what I needed to do to prepare First Southern in Fritch, TX to experience such a move of God. 

I have said this many times before and I emphatically say it again. Revival is costly! More than you can know. It will tax you spiritually, physically, and emotionally. You will be called to pray like you never have before. The spiritual warfare will be intense. The preparation will require devotion and perseverance. God calls people to be all in on revival. When God does move in revival fashion, it can shake your life and shake a whole community. People will be called to repent of sin. Sinners will be called to salvation. Apathetic will be called into full devotion to the Lord. The gospel will be proclaimed by preachers and church members alike. The baptism waters will be continually stirred as new believers celebrate their profession of faith. The religious people will oppose revival. You may be criticized. You will be misunderstood. O, the glory of what God does in revival is worth the cost. I am willing to pay that high cost again if He will just come and not hold back His power in our midst. 

May the Lord blow His breath across dying embers igniting old flames that spread in revival. I want to devote my remaining years to the pursuit of God for revival in the Panhandle of Texas and the community of Fritch to be more specific. May those embers burn brighter, hotter, and longer until that day comes. 

Just Say the Word

 There is a story in Matthew 8 about a centurion who had a sick servant. The soldier came to Jesus imploring for help for his servant. Jesus offered to come with the centurion to help the servant. The servant protested saying in Matt 8:8, "Lord I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word and my servant will be healed." 

We all need that kind of just say the word faith. Think about it. God did not work at creation. He just spoke the word of creation. Whatever He spoke came into existence. Wrap your mind around that. God was not taxed. He did not exert enormous energy. He just spoke creation into existence. That same power flowed through Jesus. He could just speak what He desired done and it would happen. 

Do you need Jesus to speak into your circumstances. Maybe your world is chaotic. You need Jesus to speak, "Peace, be still," like He did in Mark 4:39. Perhaps you need Jesus to speak provision into your situation like He did in in Mark 6:41 when he blessed and thanked God for the loaves and fish feeding thousands. Maybe shame and guilt cover you and are eating your soul alive in condemnation. Do you need to hear Jesus say, "I do not condemn you, now go your way and sin no more." John 8:11. Maybe you are staring immovable mountains in your way. Hear Jesus say, "Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Mark 11:22-23 Maybe you are so weary and burdened you do not feel you can take it another day. Let Him just say the word to put hope and faith back into your heart. "These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. John 16:33

There is more power and authority in a spoken word from God the Father and Jesus the Son than we possibly imagine. If we spent more time applying His words to our situations, I am confident we would live with more peace. I am also confident we would live with more confidence that God will come through in His time and in His way. There are no impossible situations with Him. 

Jesus was impressed with the faith of the centurion. He commented that He had not found such great faith in all Israel. What about today? Does He look at us and is He astonished with our great trust in Him. Is He moved when we believe Him to just say the word? I hope we will grow in faith to pray just say the word prayers and to listen to His words for our troubled souls. He will make a difference in and for us. 

He Is All You Need

 No matter what you are facing, no matter how confusing your circumstances, no matter how your heart has been ripped apart the Lord Jesus is all you need. When you cannot navigate your way out of the storms of life, Jesus is your lighthouse to guide you safely home. When you feel abused and abandoned by those you trusted, Jesus will still be faithful. When you feel alone, He promised to never leave or forsake you. He is an anchor that holds in the harshest of times. 

When you give into a pet sin, He is all you need to find pardon and freedom again. He is all you need to rid yourself of the guilt that paralyzes you. His grace is sufficient. Even when you are not faithful, He will be faithful. He is all you need to heal a sin infested soul. He is there when your love for Him grows cold with the assurance that His love never wanes. 

When life is pressing you down, He is all you need to cast your cares onto Him. He will sustain you. He will be there in those long darks nights of weeping to remind you joy will come again in the morning. He will walk with you through the tribulations. He will strengthen when your strength is exhausted. He will comfort your grieving soul. He will fill your empty soul with hope and faith to keep going when you feel like giving up. He is all you need. When the cupboard is bare and the refrigerator empty, He is all you need reminding you He fed the Israelites with miracle manna for 40 years. He can be trusted to take care of you too. 

There is no mountain too big for Him to move. There is no financial need so massive He cannot meet. There are no ailments He cannot heal. There are no mental health challenges He cannot bring peace to quieten. There are no broken hearts He cannot mend. There are no relational conflicts He cannot restore. He is all you need. 

Do Not Be Worried

 There are plenty of things to get worried about if a person chose to do so. The rising price of fuel, groceries, insurance, vehicles, and materials. Reading the paper or watching the evening news can leave a person feeling hopeless. No matter who is in office politically things do not seem to get better. We are living in hard times. This is nothing compared to the Great Depression and what many predict will be a similar fate when the economic bubble finally bursts. 

The natural thing to do is to worry. To mull things over and over in our mind. To fret and fear about worst case scenarios. Contrast that with what Jesus said in Matt 6:25. Do not be worried. That means do not be anxious or concerned. That is the exact opposite of what our natural tendency to do is. When we worry it may feel like we are doing something productive. That is a fallacy. We are only creating more stress in our lives and building up more doubts. 

Jesus uses two examples reminding us of His faithfulness in Matt 6:26-30. He reminds us that even though the birds do not plant nor harvest in barns, but He still feeds them. My front and back yards get covered with birds eating insects out of the grass. I could go out holding a sign for the birds stating they are trespassing on private property. There is no such thing to a bird. Jesus also relates the splendid color of flowers in the field to remind us that He will also clothe us. 

There is not a single need you have or will ever have that our Heavenly Father does not already know. His storehouse is amply supplied. You, nor your loved ones, will ever have a need that He will not be able to meet with provision. He knows before you even ask. God owns everything. Ps 24:1, Ps 50:10 He is aware and He has the provision to meet it. 

I think most people worry about finances a lot. Many people face the challenge of earning too little and owing too much. People get themselves into messes trying to live above their means. They become enslaved to debt and mounting interest rates and payments. The Lord can even have grace on bad financial choices when people repent and honor God with their money. 

Jesus calls people who worry people of little faith. This must be reversed as His people become strong in faith and do not give into worry. He can rescue His own who cry out for help. No matter how bleak things look He can step in and save the day. Just like Mighty Mouse the cartoon figure, Jesus can step in saying, "Here I am to save the day!" Therefore, do not worry. 

The Last Word

 For centuries God sent prophet after prophet to warn His people about judgment if they did not turn from their evil ways. Most ignored the warnings. Most pressed on in profligate lifestyles. Holiness was not taken seriously. Hypocrisy abounded. Religion became a sham. Finally, God had enough. He sent one last prophet, and after His final message through Malachi, God went silent. 

God did not send a fresh word. He did not encourage the people. He sent no further warnings. Prayer became a one-sided conversation. Just a prolonged period of deafening silence. It lasted 400 years. God knew He was shutting down communication for four centuries. God was angry. Angry enough to allow His people to wallow in their own misery for centuries with no word of hope except the last thing He said through Malachi. Here it is. "Behold I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I might not come and smite the land with a curse." [Mal 4:5-6]

God muzzled His own voice to His chosen people. That does not mean that He did left them without hope. The hope that He would send Elijah to them. Elijah was taken up to heaven without death in a chariot of fire. God spoke a prophecy through Malachi 400 years in the making about a future prophet. He prophesied the coming of John the Baptist. God would not remain silent forever. He told His people another prophet would be sent. They would wait a long time for that prophecy to come true. Many would live and die before John the Baptist came on the scene. God promised through His last word that He would not be silent forever. 

That encourages me. I have gone through seasons when God seemed silent. It did not matter how hard or how long I prayed. I read the Bible ferociously during some of the silent seasons and still God remained silent. I even prayed scriptures like Jer 29:13 and Jer 33:3. Nothing I did persuaded God to speak. That is until He was ready. When He was ready, He spoke clearly. 

On my recent prayer and writing retreat, I had two agendas. I wanted to write the Shake the City: A Revival Story book and to hear from God. I finished the book by Tuesday. That left me two whole days to pray, read scripture, read other books, and wait for God to speak. Wednesday came and went from early morning to evening without a fresh word from God. The same thing happened on Thursday. I felt frustrated. I prayed and read scripture on Thursday evening until I could barely keep my eyes open. I went to bed thinking I might not get any word from the Lord. 

Friday morning I woke up early. I had a 30 minute window to pray before I had to pack, load the vehicle, shower and leave. Fifteen minutes passed with nothing. I wanted to give up, but I persevered until the last minute. That is when God chose to speak. A very personal word of direction and promise for the future. It is too personal to share here. It was not long. Maybe 30 seconds worth. It was enough. I left the retreat elated. 

You may be enduring a season of God's silence. Might I just say God has not spoken His last words. He speaks in various ways like the Bible, Holy Spirit, circumstances, and even through other people. Keep pressing into God and pressing on with Him. He may be silent for a season, but in His time He will communicate with you. He did with the Israelites. It took 400 years, but the prophet John the Baptist predicted the coming of Messiah. Well worth the wait. God speaking to me at the last minute on my retreat was well worth the wait. I trust that He will speak what you need exactly when you need it. He has not spoken the last word. 

Surrendered

 Surrender means to yield control to someone. In Matt 4:18-20, Jesus walked up on some guys fishing. They threw and then hauled their fishing nets back to the boat. It was hard work and did not always end in a guaranteed pay day. Fishing was what they knew. What they were comfortable doing. 

The first words Jesus said to these guys fishing was not hello or even can I have your attention please. Confidently Jesus said, "Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men." Consider the phrase follow Me. Jesus did not indicate where He would lead them. He just said, "Follow Me." He demands the same thing of us. Will you surrender your plans and follow Jesus? He might lead you to a destination or a vocation. He might also lead you to one person or a group of persons. 

Amazingly those guys surrendered everything and left their nets to follow Jesus. What an adventure they had. They saw miracles and they heard Jesus teach daily. They witnessed Him loving some of the most unlovable people. They watched Him extend grace and mercy to people who deserved to be condemned. Those fishermen learned and became world leaders, but it all started when they surrendered. 

You are challenged today to surrender your life to the Lord Jesus Christ just like those guys did. Imagine what Jesus could do in YOU and through YOU if YOU chose to surrender to following Him. He wants you to become available to Him. He will do what is necessary to equip you to do what He calls you to do. You stand at a crossroads. You will either choose the path of surrender yielding control to Him or you will hang on to control refusing to yield. Surrendering means He gets to lead you wherever and whenever He wants. That might sound scary. It really means stepping into your purpose. Those guys though fishing was their purpose. Jesus had a higher calling for them. So does He for YOU too. 

1. Read Matt 4:18-20. 
2. Consider the reason those guys were willing to leave their fishing nets to follow Jesus. 
3. Describe what surrendering your life to Jesus for this summer might look like. 
4. Spend some time praying about surrendering your life to follow Jesus. 

Shake the City: A Revival Story

 While I was away on my annual prayer and writing retreat, I wrote another book that has rattled in my spirit for several years. I've preached and testified on many occasions about the revival that happened in Seminole, TX back in 2010. I've wanted to write a book about that revival to preserve what God did in print. That is what God helped me to do last week. 

The retreat was not living in luxury. No television. No radio. No internet. There was lots of praying, reading and writing. I can't believe how God brought the book together. It is divided into three sections. The first is about how God moved us to Seminole and where the vision for the revival began. That section leads up to the first revival meeting. The second section includes the nightly blogs I wrote after each service. They are my first hand accounts of what God did while it was fresh on my mind. The final section is the 40 Day devotional material I wrote for FBC Seminole in preparation for the revival. 

My hope is that God will use this book to encourage people to believe God for revival and offer some hope. Maybe God will use that book as a catalyst for revival in multiple other places. The book is far from going to print. At this point all I have is a rough draft. The hard work of proofing is the next step. Next, we will shop it to publishers. There is a lot of work still to do before this book will ever get into the hands of readers. 

Writing that book was a labor of love. It brought back so many fond memories of wonderful people and a profound move of God. I recalled incidents I had long ago forgotten. It was a wonderful trip down memory lane. You can help by praying for an open door with a publisher to get this book into print. 

I am already praying about what book God wants me to write next. He has something in mind and I will wait until He reveals it to me and inspires it to be written. I pray for anointing to capture His heart onto the printed page communicating His truth. 

Storm Approaching

 Yesterday afternoon we started getting reports that a severe storm was approaching. One of our families from the church drove through it and sent out warnings that it was headed our way. The local weatherman kept breaking in the program we watched to give additional warnings. We could see on the radar where the storm was and where it was tracking next. 

I walked outside to look at the sky. Sure enough the clouds turned dark. I saw neighbors out looking at the sky as well. The winds howled and suddenly the temperatures dropped dramatically. The signs gave every indication the storm would be a big one. I prayed for protection for our family, property, and for others before going back inside. 

There is a much more severe storm coming in the future. That storm will be the worst in history. It will not last for hours or days. The storm is the Great Tribulation and it will last for seven years. The storm will come in the last days. Days that appear to be at hand. Days where the full fury of God will be unleashed on planet earth and those who rejected His repeated offers of love and mercy. In a series of pounding judgments increasing in severity, a good portion of the world's population will be wiped out in cataclysmic events. 

God has warned of this coming storm through the Bible, preachers, prophets, and signs in the sky. Most refuse to heed the warning. They will ignore the warnings until it is too late. They will find themselves in the middle of a storm they cannot escape nor find shelter. The only shelter is a relationship with Jesus Christ through faith believing for salvation. [John 14:6] It is the only refuge from this perilous storm to come. 

Mockers mock such warnings as this one and scoffers scoff. They refuse to heed these attempts to save their lives from impending peril. Fools say there is no God. Others look to history and refute that many have warned before and nothing happened. They fail to see that we are on time clock ticking down to the end. Every second we inch closer to the end. The approaching storm ripe with the fully fury of God draws closer. God's delay is His compassion to keep giving people chances to heed the warnings. [II Pet 3:3-10]

People take precautions when a severe storm is approaching. We did last night. Others did as well. Why do so many not take the predictions of a far worse storm that will doom them to eternal condemnation seriously? They are lulled to sleep by a godless society who espouse these storm warnings as unreliable or fictitious. Mark it down readers. No matter where you live, no matter your connections, no matter your economic status, and no matter how prepared you think you are, if you have not put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for pardon of your sins and the purchase of your salvation, YOU ARE DOOMED until you have done so. Nothing else and no one else can save you from that coming storm. You have been warned. 

The Journey Home

 Friday morning I got up with a 500 mile journey home in front of me after an annual prayer retreat. I had an early breakfast and then got into the Armada turned left on my route back home. It was one of those tasks that you have to wrap your mind around and gut it out. I can't say I looked forward to the destination but I sure looked forward to getting home. My route included Hwy 287 all the way to DFW with a short detour on I-35 through the thick of metroplex traffic with road construction. Then back to 287 all the way to Claude, TX with a right onto FM 207 to Borger and then a connection with Hwy 136 back to Fritch. 

The first let went smooth through Corsicana and onto Waxahachie. Past Waxahachie the traffic thickened. Moving into Mansfield the traffic got heavier. My first real text of the day was just ahead in Arlington and tons of road construction. Tight turns, boxed in lanes, and navigating new detours made that leg of the journey a challenge. All in all, I persevered and made it into Fort Worth proper. More heavy traffic as usual to get to the other side. I had to grip the wheel a little tighter and be on much higher alert. A little nerve wracking. 

Finally got through the congested DFW area. Then, it was just a long jaunt to Wichita Falls which is a mid sized town. The only concern is making sure you are in the left two lanes to take the Amarillo exit and not the exit leading to Oklahoma. After that, it was just small town after small town, multiple road construction zones, a couple of road side rest area pit stops and a refueling stop. It was perseverance. 

Over eight hours after I started, I pulled up to 411 Coronado St, Fritch, TX. It was a long journey, but I made it back home. 

That reminds me that we are all on a journey home. Many of us as followers of Jesus are on a journey home to Heaven. That is our ultimate destination. It may not be easy to get there. The only ticket for entrance is trusting the Lord Jesus for salvation. There will be detours, bumps in the road, and a few delays along the way. God never said the journey home would be easy. The reward at the end will be worth it. 

My reward upon returning home was to behold my brown eyed brunette beauty of the past 35 years. I also was blessed to see our oldest son and his wife along with Tucker. It was well worth the 500 mile endurance test. Not nearly as rewarding as when we get to see Jesus and enter into an eternal home where roads are paved with gold and the only light is the majestic glory of God. 

No matter what our journeys on earth entail ,a moment with the Lord will be worth it. A million times worth it. Every trial, every set back, every test, every triumph, every tribulation, and every sorrow will be worth it. I thank God that the end of our journeys will be home. An eternal home. We have to persevere to get there. There is an end to our journey. One day followers of Jesus will get home. 

Retreat

 

 

The word retreat has several meanings. It can mean to withdraw from a dangerous situation. It can also mean a period of withdrawal for prayer, meditation, and study. The latter is how I choose to use the word for this article.

I got up early this morning to begin a 500-mile pilgrimage to a two-bedroom house I affectionately call my “Prayer Cabin, nestled in deep East Texas. If you follow Hwy 287 south you could easily drive right past this place. The prayer cabin is not visible from the road. It is located about a mile down a dirt driveway and oversees a 90-acre private lake. There are rolling hills of pasture on the far side of the lake across from the cabin. A Pine Tree thicket is deeply rooted to the left including a gently flowing stream. To the right sits the large log cabin house where the owner and his family stay when they frequent this place. The lake also winds around a bend to the right going back nearly to the highway, but invisible from the road.

God has blessed me with the opportunity to come to this place of retreat at least once a year for the past 34 years to pray, write, seek God, and read. This place used to be very rustic. A flood damaged the whole place, so it had to be renovated. Everything is new here, but none of that is why I retreat here. This is holy ground for me. I’ve had profound encounters with God in this place. God has inspired and enabled me to write several books in this secluded sanctuary. There is no television. No internet. Nothing to entertain me or to look at it another way, nothing to distract me.

I brought a few clothes, some books, my computer, and journal. The only sound I hear is the tapping of these keys and the whirling of a ceiling fan. It is completely isolated except for my host who manages this place and he gives me plenty of space. Why go through the trouble to leave Brenda, the flock I shepherd, incur the expense of gas to get here and the toll on my body to make the drive?

My soul craves time alone with God. The kind of time when I can spend long sustained seasons in His presence. I crave time to think and write things that stir within me. I desire to slow down, rest and be renewed before the busy summer ministry season begins. Time devoted to spiritually recharging. Time to sleep if my body needs recuperating as well.

Retreat is what my weary and worn soul craves. Brenda and I hit the ground running hard a little over a year ago in Fritch, TX. She recently retreated with some high school friends. Now it is my turn. God is here. This is sacred dirt. He has graciously met me in many profound encounters over the past several decades. I prayed before I got here that this one would be best retreat yet. Seven people surrounded me last night after the service laying hands on me and praying for my time away. I know all too well how time flies here. I want to make the most of it. Signing off from the prayer cabin at 5:46 p.m.

Finished

 I've carried a dream in my heart since I was twelve years old. I wanted to be an author. I cannot explain where it came from or exactly when it started. I always loved to write. Creative writing assignments in school excited me. I wished for more of them. While other students groaned in complaints, I eagerly grabbed my pen and furiously dreamed up stories writing with passion. Other than playing professional football, and God calling me to preach, the only thing I dreamed of doing was writing. 

I celebrate today finishing the rough draft of another book. I titled the book, Only Believe: The Power of a Transformational Jesus Touch. I poured my soul into that book. The book touches on Jesus stories from the Gospels. It is a book of hope and written to encourage faith in people. We are nowhere near ready to go to print. I just finished the rough draft. Now the work starts. Proofing, editing, eventually shopping it to publishers, choosing page layouts, front and back cover designs, and after all that we go to print. The work does not stop after that. Then the book has to be marketed. Hopefully people will purchase copies and be helped by it. 

Today, I celebrate finishing a project close to a year in the making. There were set backs along the way with constant demands on my time. One set back nearly brought the whole project to a devastating end before it was finished. Back in late 2025, I wrote feverishly to finish the book before the end of the year. I was nearly 75% complete, when after a writing session suddenly I lost everything on the computer. Nothing was saved. I had saved the work each step of the way. Then it was gone. There was some glitch in the computer that erased months and months of work. 

I cannot even begin to describe the way I felt. Sick to my stomach. I could not believe it happened. Shock. Devastated. Crushed. Grieved. These feelings touch the surface. I do not have the words to describe the depth of those emotions. I wanted to cry, but no tears formed. I barely functioned for days. A technology expert looked at my computer and was able to recover a portion of the book. I still lost at least one third of what I wrote. The church got me a new computer and the remaining part of my book was saved on a thumb drive and downloaded onto the computer. That incomplete manuscript sat dormant for five months. I could not bring myself to go back to write on it again. I wrote blogs and articles for our newsletter. I just couldn't bring myself to work on that book. That is until three days ago. 

It started with a question from someone about whether I had done any more work on the book. I went to the file and opened it for the first times in months. The cursor blinked at the end of the recovered portion and I asked God to inspire and help me finish the book. Three days later I typed the last word of the last sentence and put down the last period. Finished. God enabled me to finish the project He initiated me to start in the first place. Now to devote my time to more blogs and my next book to be titled, Shake The City: A Revival Story. This is a book about a 23-day revival that broke out in the First Baptist Church in Seminole, TX where I served as pastor. I leave next week for a prayer/writing retreat to begin that work. 

There is a sense of contentment that comes with finishing anything. Many people start projects and do not complete them. When God calls us to start something, there should be an obligation to obey to completion or God releases us. We can all look around to see books we started reading but never finished or home projects that started with great gusto only to fizzle out with frenzied schedules. Quitting can become a habit. So can finishing. So, go ahead and finish the project you started. Resurrect that dream you gave up on too early. Let us finish for the glory of God. [Gal 6:9]

Insignificant

 Millions of people feel insignificant. What about you? Insignificance means to be too small to make any impact. It means being so unimportant that nobody listens. It means having minor worth so that there is little to no influence on those around you. How many reading this feel like you qualify on all those fronts? You feel small in this world. I spoke to a cleaning lady for an organization a few years ago. While I worked there I made a point to notice her and speak to her each day. She was very quiet and went about her job dutifully never drawing attention to herself One day she made a statement I have not forgotten. She commented, "I am just one of the invisible people around here." She saw herself as just a cleaning lady. I saw her as a person who did her job well without complaining. She had significance in the eyes of God and those who took time to notice her. She was not invisible even if she felt that way. 

Perhaps some of you feel invisible. You do not have a high profile or respected vocation. You get overlooked. You feel unimportant. You feel insignificant. If that is you, I have some good news from you. We have to go all the way back to the book of I Samuel. Let me set the context. Israel's first king Saul disobeyed God, and God determined to remove him from the throne and chose another king. In I Samuel 16, the prophet Samuel goes to Bethlehem to trust God to reveal who would be the next king. 

God instructed Samuel to go to Jesse's house. Jesse brought in his sons. Strong strapping men. From oldest to the youngest each son was presented to Samuel. Eliab stood before Samuel and Samuel thought, "Surely this is the Lord's anointed." God spoke, "God does not look the way man looks. Man looks on the outward appearance but God looks at the heart." I Sam 16:7 One by one each of Jesse's sons stood before Samuel and God rejected each of them. Samuel inquired if Jesse had any other sons. Jesse indicated he had the youngest who was out looking after the sheep. 

There is only two ways to interpret this. Either David was not summoned with is brothers because it was too inconvenient to call him from the fields and to leave the sheep unattended. Another interpretation is that David seemed so insignificant to his father that he did not bother to call him believing the other seven sons were seen as more important to Jesse. I lean toward the second view. 

David was the youngest. The runt of the litter. He was probably picked on by his older brothers. He had the job of watching the sheep. Maybe his brothers did the same job too, but we do not read that. The brothers ridiculed him in chapter 17 asking about his few sheep. David is described as ruddy meaning red, with beautiful eyes, and handsome in appearance. He walked into the room unsuspecting that his entire life was about to change. His destiny was not be a shepherd for life. God had a bigger destiny. To rule as a king.  When David stood before Samuel, God spoke, "Arise and anoint for this is he." I Sam 16:12 God handpicked David to be the next king. There would be training before he would sit on the throne through tribulation. God chose David. A son and brother everyone else overlooked. Everyone but God. 

I Cor 1:26-29 reminds us that when God is looking for people to go on mission for Him, God chooses the weak, the foolish, and the despised to shame those who are wise, strong, and noble. Put another way, God chooses insignificant people to do very significant things for Him. That is great news. You may feel overlooked by everyone, but God sees you and just might choose you to do something very significant for His glory. People who get passed over in junior high and high school might be the ones who accomplish great things for God. God sees invisible people. He sees those whom others view as insignificant. God chooses and uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. God sees you. You hold great value to Him. Wait on Him and surrender to Him. Make yourself available to Him. He might chose your seeming insignificance to do something very significant just like He did with David. 

Sin Will Cost You

 The battle against sin is as old as Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Since then, every person who trod this planet, with the exception of the Lord Jesus Christ, has sinned. Sin stains the pages of scripture. Sin makes headline news everyday. Sin is the topic of gossip when another person fails morally.  Educated and uneducated alike struggle with sin. Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Church Christ, Assemblies of God and non denominationals all struggle with sin. Preachers and pew sitters all face the same temptations to rebel against God. 

Sometimes sin is fun. That is the reason people do it. Just because it is fun does not make it right or a healthy choice. Sin will cost you. Sin will cost you more than you ever wanted to pay. One decision to eat forbidden fruit in the garden has cost humanity for thousands of years. The tempter will always be ready to entice people to choose sin over choosing submission to God's way. Sometimes people get away with transgressing without suffering immediate consequences. There will be a day of reckoning. A day when God calls people into account. There are other times when people pay the price for practicing sin. 

The ultimate consequence is eternal damnation to hell. Any person without a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ will suffer eternally when they die or at the glorious appearing of Jesus and the rapture. Those left behind will endure great tribulation. If they never turn to Jesus, they will discover the cost of sin to be horrific. People who die without ever repenting of sin, turning to Jesus as their Redeemer, and trusting Him to be saved will find the high cost of sin a terrible trade for the temporary pleasure they enjoyed. Eternity is a long long time to be wrong. 

There are other costs as well. The addict probably did not think one sip, one toke, one shot, or one pill would lead to a life of slavery to substance abuse. The sexually deviant did not think one moment of passion could turn into an unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease. One click on the computer or the phone can lead to bondage to debauchery. Even to criminal activity. 

The cost of sin included Jesus dying on the cross. I thank God that the grace He offers through His substitutionary death is greater than sin. He forgives sin. Read Ps 103:12 and I Jn 1:9 for a reminder. His grace is greater than the cost of our sin. He is willing to forgive. Praise Him for pardoning people. That does not mean that there might not be consequences. Gal 6:7-8 God will forgive the adulterer, but that does not mean that the spouse will. The act of adultery could cost a person their marriage. God will forgive the embezzler. That does not mean that charges will not be filed and incarceration follow. God will forgive the abusive parents, but that does not mean the children will stay in the home. 

Sin will cost you more than you ever wanted to pay. It can also lead you further than you ever wanted to go. Addiction, abuse, theft, rape, murder, abortion, lying and so much more. We best stay prayed up and keep our head on a swivel so that when temptation comes, when sin is crouching at the door ready to pounce on us, Gen 4:7, we must trust that God has given us everything pertaining to life and godliness II Pet 1:3 and a way of escape I Cor 10:13. Jesus also has the power set slaves free from sin. Praise God His grace is greater than sin.