We all know the joy and the freedom of experiencing breakthroughs. Do you remember when you learned to tie your shoes? Or learned to count and you understood what those numbers meant? Or learned to read? Those were breakthroughs.
You experienced earlier breakthroughs; you just don’t remember them…but they were nonetheless significant. When you learned to walk? When you became potty-trained? When you learned to talk? All of those were breakthroughs that opened a world of possibilities to you that would be hidden and out-of-reach otherwise.
Today is the final day of our 40 Days of Prayer & Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough, and I want you to know how grateful that I am for you! But I trust that these 40 days are not “over and done with,” as some fellow Hardin Countians might say it. Surely these days of spiritual pursuit have opened a world of spiritual possibilities to us that would otherwise be hidden and out-of-reach. In other words, I am praying now that the car is cranked that we’ll have the courage to drive it in the direction God sends us!
I hope to see you as we gather for worship…
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Discovering that You Don't Really Want the Very Thing You've Always Wanted
At the age of 19, Kylie Bisutti achieved her dream by beating out 10,000 other contestants in the 2009 Victoria's Secret Model Search contest. But before long, Bisutti was seeing her dream in a different light, specifically the light of her growing walk with Christ. In an interview Kylie said,
“[The modeling world] is a very hard industry to be in without falling into things you don't want to do....It's a very tempting industry....Victoria's Secret was my absolutely biggest goal in life, and it was all I ever wanted career-wise....[But] I'm a Christian, and reading the Bible more, I was becoming more convicted about it....My body should only be for my husband, and it's just a sacred thing. I didn't really want to be that kind of role model for younger girls because I had a lot of younger Christian girls that were looking up to me and then thinking that it was OK for them to walk around and show their bodies in lingerie to guys. It was pretty crazy because I finally achieved my biggest dream, the dream that I always wanted, but when I finally got it, it wasn't all that I thought it would be.”
Have you considered that the things we most long for (and that we work hardest to achieve) might not be all that we think they are? Might they be little more than mirages on the landscape of our imagination? How often do we measure our thoughts and desires against the filter of our faith? How often do we honestly assess our goals and plans against God’s purposes? What a waste of time and resources to commit ourselves to achieving some goal that, in the end, contradicts the heart of God!
I’m just a fellow traveler…giving you something to chew on today.
“[The modeling world] is a very hard industry to be in without falling into things you don't want to do....It's a very tempting industry....Victoria's Secret was my absolutely biggest goal in life, and it was all I ever wanted career-wise....[But] I'm a Christian, and reading the Bible more, I was becoming more convicted about it....My body should only be for my husband, and it's just a sacred thing. I didn't really want to be that kind of role model for younger girls because I had a lot of younger Christian girls that were looking up to me and then thinking that it was OK for them to walk around and show their bodies in lingerie to guys. It was pretty crazy because I finally achieved my biggest dream, the dream that I always wanted, but when I finally got it, it wasn't all that I thought it would be.”
Have you considered that the things we most long for (and that we work hardest to achieve) might not be all that we think they are? Might they be little more than mirages on the landscape of our imagination? How often do we measure our thoughts and desires against the filter of our faith? How often do we honestly assess our goals and plans against God’s purposes? What a waste of time and resources to commit ourselves to achieving some goal that, in the end, contradicts the heart of God!
I’m just a fellow traveler…giving you something to chew on today.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Today’s my 45th birthday.
I’m reminded of that poetic verse by Longfellow in which he sought to remind his peers that, despite their age, they still had much to do:
For age is opportunity no less
Than youth itself, though in another dress,
And as the evening twilight fades away
The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day.
I’m grateful for another birthday...it’s much better than the alternative...and I still have much to do!
Thursday, March 8, 2012
"Lord, Help Me Be More Like Charlie"
Last night I finished up preaching a series of revival meetings at First Baptist Church, Centerville, TN. It was a blessed week with precious people. But I want to tell you about a 9-year old boy named Charlie.
After I finished preaching last night, I knelt in the altar to pray for God to move in the hearts of people...when I felt this soft touch on my left shoulder. Believing someone was trying to get my attention to talk, I lifted my eyes only to find a boy praying over me. I discovered that he wasn't wanting to talk to me about God; he was talking to God about me!
I didn't hear everything Charlie said, but my heart was so humbled to hear this young man praying, "...and God, thank you for bringing this man to our church to preach this week." I couldn't help but think of that old phrase, "From your lips to God's ear." I can't tell you what that prayer did for my heart.
Let me give you a couple of thoughts to ponder today. First, would you have been willing to do what Charlie did when YOU were a 9-year old? Go to the altar, lay your hand on the shoulder of the visiting evangelist, and pray for him? That was a courageous thing to do. I pray God would give me that kind of courage to do whatever He impresses upon my heart to do...and that I would act on it.
Second, might there be someone you meet today who needs your encouragement? You know the fuel that someone's encouraging words or timely prayer can put into your tank. I encourage you to be that mouthpiece of God today for someone else.
Yesterday as I was making hospital visits, I met a precious lady on the elevator. She looked at me with some recognition as I boarded, but she wasn't sure how she was supposed to know me...until her eyes fell on our church logo on my shirt. She exclaimed, "You're the pastor of Hilldale Baptist Church! I watch you every week on television!" I'm always humbled that people watch our television ministry and always blessed when they tell me what it means to their spiritual journey.
Considering that we were in a hospital, (after the small talk about our TV ministry) I asked her why she was there. She told me that her husband of 69 years had just had open heart surgery. Her heart was undoubtedly heavy. So I asked her if I could pray for him. And we bowed right there in the hospital lobby, held hands, and prayed for her husband.
When we lifted our heads, she was ecstatic and she had happy tears. She said, "This is of God!" I said, "A divine appointment, no doubt." She said, "God knew how much I needed that right now, so He put you on that elevator with me!" I smiled...and wondered to myself in shame how many times I've been so preoccupied that I missed someone like this precious lady and, thus, missed a divine appointment...and a blessing.
Keep your eyes (and heart) open today...
After I finished preaching last night, I knelt in the altar to pray for God to move in the hearts of people...when I felt this soft touch on my left shoulder. Believing someone was trying to get my attention to talk, I lifted my eyes only to find a boy praying over me. I discovered that he wasn't wanting to talk to me about God; he was talking to God about me!
I didn't hear everything Charlie said, but my heart was so humbled to hear this young man praying, "...and God, thank you for bringing this man to our church to preach this week." I couldn't help but think of that old phrase, "From your lips to God's ear." I can't tell you what that prayer did for my heart.
Let me give you a couple of thoughts to ponder today. First, would you have been willing to do what Charlie did when YOU were a 9-year old? Go to the altar, lay your hand on the shoulder of the visiting evangelist, and pray for him? That was a courageous thing to do. I pray God would give me that kind of courage to do whatever He impresses upon my heart to do...and that I would act on it.
Second, might there be someone you meet today who needs your encouragement? You know the fuel that someone's encouraging words or timely prayer can put into your tank. I encourage you to be that mouthpiece of God today for someone else.
Yesterday as I was making hospital visits, I met a precious lady on the elevator. She looked at me with some recognition as I boarded, but she wasn't sure how she was supposed to know me...until her eyes fell on our church logo on my shirt. She exclaimed, "You're the pastor of Hilldale Baptist Church! I watch you every week on television!" I'm always humbled that people watch our television ministry and always blessed when they tell me what it means to their spiritual journey.
Considering that we were in a hospital, (after the small talk about our TV ministry) I asked her why she was there. She told me that her husband of 69 years had just had open heart surgery. Her heart was undoubtedly heavy. So I asked her if I could pray for him. And we bowed right there in the hospital lobby, held hands, and prayed for her husband.
When we lifted our heads, she was ecstatic and she had happy tears. She said, "This is of God!" I said, "A divine appointment, no doubt." She said, "God knew how much I needed that right now, so He put you on that elevator with me!" I smiled...and wondered to myself in shame how many times I've been so preoccupied that I missed someone like this precious lady and, thus, missed a divine appointment...and a blessing.
Keep your eyes (and heart) open today...
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Time Doesn't Always Heal
I read about something that happened this past fall that resonates loud-and-clear with our 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough. Back in November, Pete Richeson walked into a sheriff’s office to confess a crime he committed sixty years ago.
Richeson stole a fraternity beanie off the head of an Alabama fan at the Iron Bowl, the annual football game between in-state rivals Alabama and Auburn. In fact, Richeson and his brother went to the game planning to steal an opposing fan’s hat to keep as prideful souvenir.
“We took it back to Auburn and passed it around the dormitory at that time, and we nailed it to the wall, and it stayed there.”
Sixty years later, though, Richeson regrets what he did. But when he presented himself to the sheriff, he was told that the statute of limitations had expired and that there wasn’t much that could be done. Still, Richeson is hoping that the one he violated is still alive and that he will allow Richeson to make things right.
“It's stayed with me for over sixty years, and I would like to give it back to the man it belongs to. I'm sure he had some consequences he had to face….I must do something soon, because we’re both close to 80-years-old, and I’m hoping he’s still alive.”
Richeson’s actions are not unlike what happens to us when we intensely seek God’s holiness through prayer and fasting. God reveals sins that we’ve refused to address—perhaps secret sins, hidden sins, “forgotten” sins. And spiritual breakthrough comes when we own up to our sin, find God’s forgiveness, and seek to make right the wrong that we’ve done.
Might there be some sin that God is reminding you about? Something that you’ve yet to place under the blood of Jesus for His forgiveness? Of course, you’ll have to own up to it to deal with it…and to own up to it is to admit, “I did that.”
I’m praying for you today! Please pray for me…
Richeson stole a fraternity beanie off the head of an Alabama fan at the Iron Bowl, the annual football game between in-state rivals Alabama and Auburn. In fact, Richeson and his brother went to the game planning to steal an opposing fan’s hat to keep as prideful souvenir.
“We took it back to Auburn and passed it around the dormitory at that time, and we nailed it to the wall, and it stayed there.”
Sixty years later, though, Richeson regrets what he did. But when he presented himself to the sheriff, he was told that the statute of limitations had expired and that there wasn’t much that could be done. Still, Richeson is hoping that the one he violated is still alive and that he will allow Richeson to make things right.
“It's stayed with me for over sixty years, and I would like to give it back to the man it belongs to. I'm sure he had some consequences he had to face….I must do something soon, because we’re both close to 80-years-old, and I’m hoping he’s still alive.”
Richeson’s actions are not unlike what happens to us when we intensely seek God’s holiness through prayer and fasting. God reveals sins that we’ve refused to address—perhaps secret sins, hidden sins, “forgotten” sins. And spiritual breakthrough comes when we own up to our sin, find God’s forgiveness, and seek to make right the wrong that we’ve done.
Might there be some sin that God is reminding you about? Something that you’ve yet to place under the blood of Jesus for His forgiveness? Of course, you’ll have to own up to it to deal with it…and to own up to it is to admit, “I did that.”
I’m praying for you today! Please pray for me…
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
One of the Most Controversial Statements by a Presidential Candidate?!?
On this Super Tuesday, let me reference a currently-prominent political figure (not as an endorsement but because of something he said). The Washington Post recently highlighted a 2008 quote by Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum in which he described how every stratum of our society was under Satanic attack.
Mr. Santorum said, “This is not a political war at all. This is not a cultural war. This is a spiritual war. And the Father of Lies has his sights on what you would think the Father of Lies would have his sights on: a good, decent, powerful, influential country—the United States of America.”
Interestingly, Santorum’s theological observations have become some of the most controversial comments that he’s made (and they were made four years ago). To be honest, I take issue with some of what he said in that speech, namely that American Protestantism has fallen under Satan’s influence but not the Catholic Church in America. That statement would be hard to defend. But his assertion that America is under Satanic attack is biblically and observably accurate.
I’m reminded of how great the need is in this nation for true revival and spiritual awakening when people get all bent-out-of-shape over someone suggesting that there are spiritual forces at work in this world that must be resisted. Ignorance or apathy regarding Satan’s activities is one of his greatest assets, and that’s where our nation is today. “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:22) is an rightly-deserved indictment on the United States of America.
Pray for our nation to return to God. But until that happens, pray that God’s people will remain true and strong in their spiritual journeys. We have a spiritual enemy that “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Don’t let that “someone” be you…
Mr. Santorum said, “This is not a political war at all. This is not a cultural war. This is a spiritual war. And the Father of Lies has his sights on what you would think the Father of Lies would have his sights on: a good, decent, powerful, influential country—the United States of America.”
Interestingly, Santorum’s theological observations have become some of the most controversial comments that he’s made (and they were made four years ago). To be honest, I take issue with some of what he said in that speech, namely that American Protestantism has fallen under Satan’s influence but not the Catholic Church in America. That statement would be hard to defend. But his assertion that America is under Satanic attack is biblically and observably accurate.
I’m reminded of how great the need is in this nation for true revival and spiritual awakening when people get all bent-out-of-shape over someone suggesting that there are spiritual forces at work in this world that must be resisted. Ignorance or apathy regarding Satan’s activities is one of his greatest assets, and that’s where our nation is today. “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:22) is an rightly-deserved indictment on the United States of America.
Pray for our nation to return to God. But until that happens, pray that God’s people will remain true and strong in their spiritual journeys. We have a spiritual enemy that “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Don’t let that “someone” be you…
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Saturday, March 3, 2012
How NOT to Fix a Mistake
Okay, let me say first-of-all that this true story is not (supposed to be) funny. That’s my official disclaimer.
Did you hear about the pet groomer at a Petco in Hawaii who cut off part of a puppy's ear and then tried to cover it up by gluing it back on…unsuccessfully? Gladys Kapuwi said that after she retrieved her Pomerian-Maltese mix, Dodo, from her grooming session, she found that part of her pet’s ear had been cut off…and evidently the groomer had made a futile attempt to glue it back without telling Dodo’s owner. Surprise, surprise--Ms. Kapuwi is suing Petco! Wha...? Ms. Kapuwi wasn't satisfied with the groomer’s attempt to fix a mistake?
That makes me wonder how God must view our attempts to fix our mistakes instead of owning up to our sins. We mess up but we try to glue everything back so no one will notice…always unsuccessfully. Yet God has made His offer and plan for forgiveness plain in the Scriptures:
“If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-10).
As we continue our 40 Days of Prayer & Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough, do better than trying to “fix” your mistakes. Confess your sin to God who “is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I’m praying for you today…
Did you hear about the pet groomer at a Petco in Hawaii who cut off part of a puppy's ear and then tried to cover it up by gluing it back on…unsuccessfully? Gladys Kapuwi said that after she retrieved her Pomerian-Maltese mix, Dodo, from her grooming session, she found that part of her pet’s ear had been cut off…and evidently the groomer had made a futile attempt to glue it back without telling Dodo’s owner. Surprise, surprise--Ms. Kapuwi is suing Petco! Wha...? Ms. Kapuwi wasn't satisfied with the groomer’s attempt to fix a mistake?
That makes me wonder how God must view our attempts to fix our mistakes instead of owning up to our sins. We mess up but we try to glue everything back so no one will notice…always unsuccessfully. Yet God has made His offer and plan for forgiveness plain in the Scriptures:
“If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:8-10).
As we continue our 40 Days of Prayer & Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough, do better than trying to “fix” your mistakes. Confess your sin to God who “is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I’m praying for you today…
Friday, March 2, 2012
Singin' and Dancin' in the Rain!
Where I live is supposed to get some bad storms today. Of course, we had a 90% chance of severe weather a couple of days ago and it proved to be a non-event. But I digress…
I know I must sound like a raving lunatic when I talk about how much I love storms, but I really do. I don’t want anybody to get hurt or for anything to get torn up…but I love a good thunderstorm. But storms get a bad rap most of the time.
“Storm-haters” complain about the inconvenience and potential of bad weather, but they never talk about the good things about storms. Thunderstorms can bring much needed moisture to areas. They often prune our trees of dead branches. They even lessen the amount of pollen in the air, making life a bit more bearable for allergy sufferers. What I’m saying is that not everything about storms is bad; sometimes storms do good (by God’s design, no doubt).
Keep in mind, though, that not all storms are the result of atmospheric disturbances. We call them “storms of life,” and they are more personal and painful than the rain and wind of thunderstorms. But the same is true of life’s storms that is true of storms in general—some storms do more good than bad. In other words, good often comes out of the bad.
A few years ago Joel Ruth discovered a (formerly) hidden treasure on the beaches of Florida, $40,000 worth of nearly 300-year-old near-mint-condition silver coins to be exact. The coins were from a Spanish treasure fleet of about a dozen ships that were destroyed by a hurricane in 1715. It took another hurricane, Hurricane Jeanne in September of 2004, to uncover the Spanish treasure.
How often do we miss the good of life’s storms? How often are we so focused on the sights and sounds of storms that we miss what God is trying to tell us as He speaks from within the storm (as opposed to in the absence of the storm)? How often has God uncovered some “treasure” but we were unwilling to look for it? As storms (hopefully) pass through Middle Tennessee today, ask God to reveal the good that He wants to accomplish through your current “life storms.”
I’m reminded of the time when Jesus’ disciples were struggling to row their boat against a storm…when they saw Jesus walking on the water! Besides the obvious miracle before them, Jesus was walking on top of the very waves that were threatening them with so much harm. I’m encouraged by that! No matter what is going on in my life today, Jesus is greater than my storm.
“Thank you, Lord, for the storms…and for the hidden treasures that you sometimes reveal through the storms. Also, thank you for the rainbow after the storm is over. May I ever be mindful that without the rain, we’d never see such unparalleled beauty. And, Father, teach me the joy of singin' and dancin' in the rain!”
I know I must sound like a raving lunatic when I talk about how much I love storms, but I really do. I don’t want anybody to get hurt or for anything to get torn up…but I love a good thunderstorm. But storms get a bad rap most of the time.
“Storm-haters” complain about the inconvenience and potential of bad weather, but they never talk about the good things about storms. Thunderstorms can bring much needed moisture to areas. They often prune our trees of dead branches. They even lessen the amount of pollen in the air, making life a bit more bearable for allergy sufferers. What I’m saying is that not everything about storms is bad; sometimes storms do good (by God’s design, no doubt).
Keep in mind, though, that not all storms are the result of atmospheric disturbances. We call them “storms of life,” and they are more personal and painful than the rain and wind of thunderstorms. But the same is true of life’s storms that is true of storms in general—some storms do more good than bad. In other words, good often comes out of the bad.
A few years ago Joel Ruth discovered a (formerly) hidden treasure on the beaches of Florida, $40,000 worth of nearly 300-year-old near-mint-condition silver coins to be exact. The coins were from a Spanish treasure fleet of about a dozen ships that were destroyed by a hurricane in 1715. It took another hurricane, Hurricane Jeanne in September of 2004, to uncover the Spanish treasure.
How often do we miss the good of life’s storms? How often are we so focused on the sights and sounds of storms that we miss what God is trying to tell us as He speaks from within the storm (as opposed to in the absence of the storm)? How often has God uncovered some “treasure” but we were unwilling to look for it? As storms (hopefully) pass through Middle Tennessee today, ask God to reveal the good that He wants to accomplish through your current “life storms.”
I’m reminded of the time when Jesus’ disciples were struggling to row their boat against a storm…when they saw Jesus walking on the water! Besides the obvious miracle before them, Jesus was walking on top of the very waves that were threatening them with so much harm. I’m encouraged by that! No matter what is going on in my life today, Jesus is greater than my storm.
“Thank you, Lord, for the storms…and for the hidden treasures that you sometimes reveal through the storms. Also, thank you for the rainbow after the storm is over. May I ever be mindful that without the rain, we’d never see such unparalleled beauty. And, Father, teach me the joy of singin' and dancin' in the rain!”
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Keepin' On Keepin' On
Like many of you, I’m reading through the Bible this year. I’m almost finished with the Old Testament book of Joshua in which Joshua leads the people of Israel to claim what is rightfully theirs by the decree of the LORD. One little detail that we sometimes overlook, however, is that to possess their inheritance…they had to dispossess the inhabitants who were already there.
The tribes of Israel were promised the land of Canaan as their inheritance by the LORD. It was theirs…but not without a fight.
I’m reminded this morning of promises God has made to us as His children—promises of victory and peace and hope. But while such promises are assured, they’re not automatic. We must “fight the good fight of faith,” as the apostle Paul put it in 1 Timothy 6:12, if we’re to enjoy what is rightfully ours.
Unfortunately, perhaps we’ve taken the old hymn a bit too literally:
Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
Listening every moment to the Spirit’s call
Resting in my Savior as my all in all,
Standing on the promises of God.
That song (that I love as one of my favorites) is sometimes misunderstood to suggest that faith is stationary, yet faith is active! In fact, the Christian life is one battle after another.
On this first day of March, keep pressing ahead as we continue our 40 Days of Prayer & Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough. We have an enemy who opposes us, but we must resist him and dispossess his influence in and around our lives. I’m praying for you!
“Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12).
The tribes of Israel were promised the land of Canaan as their inheritance by the LORD. It was theirs…but not without a fight.
I’m reminded this morning of promises God has made to us as His children—promises of victory and peace and hope. But while such promises are assured, they’re not automatic. We must “fight the good fight of faith,” as the apostle Paul put it in 1 Timothy 6:12, if we’re to enjoy what is rightfully ours.
Unfortunately, perhaps we’ve taken the old hymn a bit too literally:
Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
Listening every moment to the Spirit’s call
Resting in my Savior as my all in all,
Standing on the promises of God.
That song (that I love as one of my favorites) is sometimes misunderstood to suggest that faith is stationary, yet faith is active! In fact, the Christian life is one battle after another.
On this first day of March, keep pressing ahead as we continue our 40 Days of Prayer & Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough. We have an enemy who opposes us, but we must resist him and dispossess his influence in and around our lives. I’m praying for you!
“Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12).
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