Starting Over

Lately, there have been several things that have been bothering me.  The first one is the fact that I was supposed to be a pastor.  That was what my calling in life was.  Now I find myself in construction, and computers.  The second thing that bothers me is a lack of "calling" in my life.  However, yesterday, all of this changed.  What led to me dropping out of college?  Well, I wanted to get married, and so I did.  This was back in 2009.  Now in 2016, 7 years later, I have four children, and although this is great, it is still different than what I believe God had in mind for me.  Yesterday, my mind was bubbling over with the "what could have beens" as far as working for God.  It seems that whenever I wanted to really "go all out" for God, that my family would need attention.  With four children though, that is to be expected.  There is a whole world though, that does not know about Him.  They need to be told that He is coming back soon.  They need to know that He loves them. All of this was on my mind yesterday morning as I sat in church waiting for the sermon to begin.  In my mind I prayed that God would speak to me through the message.

What He said was at some point comforting and at some point hurt very deeply.  Like a surgeon with a skillful scalpel, He had to cut away at a lot of the cancerous tissue of regret that surrounded my deep boil of hopelessness.  This boil had to be popped, before any relief could be found from the pain that was affecting me.

It all started as I was sitting upstairs in the audio visual room at church and talking to God.  My prayer was simple... "Dear Lord, please speak to me in this message.  Please show me, where I'm to go from here in my life."  I eagerly waited for the Lord's reply.  The service had been good up to this point.  There was great Christmas songs, and a great children's story.  Yet I knew the best was yet to come.  So sitting down I held my 3 year old son in my lap and began to listen.

The pastor's sermon was a series on the life of king David.  Maybe you have heard the story, and maybe you haven't, but for those who haven't, I want to encourage you to watch the sermon I have posted below, because this was the sermon I heard earlier.

In a nutshell, God had told me that, yes I had made a mistake, and that it would forever change the course of my life. He had great plans for me to be a great worker for Him, but that now I would have to work in a more humbler field. In other words, my life would not go in the direction that I was wanting it to go.  Yet, He has not forsaken me.  Before me is plain hard work.  Construction and lots of it as well as working on my dad's company website. Oh, it hurts, but there is One who walks with me along the way.

Friend, maybe you feel this way right now.  Maybe you feel like you have really blown your dreams for your life, and God's dreams for your life, but the good news is that God has another plan.  No, it's not what He ultimately dreamed for you, but it is a plan to give you a hope and a future!  You are not alone, please know that.  If there is anything I hope this message will give you, I hope that is hope.  Hope to replace the hopelessness that may be surrounding your life. Please watch the video in this blog entry, to see the church service and sermon that I recently experienced, and take hope once again in the powerful Name of Jesus Christ!

Faith in God

This evening as I was studying my Bible, I was doing some thinking. Thinking about the importance of sharing Jesus with others. However, a question came to mind: " how am I going to share Jesus when I am far away from everyone around me?" Just then an idea came to my mind. What if I were to do an audio recording of myself preaching? So I got my phone out and began  with prayer and to share the Word of God. I must admit that when I started I was quite discouraged. I didn't feel like reading the Bible. However instead of giving up the Lord helped me to read His word.  the personal blessing that I received is incomprehensible I was blessed in so many ways. my encouragement to you friend is to read the Bible and share the good news of Jesus whether you feel it or not. His Word will help you.

The Reporter

Have you ever wanted to get more out of your Bible study but are unsure how? Then this post is for you!

The Bible study method that I am talking about here I will call the reporter method. This method is really easy and simply involves looking at a Passage of Scripture and then asking questions about it to God in prayer as you go. In a sense you are having an audience with God. First start with prayer asking for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Read the story surrounding the text. Then go back to that verse and answer the questions by the story or information.  surrounding that verse.

Questions could start with:

1. Who
2. What
3. When
4. How
5. Where
6. Why

At this point see the story again in your mind and use your imagination. For example, if it is a story you could try and figure out the characters, pick one and then imagine:

What must have been going through their mind.

How might they have felt?

How were they involved in the story?

What could have been their thoughts about other characters in the story?

For thoughts that are recorded, Why did they think this way?

The list could go on and on...

Next ask how these questions relate to you using the starter questions.

Record the answers in some way! God will guide and direct you!  Want to share with someone?

Pick out three of the lessons learned and discuss them with your friends. Ask questions and see what they have come up with in their own personal study. Share your findings on Facebook, YouTube or in a blog like this one. Again these are just suggestions.

Have more ways? Post them in the comments below so we all can grow! Always pray for God to guide you in the study of His Word :)

The Bush Still Burns

Today I would like to examine a passage of Scripture found in Exodus chapter 3 verse 3. The Bible says: " And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt." The first question that may come to your mind as you read this is: Where is he going with this? Indeed from a surface reading this text may seem out of place. What is missing here is context. What is that you ask? Context is the story surrounding the verse that the verse is embedded in. To better understand this verse in the Bible we need to have an idea of what surrounds this verse. Before we do that though maybe there are some questions we can ask about this verse. So let's take a closer look. Here is the verse again.
" And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt."

Here are some questions that come to my mind, and yours might be different, and that is ok.

1. What is Moses doing when he says this?
2. Why is a Bush burning?
3. When did this happen in the story?
4. How far was the Bush from Moses?
5. What happened when Moses turned aside?
6. What does this tell me about God?

Each question will help to give us better answers about the verse in question.

Next is application.
Application can happen as a result of questions as well.
1. What can I learn from this about having a relationship with God?

Didn't Get What I Wanted But What I Needed

9Tonight did not turn out the way I wanted it to. Before I get into that it's important for me to give some background to this situation.
Tonight I wanted to go over to my brother's house. At that Point I had a thought in my head that I didn't like, but I knew it was the right thing to do. I needed to ask God what He wanted for me. How did I come to this conclusion? While I was preparing to go to my brother's tonight, I noticed a torn page laying on the  bed in the guest room. Examining it a little bit closer I discovered that it was a page ripped out of the Bible. My wife told me that one of the kids had ripped it out of a kids Bible. Picking up the tattered page I began to read. The Bible Story was very clear to understand. The children of Israel would wait for the pillar of fire to lift from camp before they moved on. At this point I was pricked to the heart. I knew what had to be done, but didn't really want to do it. The unrenewed human heart is that way:(

Getting on my knees I prayed for God's will to be done. A few minutes my wife was on the phone with my brother's wife and their kids had gone to bed. I was disappointed but relieved at the same time. I was relieved because Jesus had done for me what I never could have done in my own strength! Though I was disappointed I realized that God knew best! He is so amazing!

Psalms 37:4 KJV

Delight thyself also in the Lord ; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

It's been too Long!

This evening I've been taking inventory of my life.  Looking back lately, I realize that God has done so much for me today, it's incredible.  Today was the Sabbath day and God showed up in some incredible ways.  The night previous I was in prayer with God, wondering, why things weren't seemingly working out in the way that I wanted them to.  He has so many ways of speaking.  So as I was waiting for a reply I turned on a radio program called "Amazing Facts" and the program was about finding out God's Will for your life.  I'm now 31 years old.  My life is moving on its, way, but Jesus has not changed!  He is still my forever friend!  He loves me so much.  So do you know what He did for me last night!  He spoke to me.  I was trying to determine what God wanted me to do with my life at 31.  He pretty much told me that He wanted me to work on the work nearest, and that is my dear children!  He wants me to be a good dad to them, and to spend time with them.  He wants me to be faithful in the small things. The next day was the Academy Graduation.  As I looked at them walking down the Aisle, I was taken back to the time when I walked down that same aisle to the front.  During that time I was unsure of what my future would hold, and honestly, I still am, but I know who holds the future!  He is incredible!  So as I watched student after student walk down that blue carpeted aisle, I could see nothing but pure potential walking down the aisle.  As I looked at them, I saw what they had, realized what I had, and to be honest felt somewhat envious.  That is until the Children's Story at church came along.  The Children's story is a time where all the children go up front and are told a story, it's like their mini sermon.  This time the person giving the children's story was a graduating Academy student.  He told a story about a Marathon, and about running a race, and then he compared that to life.  Instantly, I felt like God was speaking directly to me, and indeed He was, not only was He speaking to me, but He was speaking to every single person in the church, because He always does speak through His Word.  As this graduate told of his marathon run, I was intrigued.  I knew where he was going with the story, but what I didn't realize, was where God was going with it, until I looked around me and saw my three children, and pregnant wife. Because at the moment he began to read 1 Corinthians 9:24, 25:


²⁴ Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
²⁵ And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

I realized then and there that God was telling me that my most important work was to my wife and children.  Yes, it would be a struggle.  It would be no easy feat to raise 4 kids in the fear and admonition of the Lord, and the way would definitely be steep, but this is my calling.  To not accept it, is to deny the very children God has entrusted to me, and that is a horrible thought.  As I thought about the graduates, and the life that I wished I could have had, I realized that what mattered most had not happened yet.  Jesus has not returned.  The very thoughts that I was thinking about my past were perishable.  I was not a failure.  The true race, continues on in Jesus.  After all, the education that God wants to give us, does not end!  He wants to show us more and more of Himself.  On this earth the race may be long, but God is in charge.  As we ask for His Will to be done in our lives and surrender to His plans, then it is at this point that God's purposes can be realized.  This graduate, ended his talk with another incredible verse that really spoke to me, and convinced me that though my life was not turning out the way that my "flesh" would have wanted it to, that He had a bigger plan for me!    Here is the verse:

Hebrews 12

1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

"You Shall Worship The Lord Your God and Him Only Shall You Serve"

Today, was an incredible day, that the Lord Jesus taught me an incredible lesson.  I pray that I keep this constantly in mind.  So what is that lesson you ask?  Well, before I answer that question let me ask you one.  Do you like being controlled by another person?  Do you like to be told what you can and cannot do?  Sometimes humans can be very domineering, when they shouldn't be and get out of line, trying to "direct" and control the life of another person.  Before I go on in this description of my understanding of being controlled, I would like to admit that I have played both parts.  Sometimes, I do it because I want something so bad for the other person, and end up stepping across the line.  God, however, did not intend for this sort of thing.  I can remember one time, giving a friend bad advice, and then trying to manipulate him into listening to me.  Unfortunately, I "persuaded" this person to take my advice, and in the process, caused them much grief.  We were not meant to be people's slaves.  Take a look at the Book of Exodus, and it becomes clear that we were not meant to be forced to serve people.  Now, notice, I am not talking about service from a willing heart and choice, but rather, I'm talking about "forced" service.  Each person has to make a choice on what he or she is going to decide, and that choice needs to be their own! 

There are many different directions that I could go from here, but I want to focus on a direction that God has impressed me on, and that is the area of sin.  Do we actually serve sin?  Well, let's notice what the Lord Jesus has to say about this in John 8:33-36, so let's take a brief sound bite here from Scripture, and then we will look at the surrounding area, and unpack things, piece by piece. 

Starting with verse 33:

 33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: [but] the Son abideth ever. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

So just upon reading this, we can learn a lot about the situation, but some obvious questions come up in verse 33.  Who is the "they" being talked about in verse 33?  Whoever they are, they are claiming that they are free. 

How many times, I find myself doing the same thing.  I think, that because I have been with Jesus for a little bit that I am safe, and start to make myself the person in charge of keeping me out of bondage, but the result of this is never good.  My own power, pedigree, or whatever you want to call it can never set me free!  Never.  At this point you may be thinking: "Where is this going"?  I understand that, so let me back up.  Freedom is not something you are born with.  Even though this sounds odd in the Great USA, where we have outward freedoms. 

According to Jesus, Freedom is a gift.  A beautiful gift, that is given to us at the cost of His Life.  Only Jesus has the power to set us truly free from sin.  Notice Jesus Words here in verse 34:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. 35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: [but] the Son abideth ever. 

Have you ever sinned before?  Have you recently sinned?  Unfortunately, I must shamedly raise my hand here, because I am not proud to admit it, but I am a horrible sinner.  I must agree with Paul who says that he is the chief of sinners.  So continuing on with the verse, what Pedigree do I have?  I am born a servant to sin.  Sin is a very powerful master, and orders me around.  My flesh responds and does what it is told.  I'm in pretty bad shape on my own.  

Now we are back to control.  So in the past I have been controlled by sin, and again, I want to re-iterate that you are reading the blog post of a live sinner.  

So at this point, if this was about me, this would be a pretty miserable story, but I am happy to say that this is not the case. 

Last night I was discouraged, because of failures in my life.  I knew I was nothing like Jesus, and so I began to get discouraged.  In the morning, I barely had the energy to open the Bible and read a chapter with my wife and children.  After worship and breakfast, I headed out the door.  As soon as I got outside the cold air greeted me.  Getting to my car, I had a heavy burden on my heart: "I had blown it, and I knew it.  I had hurt God, and now He was probably miles away, after all, I didn't feel His Presence".  As I drove to work, I couldn't listen to any music, because the radio was broken out of the car.  In my mind a real war raged my thoughts went something like this:  

"So, you failed last night.  You seem to be doing that a lot lately.  Do you actually ever think you are going to get better?  Why don't you just give in and give up?"  At this point I was very discouraged, but continued driving to work.  The temptation to give up was so strong, that I actually heard my sins replaying themselves in my mind.  Then, all of the sudden, something incredible happened.  The day before I listened and watched the Resurrection Scene of Jesus, and I was encouraged by the song.  The Song was entitled "Arise My Love". (I will post a link at the bottom of this post so you can see and hear what I heard).  

The voices of failure that were screaming in my ear were suddenly drowned out very definitely by this Song.  "Arise my love, Arise, my Love, the Grave no longer has a hold on You!  No more death's sting, no more suffering", and then I heard it:  "Sin, where is shackles, death, where is your sting, hell has been defeated, the grave no longer holds the King!" As I heard those Words, immediately, it was like a lightening bolt of protection, blew every negative thought in my mind to smithereens.  My discouragements were vanquished.  Later that day while at work, I realized that I couldn't make myself better, and asked Jesus to!  I need to do this more often, and stop trying to make myself better.

This brings us full circle to Jesus very Own Words:   

35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: [but] the Son abideth ever. 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Who can make us free?  The Son, and He abideth ever.  Notice what Jesus says about the servant. The servant does not abide in the house forever, but the Son abideth ever!!!!  The next part is the clincher:    36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

At this point, I don't care how strong I think my connection with God is, I need Him every second, and this verse needs to be constantly put into my head.  

Only Jesus can make us free!  

He has conquered, but you and I have a choice, we can choose to ask Him to do this for us, or we can try and live on our pedigree of how good we think we are!  I need Jesus and I need Him right now!

So how about you?  Do you need Him?  He's the only True Way out of this sin trap that we are in.  Let us accept His Free Gift of Salvation and freedom to Serve Him!  

Here is the link to that song and video:  Please be blessed: 

 and please remember His Words:

  36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.