​When I was in Sunday School a few years ago (how about six decades!) my teacher taught us a little song that went like this.
 

• This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine all the time.

 

• I will not let Satan poof it out, I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

 
Ah, some of you are humming the song, aren’t you? You have matured too!
 
The point: I was taught that Christians are lights….and they should always shine. In Christ, you and I, are to shine all the time and never let Satan blow our light out.
 

• Full-time shining is what Christian living is all about.

 
In I Thessalonians 5:5-6 the apostle Paul writes that believers in Christ are “sons of light and sons of day.”
 
“For you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do but let us be alert and sober.
 
Christians are not of the night or darkness. That is what Christ’s followers came out of. You and I are now light…. and should be light 24/7. That is why Paul exhorts us to behave better than some who sleep in the darkness instead of shining in the light of day. Christians are to be alert and sober, aware of darkness and always shining for Jesus Christ.
 

• Shining as lights for Jesus is full-time business.

 

• Our soul-weary, sin-sick world needs to see consistent Christian witnesses. Believers who are sober in spirit, alert to what is going on and shining brightly during spiritual darkness are the need of the hour.

 
There is no doubt we live in dark, perilous days (Read II Timothy 3:1-15). Spiritual darkness is getting darker and darker. This is biblical in light of end time scriptures. But I also know that light is greater than darkness. Light always dispels darkness. Darkness never dispels light.
 

• The only light that pushes back and prevails over the darkness of hell is the light of God that shines all the time. Think about it. Darkness does not turn off and on. Dark is dark. Light is light and should always be lit and shine!

 
If we are not of night or darkness, and our verse says we are not, then let us not go dark, but keep our light shining in dark places. Too many Christians have let Satan poof out their lights. Less and less lights are shining brightly on the high places pointing the way to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
           
Some professing Christians are like light switches. They turn their testimony and witness off and on like a switch on the wall.
 
ON when they want to be like Jesus, and OFF when they do not want to be like Him. When it is convenient or profitable to be a believer they TURN ON THE LIGHT, and when shining is inconvenient and not personally beneficial, they FLIP THE SWITCH OFF.
 
As a committed follower of Christ who cares deeply about winning the lost to the Lord, I have a real problem with on and off Christians. Jesus did not suffer, die, rise again, and fill us with the Holy Spirit so we could be part-time lights. Satan, sin, and death never take a day off. Neither should God’s redemptive people.
 

• The times demand that we believers take stock of our light and how we are shining for Christ. Believe me, God knows, Satan knows, the world knows, the church knows, and deep down inside we know if we are part-time or full-time lights.

 
Here are a few questions that might shed some light on our light.
 
Light Shining Questions
 
v Does your Christian light shine consistently no matter who you are with?
v Is your Christian light the same in public and private?
v Do you think it is all right to turn your Christian light off and on?
v How do you feel about on and off Christians whose lights shine inconsistently?
v What do you think the unbelieving world thinks about inconsistent Christians?
v When darkness comes, does your Christian light chase it away?
v Would people say that you are always shining brightly for Jesus Christ?
v Do you know anyone that is turned off by your on and off Christianity?
v Does your Christian light light the way for people to find and follow Christ?
v Does your light encourage other Christians to shine brighter for the Lord?
v My fellow Christian and friend, how is your spiritual light switch? Permanently ON? That is where it should be if you are serious about your Christian life and witness.
 
v Turn your light on and turn it up to BRIGHT! Then searching people, who are trying to find their way out of the darkness, will turn to the light of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
v That is why Jesus leaves Christians here to shine and turn people from darkness to the marvelous light of God! So be it.
 
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”                                                         I Peter 2:10  
 
 “But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”            I Thessalonians 5:8-9
 
A Word For Your Week: Shine full-time, not part-time
 

​We think that a few will not do.
 
Could it be that we have bought into the world system surrounding us that subtly dupes us into believing unless you have mega-dollars, large staffs, sprawling headquarters and campuses, massive networks, or vast numbers of “likes” and followers on Facebook and YouTube you cannot be successful?
 

• Sad to say, even some Christians and churches/ministries have accepted that “bigger is better and the bigger the better” if you want to accomplish something great for God.

 
Biblically, a bunch and big is not always better.
 
More and bigger is better can cause the average, little guy to wonder if he can ever accomplish anything significant with his solitary life. Comparing and competing with the big guys on the block can cause regular folks to struggle with feeling low self-esteem, useless and like a failure.
 
Big is good. But small can be good too. Zechariah 4:10 declares “Do not despise the day of small beginnings.” I love this scripture. It tells me to not feel bad about starting small.
 
I wonder if you and I should start small, think tall. Everything in life starts small! Absolutely nothing on earth begins big!
 
Jonathan, David’s friend and King Saul’s son, shows us what a few (just two) can do). “Then Jonathan said to the young man who was carrying his armor, ‘Come and let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; perhaps the Lord will work for us, for the Lord is not restrained to save by many or by few.”                  I Samuel 14:6
 
With confident and courageous faith, Jonathan and his armor bearer slipped into the enemy’s territory and took out their adversaries. The Lord “worked for them.” God Almighty was not restrained by “a few.” Two committed guys annihilated an army because The Lord was with just a few (two!).
 

• God does not have a minimum number He must have before He acts. Most often in the Word he used ONE, TWO OR A FEW!

 
Biblical Examples Of How A Few Will Do
 

• Abraham left his comfortable, wealthy family to seek the Promised Land.
• Moses singlehandedly delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt.
• Rahab, a prostitute, protected Joshua from his enemies.
• Noah, his family, a big old Ark and a zoo of smelly animals secured mankind another chance to obey God.
• Gideon and three hundred committed warriors conquered 100.000 adversaries.
• Daniel in a lion’s den turned a pagan king’s heart to the Lord.
• Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego’s fiery furnace experience taught an evil nation a faith lesson.
• Jonah, a wild ride in the belly of a whale brought a city to repent and serve the Living God.
• Elijah called holy fired down from heaven, consuming eight hundred prophets of Baal.
• A shepherd boy David slayed a gigantic Goliath with stones and a slingshot.
• Jesus spent three years with a small company of twelve disciples.
• An unnamed boy’s lunch of five loaves of bread and two fish fed thousands of hungry people.
• 120 Spirit-filled believers started the church at Pentecost, winning souls to Christ.
• Paul established churches in Europe and the Middle East on three missionary trips.
• John saw into heaven by the Holy Spirit and gave us Revelation.

 
There are many, many other examples in the Bible of a few men and women, who, banded together by strong, committed faith, turned the world they lived in upside down for the Kingdom of God.
 
My fellow followers of Jesus Christ, our current world needs to be turned right side up! Humanity is in great peril, facing God’s judgment, if we do not reach folks for the Gospel. People are dying in sin and headed for an eternal hell. The Bible says so.
 
Years ago, the United States Marine Corp’s advertising slogan was the Marines were looking for “A few good men.”
 
The Lord is constantly looking for a few good men and women to serve as good soldiers of Jesus Christ in the battle for souls.
 

• How about you? And a few. What if God is looking for you and a few to do something new and utterly amazing for His glory and the good of mankind?

 
Please be encouraged in the Lord. Get fired up! Report for duty. Sign up. When God is with us, we are never outnumbered. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).
 

• To put it another way, if God is for us, everybody else might as well be!
• A few is me. A few is you. A few is us! With God we cannot be stopped!

 
“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are, that no man should boast before God.’   I Corinthians 1:27-29
 
“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord.” Zechariah 4:6
 
A Word For Your Week: You, and possibly a few, are all God needs to do what He has called you to.
 

​The American people are being dumbed down.

• Dumbed down means everyone must be the same. No one is unique, special, important or significant. Everyone has to be equally plain old vanilla.

Being dumbed down means you don’t think for yourself. You drink the Kool-aid of someone who thinks for you. The elitists (the dumb downers) must think for you because they do not think you can think for yourself. In other words, they think you are stupid. So, they dumb and numb you down to keep you stupid.  

• Dumbed down people are mindless, non-thinking puppets whose every movement is controlled by the puppeteer.

People who have been duped and dumbed down blindly hop on whatever hyped-up, popular, trending, sensationalized band wagon passing through town, surrendering their personal freedom to choose for themselves. Those who are dumbed down are force fed whatever politically correct meal those in power positions whip up for their consumption in the dumbing down kitchen.
It is sad that increasing numbers of Americans are so deceived and dumbed down that they are riding on a stupid train that they have no clue where it is going. What is frightening is that individual people, contrary to all the “matter” hashtags out there, really do not matter anymore.  
Surrounded by a dumbing down culture, as a follower of Jesus Christ, I have good news for all of us who have no desire to be dumbed down.  

• God, according to His word in the Bible, never dumbs anybody down.

On the contrary, GOD CELEBRATES EACH PERSON! He empowers you and me as a unique person who has God-given potential to so something significant for the Kingdom of God and the good of humanity.
The Bible declares that every person is created in the image of Almighty God (Genesis 1:26-27).  “In His image” means likeness. You and I are like God, who is not dumbed down!  According to Psalm 139, you and I are one of a kind. “Fearfully and wonderfully” made, there will never be another one of us. You and I are not vanilla. More like 31 Flavors!
God saw us in our mother’s womb before we were there. Only God could do that! Every single day of our lives was planned out before we lived it. Amazing! David also assures us that God surrounds us. We cannot escape His holy presence (who would want to?).  God’s thoughts are innumerable toward us. He cannot get us off His mind! That is incredibly good for you and me. Psalm 139.   
And speaking of mind, I Corinthians 1: 14-16 states that believers in Christ have His mind. Having “the mind of Christ” means I can think God’s thoughts. I can think for myself as God’s son or daughter. Nobody gets to dumb me down by thinking less of me!
Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, came to lift people up, not dumb them down. John 10:10 says “I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” An abundant life does not sound like dumbed down living to me! 

• Bottom line: you and I are not dummies in God’s eyes!

By faith we choose to believe, to think, to decide, to behave for ourselves. Feeding on God’s holy word, we reject being spoon fed by those who would have us to conform to an atheistic, anti-Christian culture.
How You Can Avoid Being Dumbed Down By Anyone

• Search the scripture. Know your Bible.  Meditate on God’s Word. Memorize the truth. Realize how special and precious you are in God’s eyes. Speak the Word over your life and loved ones.
• Affirm daily your uniqueness and significance in Christ. Never allow any man or system to conform you to their image. You are a child of the Living God! Rejoice in your relationship with the Lord every day.  
• Stop drinking the world’s Kool-aid. That’s right. Do not believe everything you see and hear in the media, read on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or whatever is out there. 
• Check out facts for yourself. Do not depend or rely upon biased, agenda-driven, sensational reporting of events that turn out to be more fiction than fact. 
• Compare what Satan and worldly men say with the holy Word of God. If it is not in the Word, it will dumb you down and numb you to the things of God.
• Resist the herd mentality. Keep your distance from emotionally charged feeding frenzies whipped up by someone who wants to control and enslave you.
• Never, never, never, I will say it again, never allow anyone to brainwash you. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, your entire life, body, spirit, and soul (mind, will and emotions) have been washed in the blood of the Lamb! This is the only “washing” you and I need.  

Only dummies who do not think for themselves can be dumbed down! 
Settle it now.  In Christ you and I are more than smart enough to resist being dumbed down.
A Word For Your Week:  Being dumbed down is never smart.  

We humans tend to look downward, not upward, when life crashes in.
 
If you do not believe this, just look around. These days, people from all walks of life are walking through their days with heads hanging down.
 
Life for many has turned topsy-turvy. People’s heads-down posture reflects the confusion and frustration they are feeling in their hearts. Tossed about by the winds of negative cultural, political and economic change beyond their control, many heads are spinning in disbelief. Disillusioned and discouraged with the way things are heading, discouraged people hang their heads in despair.
 

• Discouragement simply means lack of courage. When life’s challenges confront us head on and can overwhelm us, it is tempting to lose courage and hang our head down.

 

• But life gets hung up when our heads hang down.

 
I see a number of difficulties with head down living.
 
1.     Head down means I cannot see Jesus! The Lord is up, not down. His throne is in heaven, not on earth (see Isaiah 6:1-6, Romans 8:34, Philippians 2:9-11). We will not find Gods’ help by looking around, heads pointing to the ground.
 

• The up look is the outlook of victory!

 
2.      Head down means I cannot see where I am going. Proverbs 4:25-27 exhorts us to keep our eyes looking directly ahead. Why? Because the future is forward, in front of us. Head down means eyes are grounded. Dag Hammarskjold, former UN Secretary General said “Never look down to test the ground before taking your next step; only he who keeps his eye fixed on the far horizon will find his right road.” 
 

• Head up means eyes are fixed on God’s next steps to success.

 
3.     Head down means I cannot keep a lookout for the enemy. Satan will bushwhack us when we are looking down instead of up. The devil delights in destroying people who hang their heads in discouragement and defeat.
 
It is a fact of battle: soldiers cannot fight off an enemy they cannot see. Neither can good soldiers of Jesus Christ crush Satan under their feet if they cannot see him. We can identify Satan and his deceptive strategy when our heads are in the up position.
 

• So, keep your head up. Always be on the alert. Wide awake in the Spirit. Scan the spiritual horizon for the enemy. When you spot the adversary of your soul, submit to God, resist the devil and the evil one will flee from you (James 4:7) 

 
4.      Head down means I cannot encourage someone else. How can I lift somebody up when my head is hanging down in discouragement? It is not possible to lift up others if we are not uplifted ourselves! There are people around you who need encouragement. Encouragement always chases away discouragement.
 

• Head up means you are encouraged. So, keep your head up. People need to see you looking up with the glory of God on your face!

           
Here is a heads-up for success in life: KEEP YOUR HEAD UP!!
 
Tough, challenging times call for courage. It takes spiritual and emotional “guts” to choose to keep our head up when our heart tells our head to hang down.
 
David declares in Psalm 28:7 “Lift up your heads, O Gates and be lifted up ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in!”                                                                
 
Our verse is a reference to the Temple gates and doors. When God comes to His holy house, He expects the gates and doors to be wide open. Gates are to be up, in proper position, and operational---open for the King of glory to enter.
 
The welcome mat is out when the gates are lifted up.
 
Christians are the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:18-20). Our Heavenly Father, Almighty God himself lives in us. You and I are to lift up our heads and open the doors of our heart for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to enter. When the King of glory indwells us, we are filled with divine glory that puts a smile on our face, a bounce in our step and a holy boldness in our daily life!
 
How To Keep Your Head Up When It Wants To Hang Down!
 
Ø  Dwell upon the truth that the resurrected Jesus is holding His head up high in heaven, not hanging it down on a cross.
Ø  Decide to live life head-up, not head down.
Ø  Determine to keep your head up no matter what is happening.
Ø  Discipline yourself to keep your head up when other’s heads are hanging down.
Ø  Dedicate yourself to helping others keep their heads up in tough times.
Ø  Delight that the devil is defeated when Christians hold their heads high in Christ.
Ø  Dance for joy knowing God helps those who keep their heads up!
 
Need some help holding your head up? Look to the Lord for help. “But Thou, O Lord, art a shield about me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head.” Psalm 3:3. The Lord Himself will help you keep your head up and teach you how you can keep your head lifted up on your own.
 
My fellow Christian heads up! Look to Jesus. Expect Him to visit you with fresh power for victorious Christian living! Allow the Lord to renew your heart. Then keep your head up to meet life head on with faith and power in Jesus’ name.
 
 “And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you only shall be above and you shall not be underneath, if you will listen to the commandments of the Lord your God which I charge you today, to observe them carefully.” Deuteronomy 28:13
 
A Word For Your Week:

One of the devil’s most insidious, effective offensive spiritual weapons is offense.
 

• When people become offended, love, unity, and peace fly out the window.

 
Jesus told us in Matthew 18:7 “stumbling blocks” (offense) would come. Sadly, offense is part of life.
 
“Woe To the world because of stumbling blocks, for it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; BUT WOE TO THAT MAN THROUGH WHOM THE STUMBLING BLOCK COMES!”
 
Did you catch what the Lord said? WOE! YES WOE! When Jesus says WOE, TIME TO LISTEN UP! The Lord’s word to those who offend, causing others to stumble, was WOE! In my itty-bitty brain WOE sounds like a huge NO!
 

• The Lord knows how damaging and destructive offense is to healthy and happy relationships.

 
Our scripture for this week directs us how to avoid the negative aspects of offense.
 
“Those who love Thy law have great peace, and nothing causes them to stumble.”   Psalm 119:165
 
The King James Version of our verse states “Great peace have they who love Thy law, and nothing shall offend them.”
 
What a clear word from the Lord. Those who love and live by God’s law will have great peace (on the inside) and NOTHING (zip, zero, nadda!) will offend (cause them to stumble). According to this truth, we can lead a life that is above offense.
 
Offended people stumble through life.
 
Bless their little offended hearts! They stumble from one offense to another to another. Their narrow, self-centered life resembles a rock pathway with each stone marked “This is how they offended me.” Living this way they never experience peace.
 
In my forty plus years of ministry as a Pastor, offended people are the most difficult to deal with in the church. They wear an invisible button that screams offend me and I will offend you. Sadly, in all my ministry, I never once could win an offended church member over to the side of love, forgiveness, reconciliation and a new beginning in relationships. Not one!
 
Humanly speaking, it is hard for all of us to not be offended when people offend us.
 
People living with a spirit of offense live by a lower law than the higher law of God’s love. People who refuse to be offended choose to love others and forgive them when an offense comes. They know that to harbor an offense in their hearts only reaps unrest, bitterness, and discord with others.
 

• Offense robs our spirit of the peace of God that passes all understanding.

 
When we live by God’s law, man’s breaking of it will not cause us to stumble. If we live by the higher law of God’s love, man’s lower law of offense will not disturb our peace nor steal our joy.
 
Observations About Offense
 

• Offense will come. It is an inescapable fact of living.
• Offense springs from a spirit of self-centeredness and personal insecurity.
• Easily offended people never experience inner peace.
• We rise above offense when we do not take it personally.
• Anybody can become offended. I CHOOSE TO BE OFFENDED OR NOT.
• Christ-like people choose love over offense.

 
Three Tips For Not Tripping Over Offense
 
1. Walk in God’s love. With His help, do your best not to offend others. Offense free living is a mark of maturity.
 
2. Walk in God’s love. Forgive those who offend you. Forgive. Forgive. And forgive again those who offend you. They will not like it when you return their offense with forgiveness and willingness to reconcile your relationship. Forgive anyway.
 
3. Walk in God’s love. Do not let offended people get to you. Some folks, bless their hearts, are professional offenders! Warm heart. Thick skin is the best defense against offense.
 
My friend do not be naïve. Offenses will come. If you want great peace, look to God’s Word. Then choose to not be offended…and do not be an offender!!!
 
Bottom line: Christlike living is not offended and does not offend. Pretty simple!
 
“A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city, and contentions are like the bars of a castle.”                                                                                   Proverbs 18:19
 
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard our hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
                                                                                                             Philippians 4:6-7      
 
A Word For Your Week: If y

​Personal issues. Family matters. Financial pressures. Business or ministry stress. Sadly, many good-hearted, well-intentioned, hard-working people are desperately holding on to a thin thread of hope that their life situation will improve.
 
Sound familiar? I have been there, done that, and have burned the Tee shirts!
 
Our word for this week features a desperate, determined lady in the Bible who was hanging on to a thread of hope.
 
Her heart-touching story is recorded in Matthew 9:20-22 and Mark 5:25-34.
           
“And behold, a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Jesus and touched the fringe of His cloak; for she was saying to herself, “If I only touch His garment, I shall get well.” Matthew 9:20
 
Scenario: This precious lady suffered for twelve long years from a chronic medical condition. Doctors had no cure. She exhausted all her finances. Alone. Hurting. Penniless. Anxiously holding on to the rope of hope, she heard about Jesus.
 
She needed a miracle. She liked what she heard about the miracles Jesus was doing.
She believed if she just touched Christ’s clothes, she would be healed.
 
Hopeful and courageous, the desperate woman pushed through the surging crowd surrounding Jesus. She reached out with faith, touching the hem of Jesus’ garment. Immediately, Jesus felt healing power flow from Him. Upon identifying the woman, He said to her “Daughter, take courage, your faith has made you well.”  
 
Note: Her faith made her well. She acted on what she believed. Amazing! She convinced herself if I just touch His garment, I will be healed!
 
·       Her courageous faith challenges my faith to the core.
 
Maybe you can identify with this precious woman. You are facing a seemingly impossible situation. You have done all you know to do. Consulted with everyone you can. Sought out so-called experts. You have spent all the time, energy and resources you can afford. Exhausted and frustrated, you have nothing left to give. You are spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically and financially bankrupt.
·       Hanging on by a thread.
 
 My friend, I know you are tired. Worn out. Stressed to the max. Throwing in the towel on your unresolved situation seems so desirable. You just want this to end. Come to a conclusion. Find closure to your adverse circumstances. Tossing the covers over your head, hoping the situation will go away, looks rather good!
 

• Hold on to your faith.

 
Holding On To Faith When Hanging On By A Thread
 

• Admit your helplessness. Surrender your struggle to the Lord. Release it. Let it go. Jesus knows what you are going through.
• Commit yourself to seek God’s help. Do whatever you have to do. Whatever the Holy Spirit tells you to do, do it.
• Submit. Humble yourself to God’s healing, restoration and renewal.
• Reach out with faith. Simple. Childlike. Biblical trust in Jesus.
• Push through doubt. Shout down unbelief. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.
• Touch the heart of Jesus. He is waiting to do a miracle for you!
• Leave your “thread” with the Lord. Do not look back. Your future is forward.
• Receive Christ’s solution to your problem. He knows what to do when we don’t.
• Rejoice in your victory over your thread of desperation! Shout His praises!!!
• Share your “miracle” with others who are looking for their miracle from Jesus.

 
Hurting? Hanging on? Hanging in there? Hoping? Maybe hoping against hope?
 

• If you are at the end of our rope, tie a knot, and hold on to faith.

 
My friend, push through pain. Do whatever you need to in order to come into the Lord’s presence. Do not let discouragement, doubt, fatigue, depression, despair, anyone or anything prevent or stop you from receiving the healing, restoring, renewing power of God.
           
Reach out to Jesus. Right now. Receive what you need from your Lord and Savior.
 

• When Jesus is around, healing and restoration is just a touch of faith away!

 
A Word For Your Week: Hang on to your faith when hanging on by a thread.

​As I am writing here in Tulsa the sky is azure blue and cloudless. The sun is shining brightly. New grass and vegetation carpet the landscape. Spring flowers are blooming. Bright red cardinals are singing their melodic song. Frisky squirrels are feasting on acorns. The temperature will be a perfect 72 degrees today! Picturesque day in Oklahoma!
But for the previous four days (April 25-28) the heavens were dark, dismal and dangerous in Tulsa and throughout Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and Iowa. Severe weather paid an unwelcome visit to our neighborhoods.
Thunderstorm Warnings. Tornado Watches. Tornado Warnings. Flash Flood Warnings.
Local and national meteorologists logged overtime hours warning of the potentially life-threatening storms descending upon us from on high.
Massive, daunting, scary storms. Howling winds. One system after another after another inundated our city with record rainfall. Sheets of rain spawned flash flooding. Booming thunder and streaking lightning lit up the sky, interrupting sleep. Tornadoes lurked within the massive wall clouds rumbling over the plains. Animals hid in their hidey holes. Tulsans and Oklahomans took shelter and cover in their homes while the storms did their thing.
Sadly, lives were lost. People were injured. Property damage was inestimable. Thousands of people were displaced. Within a few short moments, the storm victim’s future changed in dramatic fashion. Folks are holding on to the rope of hope that there will be a better day as they begin to rebuild what was destroyed.
Thankfully, the wicked weather has passed. How different today is from yesterday.

• After a natural storm, we regroup. Venture outside. Assess damage. Clean up debris. Return to our “normal” lives. Then we reflect on the storms. Thinking about how we will prepare for the next one that rumbles over the rolling plains of the Midwest.

Storms.
In Mark 4: 35-41, Jesus and His disciples were caught in a sudden, dangerous storm on the Sea of Galilee.
“And He Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And being aroused, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace (hush) be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.” Mark 4: 38-39
Their boat was quickly filling up with water. Sinking looked like a real possibility. Peter thought they were going to perish. While Peter panicked, Jesus slept peacefully in the back of the boat.
Waves tossing the boat around rocked the Lord to sleep. Peter woke Jesus up, expressing his concern that they might perish. The Lord took command of the situation. He got up, rebuked the wind and sea with a “peace be still”….and the crisis ended. The wind died down, the sea was completely calm, and the disciples were amazed. “Who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
Jesus not only rebuked the wind and sea. He rebuked the disciples with “Why are you so timid? How is it that you have no faith?” I believe Jesus expected Peter to rebuke the storm while the Master enjoyed His nap!

• I am also convinced Peter and the disciples were different men after the storm.

Who wouldn’t be having witnessed Jesus wake up from taking a few “ZZ’s” to calm the threatening waves with His word? During and after the storm, Jesus’ followers learned something about faith. How to trust in the Father when storms swirl around us. I am sure they also thought about not panicking again when storms blew into their lives!
Smack dab in the middle of a life-threatening storm, Jesus declared “Peace be still.” What do you think about His faith? How about your faith? Would you panic like Peter because of the waves or trust in the Father like Jesus did?
The point of the scenario on the Sea of Galilee: FAITH. Trust in God during a storm.

• Life’s spiritual, mental, emotional, relational, health and financial storms, like natural ones, come and go. Life storms have a life span.
• THEY TEST OUR FAITH IN JESUS! How you and I respond to them is a mark of our maturity in the Lord.

I believe that once a life storm has passed, there are numerous things we can reflect on regarding the storm.
Reflections After Life’s Storms

• We can give God praise and thanks for protecting and caring for us during the storm.
• We can learn life lessons from the storm. Especially lessons about faith.
• We can glean and gain wisdom from God.
• We can put our faith in Him to meet our every need as we rise above storms.
•  We can prepare ourselves for the next storm that will inevitably blow our way.
• We can share with others how we passed through the storm successfully.
• We can rejoice that storms do not last forever. Storm-less days do return!

Rubber meets the road. When storm clouds hover over your life, what will your Christian profession look and sound like? Will faith in God carry you through? How will your behavior in Christ mature through and after the storm? Will others watch you pass through life’s storms victoriously in Christ?
AFTER THE STORM is a comforting place to be when we know that we managed the storm well with faith in Jesus Christ.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight. II Corinthians 5:7
A Word For Your Week: Our attitude during and after a life storm is a predictor of how you and I will manage the next one.

​Our run, gun, gotta-get- it- done culture contributes to running on the ragged edge of life. That ragged edge can be a frustrating and dangerous place. You and I are not at our best when running on the ragged edge.
 
The ragged edge looks something like this. Life is running ahead of your energy level. You are huffing and puffing just to keep up. You feel physically pooped out and emotionally strung out. Burning the candle at both ends leaves you burned out. Relationships are stressful. You feel spiritually dry and empty. And you wish someone would stop the carousel for a moment so you can get off!
 
The prophet Isaiah, who wrote 2,800 years ago, understood that you and I need renewal.
 
“Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” Isaiah 40:30-31
 

• God’s solution to the problem of ragged edge living is RENEWAL.

 
Study Isaiah 40: 25-31 in its entirety to grasp what God is saying about renewing our strength. Please note that Isaiah said young people, vigorous young men grow weary, tired, and stumble badly. Not being as young as I once was, and tiring more than I used to, this encourages me to know that even the young whippersnappers still get tired, fall from time to time, and need renewed.
           
Running on the ragged edge is not God’s best for His children. Running our faith race renewed and refreshed in the Lord is His will for us.
 
The key to renewal from the ragged edge is waiting on the Lord.
 
Those who choose to wait on the Lord for strength will receive it. We erroneously think that renewal comes from doing more on our part. The Word says waiting is the gateway to spiritual renewal. Waiting, not wishing, working or worrying brings renewal.
 
The promise to those who wait is “will gain new strength.” When you and I are weary from running on the ragged edge, new strength and power is what we need…. strength that is fresh from the Lord who never gets tired or weary. God is never weak or lacking in strength and power. New strength is what you and I gain when we wait on the Lord.
 
Running On The Ragged Edge
 

• The ragged edge is a place of weariness and weakness.
• The ragged edge produces a negative attitude and pessimistic outlook.
• The ragged edge stifles ideas and quenches creativity.
• The ragged edge makes possibilities look impossible.
• The ragged edge discourages us from taking steps of faith.

 
Running Renewed In The Lord
 

• Renewal in the Lord is a place of strength and refreshing.
• Renewal in the Lord produces a positive attitude and outlook.
• Renewal in the Lord inspires ideas and stimulates creativity.
• Renewal in the Lord makes the impossible look possible.
• Renewal in the Lord motivates us to move forward in faith.

 
When we wait on the Lord, gaining new strength, three things happen. First, we mount up and soar like eagles. Second, we run and do not tire. Third, we walk and do not become weary (faint is the word in the King James Version.).
 
I have been a Christian for fifty-two years. One of my favorite things is to get away to be alone with the Lord in nature where people cannot find me. I love to wait on Him. Isaiah 40:31 is my life verse. Lo and behold, without failure, God sends eagles, most often hawks, to soar over me when I am praying. Soaring. Gliding effortlessly on the wind. No wings flapping like ducks, geese and other birds.
 

• My spirit soars and I am renewed when I watch the hawks soar overhead!

 
I don’t about you, but I like that soar like an eagle deal. And you can sign me up for running without getting tired and walking without weariness or fainting. That’s the way I want to live my life in Christ.
 
My friend, please listen to me. Why be worn out when you can be renewed daily with God’s strength and power?
 
If you are running on the ragged edge right now, make a quality decision for yourself. Get off the fast track. Slow down. Catch your spiritual breath.
 
Wait on the Lord. Get alone with Him. Draw from His power. Mount up with God’s strength. Rise up above the ragged edge of weariness. Live each day renewed in the Lord.
 
“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.”                                      I Corinthians 9:24
 
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have finished the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”                                                                              II Timothy 4:7-8                                        
A Word For Your Week: Run your race renewed in Christ.
 
 

• Stop nailing yourself and others to the Cross.

 
As a Christian Pastor for over forty years, it amazes me how so many professing Christians believe in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ but live their lives continually crucifying themselves and others repeatedly.
 
Sadly, many believers in Jesus, for some non-biblical reasons, hold on to sin that was nailed to Christ’s Cross.
 
Our scripture for this week makes me want to jump out of my chair and shout Hallelujah! as loud and as far as I can.
 
“And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all of our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” Colossians 2:13-14
 
Paul says that when we were “dead” in our sins, unable to pay their debt and redeem ourselves, God made us “alive together with Him” (Jesus). You and I moved from death to life. How? Through forgiveness of sins.
 
How did Jesus pull that off? The not so favorable (“hostile to us”) certificate of debt, the list of our sins, was canceled. Negated. Torn up. Jesus, when He became sin for us, bearing our sins in His body on the Cross, nailed your and my sins to the Cross where His precious blood covered them. What we owed was paid in full!
 

• Jesus was nailed to the Cross with our sins so you and me would not have to be crucified.

 
 II Corinthians 5:21 states “He made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
 

• Christians have right standing and a personal relationship with God because Jesus took our sin upon Himself to pay the ransom for our freedom. Now you can shout Hallelujah!

 
BOTTOM LINE: OUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN. FORGOTTEN. TO BE REMEMBERED NO MORE. NAILED TO AN OLD RUGGED CROSS. NOT JUST SOME CROSS. THE CROSS OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST~.
 

• So, what does this Good News mean for us? It means that we can stop beating up on ourselves for our sins. We can stop tearing others apart by nailing them to crosses. We can stop being so uptight with life and start enjoying the freedom and joy that forgiveness in Christ has provided. We can start loving a whole lot more and hating a whole lot less.

 
Considering this incredible truth, I have some questions we need to answer.
 
Serious Questions That Need Answered
 
Ø  Why do we keep dragging up old lists of our sins and drawing up new lists of sin?
Ø  Why do we put up with people who point fingers at us and shame us with past sins?
Ø  Why do we think that nailing people and their sins to the cross makes us superior in some way?
Ø  Why do we drive nails into our hearts when Jesus took the nails for us?
Ø  Why do we rehearse and nurse past sins that have been washed away?
Ø  Why do we pin others and try to exact a pound or two of flesh from them when Jesus’ flesh was ripped apart for all of us?
Ø  Who do we think we are when we hold people’s sins against them when Jesus doesn’t?
Ø  Do we really think it is all right to crucify people who do not agree with us, offend us, or make life difficult for us?
           
Take a minute to chew on these important questions.
 
Was His sacrifice not good enough? Was Christ’s blood not holy enough? Not pure and strong enough to wash us clean? Does sin somehow have more power than forgiveness? Oh my, we are on extremely dangerous ground if we believe we must overrule or override His crucifixion in some way. How could the holy blood of God’s only Son not be enough? The nailing is done. The blood was shed. It is finished. Forgiveness is complete.
           

• When we crucify ourselves and others, we crucify Jesus all over again. Why would we want to do that? Oh God. Please forgive us for cheapening the supreme price your Son paid for our sin.

 
Please listen to me for a moment. If you confess Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, put your hammer and nails down. Stop making sin lists. Stop crucifying yourself. Stop crucifying others. Jesus Christ was crucified once and for all for all of us.
 

• Set yourself and others free by realizing that Christ’s death on the Cross means sin is forgiven for time and eternity!

 
“Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”                           I Peter 1:18-19
 
A Word For Your Week: Christ’s death on the cross means we can stop nailing ourselves and others to a c

One of the many things I love about Jesus Christ is how the truth He taught in the Bible makes the Kingdom of God and salvation simple.
Simple enough for a thick-headed, self-centered, questioning, stubborn guy like me. It is too easy to make walking by faith difficult, to overthink belief, to complicate what is simple, to try and figure out why God does what He does.
I wonder if our heavenly Father sits on His throne and shakes His head in bewilderment as to why His followers make living for Christ difficult. Just a thought!
For instance, what about prayer? You and I can be tempted to turn praying into a spiritual ritual, a dogmatic exercise, a complicated dialogue of do’s and don’ts when conversing with the Lord.
Jesus cuts through the proverbial mustard regarding prayer in Matthew 7:7-11.
“Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find, knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives and he who seeks finds and to him who knocks it shall be opened.
Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?
If you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to them that ask Him?”  
Wow! Prayer and God’s response is profoundly simple.

1. Jesus declared that if we ask, seek and knock we will receive, find and things will open up. Receiving, finding and things opening from God happens when everyone (including you and me) asks, seeks and knocks. Profoundly simple!
2. Jesus said no man will give his son a rock when he asks for bread or a snake when he asks for a fish. You and I as earthly fathers would never give our sons or daughters a rock or snake when they asked for bread and fish.
3. Jesus made it clear that if we give good gifts to our children when we are “evil” (sinful, imperfect beings), “how much more” will God give good things to all who ask Him.
4. The key to this passage: ASK God for good gifts. “How much more” is the flipside of asking.

“How much more” is based on God’s great love for us!
I am a father and grandfather. I love to and thoroughly enjoy giving good things to my offspring when they ask. Warms my Doodah heart to bless them. Of course, I would never give them a rock when they asked for a Ding Dong! Or a snake if they asked me for some salmon.
You and I are sinful, imperfect human beings. Certainly not very godlike at times. But we still give good things to our kids. Why? Because we love them.
“How much more” does God love us who are His sons and daughters through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

• GOD IS A GOD OF MORE, NOT LESS.

Worth thinking about.
If you and I would give good things to our children, why is it hard for you and me to believe that God wants to give you and me good things even more than you would to your kids? God is not stingy with His love and goodness. He lavishes, pours His everlasting love, mercy, grace and abundant goodness upon those He loves and those who ask. I like that! I hope you do too!
Today there is a trending phrase that goes like this. “I love you. I love you more!” Nice. Guess what? As God’s kids we love Him, and you guessed it, He responds I love you more.
Out of His “I love you more” flows “How much more.”
How is your prayer life? Are you asking, seeking and knocking? Jesus said to ask. Put your faith in action to ask God for the good things He promises in His word.
Keep prayer simple. Believe God has your best interest at heart and will give good things to you because you ask!
My friend, I challenge you this week to ask, then receive “how much more” God has planned for you. Amen and Amen!
“You do not have because you do not ask.” James 4:4
“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” Romans 8:32
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in all things, you may have an abundance for every good deed.” II Corinthians 9:8
A Word For Your Week: