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It’s Always Been That Way! (Title is link to sermon)

Ever hear someone say, “It’s always been that way!”

I want to share a story about that.

There were four gorillas in a cage and in the center of the cage is a banana, hanging at the top of the cage just out of the gorilla’s reach. 

Below the mouthwatering banana is a ladder. I call it the ladder of success!

As one of the gorillas begins to climb the ladder toward the banana, all four gorillas are sprayed with ice-cold water. All of the gorillas seek refuge in their respective corners.

After a short time, a different gorilla began to climb the ladder and was stopped by the other three who did not want to be doused with water. Eventually no water had to be sprayed because the other three Gorillas would pull the Gorilla away from the ladder.

So, one of the gorillas is removed from the cage and replaced with a new one.

As soon as the newby sees the banana, he goes for it. He is attacked by the other three Gorillas immediately! NO water was needed!

The new Gorilla has no idea why, but fully understands that he will be assaulted if he tries to climb the ladder so quits trying quickly.

A second gorilla is removed from the cage and replaced with a new one. Of course, the new gorilla makes a dash for the ladder and is attacked. The first newcomer joins in the assault, even though he does not understand the reason for it. He has never been sprayed by water!

A third gorilla is replaced, and the same events unfold, this time with the first two replacements participating in the assault with no idea why.

After the last two original gorillas are replaced, no gorillas who were sprayed with water remain.

The new four, with no knowledge of why they should not approach the ladder, will never touch the ladder or make a climb for the beautiful banana. If another new Gorilla is brought in, the other three will keep him from the ladder!

Why? 

“Because it’s always been that way!”

If you have “always done it that way,” does that mean you have been doing it the right way?

Does God ever change a routine of ours?  

Yes, he does, even back to the Old Testament he did.  Remember the story with Abraham and his only son in Genesis 22?

In Genesis 22:2 God tells Abraham: “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.”

God has been known to throw a change to the normal routine in our everyday lives, Amen?

I cannot imagine what was going through his head as he spent three days traveling to the site where he was going to sacrifice his only son to the Lord God!

The Bible doesn’t say anywhere that Abraham was hesitant, does it?  

He could have responded with a why?  Seeing as they had been sacrificing the same way forever!  You snatch up a lamb and there you go right?  It’s always been that way!

But no, not now, God wants him to sacrifice his own son!  

The same thing the pagans do!

Abraham was steadfast in his walk with God and even through a totally unexplainable CHANGE of order he stayed focus on God and only God!

What is it about Christians that make us resistant to changes?  

Could it be because we lack the desire to consciously and completely give everything we are and everything we have to God?  

Especially during the beginning of a change, we become fearful that we will have to give in completely to follow!

Sometimes we serve God to a point, and then we balk at his command of a change and step back from the path he was guiding us down!

Especially when that command requires sacrifice!

This is not new!  Jesus had the Pharisees and Sadducees in an uproar as he moved up the “ladder of success”.   Amen?  

They were like the four Gorillas trying to pull him down from the ladder to his destiny not because they were ignorant of the scripture.  

Not because they didn’t know that a messiah was coming.

Bottom line they attempted to drag Jesus from that “Ladder of success” for one reason!  

He was changing things!  

And they wanted things to stay the way had always been!

Wow!

I pray you have a blessed day and are allowing God to bring changes into your life.

The MAGIC (Title is link to sermon)

Do you believe in MAGIC?

Do You Have the MAGIC?

What is MAGIC?

I still wear my motorcycle ministry vest even though I do not ride anymore. Even when I did ride, I wore it when I was not riding, and people would ask why.

I would reply, “It is the MAGIC.”

I would get that weird look, especially from my Christian brothers and sisters and then I would tell them.

“It is MY ANOINTED GEAR ILLUMINATING CHRIST”

I would explain that the saints of God wore holy garments and that you can read about that in Exodus 28.

Every motorcycle ministry vest is prayed over and anointed for God’s work.

But, all of us have an anointing from the Lord, amen?

Do you believe in and accept your anointing?

If so, you have the MAGIC, amen?

You were anointed the day you gave your life to the Lord, amen?

But your walk with Jesus determines if you are going to stay ankle deep in the anointing or be carried away in the living waters of the anointing! (See yesterday’s blog post or watch the sermon “Waters to Swim In”)

God protects His anointing, not for the great things we will do for the kingdom, but because of His great love for us. Amen?

Isaiah 10:24-27 (24) Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt. (25) For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction. (26) And the LORD of hosts shall stir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb: and as his rod was upon the sea, so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt. (27) And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.

Can you feel that anointing?

Are you using your anointing?

The harvest is ripe and ready, and I truly believe that we can make a difference.  

Do you believe that you can make a difference?

I am speaking to every saint of God right now who wants to make a difference in your world:  

Can I boldly tell you today that it is impossible to have the kind of fruit and results that we all want without the genuine and rich anointing of the Spirit.  

The harvest is available indeed, but we must be anointed!

I mean more than ankle deep, amen?

How important is that anointing?

It is so important that Jesus Christ needed that anointing!

Jesus Christ came as the anointed Messiah!  

Even Jesus depended upon the anointing.

Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

The GREAT NEWS is – Jesus Christ did not hold the anointing selfishly all to himself!  

Jesus wants you to be anointed!

Do you want to be extremely blessed in your life?  

It will happen as you respond to the anointing of God on your life and minister to your family and friends.

Because of the anointing we can all make a huge difference in this hour in which we live!

Any great thing we accomplish is going to be accomplished by the anointing of God.

Have a blessed and anointed day!

Waters to Swim In

Ezekiel 47:1-5 GNB (1) The man led me back to the entrance of the Temple. Water was coming out from under the entrance and flowing east, the direction the Temple faced. It was flowing down from under the south part of the Temple past the south side of the altar. (2) The man then took me out of the Temple area by way of the north gate and led me around to the gate that faces east. A small stream of water was flowing out at the south side of the gate. (3) With his measuring rod the man measured 560 yards downstream to the east and told me to wade through the stream there. The water came only to my ankles. (4) Then he measured another 560 yards, and the water came up to my knees. Another 560 yards farther down, the water was up to my waist. (5) He measured 560 yards more, and there the stream was so deep I could not wade through it. It was too deep to cross except by swimming.

This is an exciting vision that God is showing Ezekiel!

It is of the House of God or Heaven if you will. And from under the door of that house, or Heaven if you will, a bit of water is flowing from under the threshold of that building!

It’s here after all the labor and wearisomeness and constant leading of the heavenly presence that he realizes that he is in something that could be some fun.

He says, “It was water to swim in”.

You know I wonder sometimes how many people God begins to lead into his blessings only for them to stop somewhere short of where He is taking them.

I wonder how many times I have seen people be led of God’s Spirit who started walking with Him but only made it to ankle-deep water.

The walk was just too long. Right?

The sacrifice of time and energy was just not worth the distance it was going to require for them to get to where God wanted to take them. Right?

God has water for them to swim in!

He has a blessing so deep that it is going to sweep them off their feet! Amen?

He’s got something for them that they never in their life thought they were going to see, but they stop somewhere between the threshold and ankle-deep waters.

Or maybe they hang on a little longer and they land somewhere between the ankle and the knee-deep waters.

But their relationship with God never does reach the level of depth that His Spirit is trying to take them.

Some folks are satisfied with an ankle-deep presence of God in their life.

Others take it a step further, but then settle on a knee-deep relationship.

We need to understand today that God never intended for any of us to settle on a knee-deep relationship with Him. Amen?

Listen!

He took it all the way to the Cross on His end.

How far are we willing to take it on our end?

Have a blessed day of swimming!

Celebrating a Birthday!

While sitting in the motorhome, sipping on some coffee, I am thinking about the birthday we are about to celebrate.

Ethan is turning 14 today and we have his God Parents and a couple other friends coming over to celebrate his birthday with us.

We are going to have some hot dogs, jalapeno sausages, and hamburgers! 

Of course, there will be some chips, cake, cookies and more. 

Some would say that is a feast, amen?

While sitting here with God, I was trying to think of how in the world today’s activities could give me a devotional blog post.

Then I thought, who in the Bible celebrated their birthday?

I mean who actually did something to celebrate their birthday in the bible?

Two people are listed in the Bible celebrating their birthdays.

Genesis 40:20 KJV And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.

The baker got some bad news, and the butler got some good news amen?

Matthew 14:6 KJV But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod.

It was not the greatest day for John the Baptist that day, was it?

So anyway, there is some Bible Birthday Trivia for you today.

May you all have a blessed day today.

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure

Yesterday I received a phone call about one of our church members that we had not heard from in a few days.

The phone call was to inform me that the man needed medical attention.

The individual went on to say that him and another church member dropped in to check on the elderly couple.

The gentleman was on the floor next to the bed and could not get up. 

He had spent the entire night wedged between the bed and the bedroom wall.

The two friends got him up off the floor and into the bed.

After receiving this information, I called him and asked him to call 911.

He wouldn’t. 

I told him I was going to come over there and call them myself. 

He said he would refuse the treatment!

I tried to explain that things could get much worse if he doesn’t seek medical attention right away.

My words fell to deaf ears and I said a prayer before getting off the phone.

We have all heard the old wise proverb, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Here was a real-life application.

My friend and church member wasn’t taking care of himself and on top of that, being stubborn about getting medical attention when things had gotten worse.

Today, modern science instructs people to eat a balanced diet to help us prevent certain kind of cancers, heart disease and various other diseases.

Eating a proper diet and exercise also prevents obesity!

Anyone who has ever tried to lose weight can attest, it is easier to prevent weight gain than trying to lose it. Amen?

Anyway, I am preaching to myself about losing weight!

This morning I have an appointment to get lab work done so my doctor can let me know how things look for me.

It’s all good, just my six-month checkup.

That ounce of prevention could save me a pound or more in cures later, amen?

This applies to just about everything in our lives, doesn’t it?

My son has homework to do and if he does not do that homework (ounce of prevention) then trying to make up for a big fat zero is harder! (pound of cure)

I could go on and on about this in life’s applications for prevention, but it has never been truer than when it comes to our soul.

If we follow the moral guidelines of the bible, we can prevent sins that devour our soul!

Just spending time daily reading and understanding the word of God can help prevent us from falling into sin. Amen?

We can hear the gospel being preached and obey it but if we do not apply ourselves to studying and applying it to our lives, we could find ourselves dying on the vine!

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

If we do not search the scriptures daily, we will be led astray by false teachings of this world!

Just think, with you reading and studying the word daily, that is an ounce of prevention. Amen?

Have a blessed day!

Unreaped Fields (Title is link to sermon)

John 4:35-36 KJV (35) Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. (36) And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

Whitened harvest fields are a grave concern for Christ; and with good reason.  

Grain having reached such a stage is in danger of being forever lost, for it falls to the ground with the slightest breeze or provocation.

R. L. Brandt recalls a harvest season on his father’s wheat farm in North Dakota when, because of a family emergency, he saw one of his fine crops of hard wheat on the verge of total loss.

A relative died just as the wheat was ready for the reapers, requiring a long trip for R. L. Brandt’s parents.

The boys were too young to be charged with the responsibility of the harvest, so their father assigned it to a hired hand.

The trip took several days, and when the parents arrived back at the farm site, they discovered that the man they had left in charged had neglected his responsibility.

The beautiful wheat was dead ripe, white unto harvest, shelling and falling to the ground as the overripe heads rubbed together in a brisk breeze.

Mr. Brandt was devastated.

He had plowed, planted, and waited.

He feared his efforts may have been in vain.

The hired man lost his job, and Mr. Brandt endeavored to save as much of his crop as possible.

Reflecting on that unfortunate episode, perhaps we can relate to our Lord’s concern over His unreaped harvest. Amen?

This morning, we are going to consider three reasons why it is so, and what we in this great harvest time can do to resolve the problem of fields that have not been reaped.

First, we have failed to look.

Our Lord’s directive is clear: “Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” (John 4:35). Until we look, we will not really see!

Only the Holy Spirit can open the eyes of our understanding. Amen?

The second thing is that we have failed to pray!

Matthew 9:37-38 KJV (37) Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; (38) Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

I know many of us, to include me, have reached a point at times where we think, “What is the use!” But we must never quit praying for those that the Lord has put on our heart. 

Our prayers is what brings the rain! Amen?

At the same time we must pray for more laborers to help with the harvest.

The third thing is that we have failed to go!

It is not really an option. It is a command.

Matthew 28:19-20 KJV (19) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (20) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

But until that command gets into our heart, until it lays hold upon us, until we, as our Lord, “must needs go through Samaria” (John 4:4), the harvest will fall to the ground unreaped.

The potential for the harvest grows greater with each passing day.

Will this vast harvest go without being reaped?  

Not if we lift up our eyes and look on the fields; not if we pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into the harvest field; not if each of us will go into all the world with the gospel.  

If each of us will take the Lord seriously, the whitened harvest will be reaped.  

Take the Lord seriously today.

Look, Pray and Go!

God bless ya’ll

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A Heart for The Harvest (Title is link to sermon)

James 5:7-8 (MSG) (7) Meanwhile, friends, wait patiently for the Master's Arrival. You see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. (8) Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time. 

The believers of James’ day were eager for the coming of the Lord. They lived in difficult and desperate times, and their hopes were fixed upon the Lord’s sudden appearing.

The people were so impatient for the Lord to come that James wrote to them, encouraging them to be patient unto the coming of the Lord.

In their impatience, they were overlooking God’s purpose.

While they were waiting for the Lord’s return, God was waiting for the harvest.

James pictures God as a farmer who has put a great deal of labor into his crop and is waiting for the harvest.

Here we are today, doing the same thing. I have said it myself, “I just wish the Lord would come!” Amen? Many of you have said the same thing. Usually when the current circumstances in our lives seems like nothing but chaos.

We say those words absentmindedly. There is an overwhelming peace and comfort within us once we have asked Jesus into our hearts. Amen? So, we are like, why not! Just come Lord!

But we must have a heart for the harvest and be patient.

These words of James make it clear that the coming of the Lord is ever imminent.

James also wanted it perfectly understood that God’s purpose, until He comes, is to gather a harvest of redeemed men from every kindred, nation, and tongue.  

Once the fallow ground has been prepared and the good seed has been sown we have to wait for the rain to do its slow and good work. Amen?

That rain is the Holy Spirit bringing the miracle of growth to that seed!

The heart of God yearns for the harvest, a gathering of blood-bought men and women.   He is not willing that any should perish.  He longs to save all men through faith in His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.   

He sends His Holy Spirit to convict individuals of their sins and to convert them through His saving grace.   

The earnest desire of His heart is to rescue the lost from the bondage of Satan.

But the harvest is also only possible with it laborers. Amen?

Jesus also declared in Matthew 9:37-38 – “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His harvest.”

You can feel the passion of God’s heart for the harvest in that verse. Amen? CAN YOU?

Jesus said, in Luke 15:7 KJV I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

The truth is, that the church today spends more time feeding the flock than searching for the sinner.

Certainly, it is about time we get serious about reaching lost men and women.

That is our God-appointed task.

The lifeblood of the church is conversion, for God has appointed the local church as the primary vessel to reach the unreached.

If we truly catch the passion of God’s heart for the harvest, we will go forth weeping, bearing the precious seed of the gospel to sow in the hearts of men that are desperate and destitute because of sin.

All our preaching, teaching, and witnessing will not accomplish anything unless our efforts are watered by the showers of the Holy Spirit!

Only the Holy Ghost can melt the heart of the sinner and bring him in repentance and faith to Jesus Christ.

We must have the rain! Amen?

If our hearts are touched for the harvest, then we must become intercessors for the gracious outpouring of the Holy Ghost.  We must pray for rain.

Do you have the heart for the harvest?

Have a blessed day.

The Sower Went Forth (Title is link to sermon)

I am continuing from yesterday’s blog of breaking up your fallow ground.

Matthew 13:3-9 (3) And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; (4) And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: (5) Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: (6) And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. (7) And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: (8) But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. (9) Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

For years, the themes found throughout churches of all denominations, center on the urgency of the Great Commission.

There is no question that this is harvest time. Amen?

We are to be reapers to gather in the ripened grain.  

But we are not only to harvest, but we must also sow. Amen?

If we fail to sow, there will be no harvest, right?

Matthew 13 begins with the words, “Behold, a sower went forth to sow.”

Bible parables are earthly stories with a spiritual meaning or application. Amen?

In this parable the seed is the Word of God. Amen?

As the farmer scattered his seeds, some fell along a busy road and birds quickly consumed them.

Other seed fell on stony ground, where thin soil prevented growth.

Still other seed lodged among thorns, which choked out their life.

But some fell on good soil and produced a harvest varying from thirty-fold to a hundredfold.

I know that every person reading this has family members on their prayer list for salvation.

That is awesome, because your prayers water the seed planted!

But did you plant the good seed?

It would not do me any good to go water the soil that I have prepared around my house if I haven’t planted any good seed! Right?

The same goes for this spiritual application.

Are you sowing good seed?

The power is in the seed itself.

For this reason, it is important to plant good seed, watered with prayer and anointed by the Holy Ghost.

Good seed is preaching the true Gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Those that we are praying for need to hear that good seed and God has assigned us to be the sower of that good seed to those individuals.

I believe that as you just read this, God showed you WHO you are to sow seed into today!

Are you a sower?

I pray that we all sow that seed today!

Be blessed.

Breaking Up Your Fallow Ground (Title is link to sermon)

Many who are following me on social media have seen that I have been busy turning over the fallow ground around my house.

I am preparing the area for a fall planting. 

I have started early so I can turn the soil a few times as well as prepare it with a good fertile mixture.

I will be pulling out weeds and grass all summer long in preparation.

Any good farmer will tell you that before one can grow any kind of a garden, one must first plow up the ground where the garden will be.  Amen?

It is only after the plowing that one can begin the process of sowing and reaping.   Not before!

It would be a waste of time to just dig holes and plant my shrubs among all the grass and weeds in the fall.

Jeremiah 4:3 – For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.

This has such a spiritual application for us, amen?

Do you know what fallow ground is?

Fallow ground is that ground that once was tilled and planted but has been neglected for some time and lay uncultivated for way too long!

Many people have quit going to church since the panic-demic started. That is exactly what satan wanted. Those hearts have become fallow ground because there hasn’t been any preaching and teaching to break up that fallow ground in their hearts.

What about your heart?

Has it become contaminated with some weeds and grass?

You see, the Church breaks up her own fallow ground, when she stirs up anew the decaying righteousness of her own members.

This is caused when preaching the unadulterated Word of God causes the Holy Spirit to bring conviction to the hearer, and the church is compelled to repent.  

Just like with my ground around the house, we must keep cultivating the ground or it will become hard and full of grass and weeds. The beautiful flowers and other plants will die.

Once the fallow ground of the heart is broken up by repentance, and righteous seed is planted, the church will naturally begin to reap a harvest of new people hungry for the life-changing experience of the Holy Ghost. Amen?

No one must not be satisfied with a mere stirring of the heart – there must be a true change of thought and life.  Amen?

Fact is, too many of us have been long uncultivated in righteousness…

It is time to let true repentance break up our fruitless and hardened hearts; and…

When this is done – and when the seed of the Word of Life is sown in them – worldly cares and concerns will not arise and choke out the good seed like thorns do.

James 1:21 – Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

James sees the human heart as a garden; and if left to itself, the soil would produce only weeds.

He urged us to “pull out the weeds” and prepare the soil for the “implanted Word of God.”

The phrase “superfluity of naughtiness” gives the picture of a garden overgrown with weeds that cannot be controlled. (Just like the plots around my house!)

How is your "garden" today?

Break up the fallow ground today.

Have a blessed day.

What You Need, You Have in the House!

This morning, for Mother’s Day, I am giving the message, “Momma’s Oil”

The sermon comes from a famous story in history that you have probably already read. You can find it in Second Kings:

2 Kings 4:1-7 (KJV) 1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. 2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. 3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. 4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. 5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. 6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. 7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

This widow was in debt. She had a debt that she could not pay. 

Her children were going to be taken to be bond servants because of her debt.

She had sold everything in her house of value but still didn’t have enough cash from all the sales to pay the debt off!

Does that remind you of anything else?

We all have a debt that we cannot pay, don’t we.

I mean we could sale every stick of furniture in our house. Sell our vehicles. Even sale the house itself, and NOT be able to pay off the debt we owe. Amen?

Elisha tells this widow to borrow empty vessels and fill them with what oil she has. 

She has one small oil flask of anointing oil! Just one little flask!

But, her husband was a man of God and she was sensitive to the Spirit of God. 

She didn’t ask any questions. She had her children gather as many empty vessels as they could and she followed Elisha’s instructions.

Not only did she end up with enough cash to pay her debt, but she retired on the rest of the money. 

This all happened as a by-product of her blessing her community by pouring out her sacred anointing oil into their empty vessels!

Don’t miss this!

What you need, you have in the house!

It is not anything that you have bought but what was given to you from the Lord when you asked Jesus into your heart! That "pot of oil" (HOLY SPIRIT) is in "the house" (YOU)!

Pour out your sacred oil into those empty vessels around you TODAY!

Especially for the Mother’s today on Mother’s Day. 

All over the world there will be children (empty vessels) calling, video chatting, and for the luckiest, showing up to visit in person.

POUR OUT YOUR OIL TODAY.

Be blessed.

Let God Do It His Way

Sometimes we think we need to help God answer our prayers or a promise that he has made to us.

You know, like if we don’t help, he may take too long. Right?

When a woman is pregnant, she is going to have a baby.  

A normal baby takes about nine months to get here.  Right?

Now what would you think if the woman became so excited about the baby coming into the world that she demanded the doctors give her a C section early in the seventh month?  

Or maybe she was just tired of the pains and nausea and other hardships that comes with being pregnant and asked for a C section.

We all know that it would be foolish to do when both the mother and child’s health is at stake.

Listen, there are going to be times in our lives when God is going to want to do something great in and through us.  Amen?  

Even though we may know it is going to happen, we must be careful not to force some things to happen too soon.  

Sometimes we must wait for God’s timing to make it happen.  

One of the great lessons every believer is going to have to learn is to "let God do it His way."

1 Peter 4:12-13 (GNB)  My dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful test you are suffering, as though something unusual were happening to you.   (13)  Rather be glad that you are sharing Christ's sufferings, so that you may be full of joy when his glory is revealed.

It’s not that God is against you and your desires, it’s that God has a plan and a purpose for you in mind, but we all need more equipping than we think to handle the situations which God knows are coming our way.

Be patient and Let God do it his way.

Be blessed

You Will Find What You Are Looking For!

Yesterday, after some strenuous work, Ethan and I soaked in the hot tub for a few.

During that rejuvenation phase, Ethan noticed a hummingbird at one of our feeders.

We spent the next several minutes watching the small colorful bird feeding on the nectar inside our fake flowers.

Ethan and I talked about how the hummingbirds find the feeders and he said, “They find what they are looking for.”

I smiled and thought about the scavengers or buzzards of the earth as well. I call them God’s vacuum cleaners as they do serve a purpose indeed.

Buzzards or vultures fly over the land looking for a carcass to eat. God gave them the eyesight and palate for such nasty stuff.

Hummingbirds fly around looking for flowers that they are attracted to by the bright colors. They eat the sweet nectar inside the flower.

Vultures fly over flowers and hummingbirds fly over dead animals, but they only notice or find what they are looking for. Amen?

What an application indeed!

You and I are no different and the word of God even tells us so.

Proverbs 11:27 NIV Whoever seeks good finds favor, but evil comes to one who searches for it.

If you are looking for negativity or something depressing, you will find it! 

You can start feeling depressed right now just simply by looking for depressive things!

Now, on the other hand, if you search for something positive and exciting, you will also find that!

I know many of you will be able to relate to my next statement.

Two people can be experiencing the same circumstance and one will find that rotting flesh to consume and the other will find the flower full of sweet nectar!

What you look for is what you will find!

What are you going to be today, a hummingbird or a vulture?

It is all up to you.

Have a blessed day

BOW

This morning I finished a daily devotional, and it was too good not to share! 

If you don’t know this, the most effective and powerful cure for anxiety is giving thanks and praising our Lord. Amen?

So, whenever you feel anxiety coming on you need to stop it in its tracks! Amen?

To so that just remember the acronym BOW.

Bow before Him. Bring all your cares to the Lord! Lay all your problems at the feet of Jesus. Amen? Afterall, HE knows all anyway, right? Bring Him your heartaches. Lay down the petitions for salvations for your children, spouse, family, co-workers, and more at HIS feet! Cast all of your cares upon Him believing that He cares for you. He is able. You are not. He is God. You are not!

Offload your anxiety. Take all your worries, all your anxieties and fear, even your unbelief and offload them at the altar of the Lord.

Worship the Lord. After we BOW and Offload, it is time to Worship! Amen? Worship him in the storm! Take your eyes off of yourself and off of your circumstances and set them securely upon the Lord! Amen?

Why not start right now! Is there something in your life creating some anxiety?

Take this moment to start BOW!

Read the following passage and BOW before God.

Psalms 95:1-11 GNB (1) Come, let us praise the LORD! Let us sing for joy to God, who protects us! (2) Let us come before him with thanksgiving and sing joyful songs of praise. (3) For the LORD is a mighty God, a mighty king over all the gods. (4) He rules over the whole earth, from the deepest caves to the highest hills. (5) He rules over the sea, which he made; the land also, which he himself formed. (6) Come, let us bow down and worship him; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! (7) He is our God; we are the people he cares for, the flock for which he provides. Listen today to what he says: (8) "Don't be stubborn, as your ancestors were at Meribah, as they were that day in the desert at Massah. (9) There they put me to the test and tried me, although they had seen what I did for them. (10) For forty years I was disgusted with those people. I said, 'How disloyal they are! They refuse to obey my commands.' (11) I was angry and made a solemn promise: 'You will never enter the land where I would have given you rest.' "

BOW before Him now.

Have a blessed day... 

PUSH!

I wonder how many women that read the title and thought about giving birth?

PUSH!

Yes, giving birth may have even come to mind to some of the guys that coached their bride while in Labor. Amen?

Today, I want to share PUSH as an acronym today meaning Pray Until Something Happens. Amen?

This is especially important when we are praying for salvation for our loved owns and friends, etc.

Hey, I was talking about giving birth, wasn’t I?

Last night, I received information that one of our church members was about to have his (and ours) prayers answered. Many of the church members have been praying for her for years.

Last night, she entered the fold of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Praise the Lord, Amen?

If the word says P.U.S.H., then we need to P.U.S.H. Amen?

1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV Pray without ceasing.

Think about this.

There is no birth without pushing, amen?

I know many of us have thought, “Why pray, they are not going to change!” Right? 

I know many who have shared those exact sentiments with me.

I share with them, that we must continue to pray and believe that in God’s timing, the prayer will be answered. Amen?

Philippians 4:6 NIV Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

I prayed for my brother-in-law (ex now) for 12 years before the Lord drew him in. 

Praise the Lord it finally happened, amen?

May you start praying for those that you have quit praying for. 

Start today!

And don’t stop!

P.U.S.H.

The Morning after a Rain

I stepped out onto the back steps this morning. 

Normally I just let the dog out and wait inside the house. 

But I was drawn outside this morning.

I didn’t even realize I had been drawn outside until the dog was ready to go back inside.

I thought about why I had slipped out onto the back steps. 

It was that renewed and fresh smell after a good rain.

It was the sense of calmness that permeated the cool fresh air.

It is as if you can smell the grass and flowers growing!

Everything around us screams out that there is a God! Amen?

That smell, that calmness brings a sense of peace and comfort that can not be explained. It has to be experienced. 

I pray you experience it too.

The next time it rains, think about all the things that are growing around you because of the blessing of the rain.

Isaiah 55:10 MSG Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don't go back until they've watered the earth, Doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,

And as you ponder those words, remember that we can’t grow with being watered in HIS word either. Amen?

Isaiah 55:11 MSG So will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They'll do the work I sent them to do, they'll complete the assignment I gave them.

Praise the Lord Almighty.

Have a blessed day.

Redirection!

I am sitting here, sipping on coffee thinking about what I need to redirect the water pipes for a friend’s swimming pool pump and filter system.

As you can see in the picture, the water lines are not lining up with the new filter system.

You know, there are times in life when things just do not work out as planned!

When things do not go as expected, disappointment, frustration, confusion and even worry can come into play.

We may get a headache trying to figure out why our plans did not work out the way we wanted them to.

But things are not always what they seem are they?

What I am trying to say is, just because our plans did not work out as we thought they should, does not necessarily mean that it is a bad thing.

Now, I must admit, I would be much happier if the water lines had all hooked up in the same way and the job was done. But this just gave me another application in our spiritual life.

You see God always has our best interest at heart and everything God does is always for our own good.

So, our plans not working out, may just be God’s way of saying “no” to us. Amen?

That just means even though we made plans for something a certain way, God might just want us to do it a different way.

Scripture tells us that we can make our own plans, but the LORD determines our steps.

Proverbs 16:9 NIV In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.

Even though our plans seem right in our own eyes, doesn’t mean it is the right path to take. Amen?

Proverbs 14:12 NIV There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.

So, if you thought you were going to do something a certain way but find that you have to be redirected to accomplish that task.

Embrace the redirection and praise HIM.

Have a blessed day.

Choosing To Be Thankful!

We had to get a hotel that allows pets.

Normally we leave Maggie at the local “doggie hotel” in Gatesville.

They take good care of her while we are gone.

This hotel was the only one in this small town that allows pets (additional $20 cash required) and the entire place in dire need of repairs.

Even the lobby door required a second attempt to be opened with excessive force.

The corridor leading to our room was heavy and thick with mold and mildew.

Inside the room was one working lamp of the three that existed.

The desk had a worn out “executive” chair.

The sliding patio door that was facing inside towards the courtyard would only open about 12 inches. It had a makeshift lock on it for security.

The courtyard used to have a pool but has since been filled in and now the once busy sidewalks lead to an open area of grass.

Tammy used the Lysol on everything as we ate our supper from the local Dairy Queen.

This morning, we had to go to McDonald’s for some coffee. Yep, a hotel room without coffee.

Now, you are reading all of this and shaking your head wondering just what in the world am I thinking. Be Thankful for what? Right?

One thing that always helps us to be thankful when we don’t feel like being thankful is read HIS word.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
That sums it up really good, huh?

I am thankful for my wife driving us four hours to this small town.

I am thankful I had the $20 cash to pay for Maggie.

I am thankful that I had the strength to push open the lobby door.

I am thankful that Tammy had what she needed for her allergies to the mold and mildew.

I am thankful the mold and mildew didn’t have any adverse effect on me or Ethan.

I am thankful for the one lamp that worked.

I am thankful for the worn out chair that I am sitting in right now as I type this out.

I am thankful for the 12 inches of gap that allowed us to take Maggie to the inner court for her “restroom” breaks.

I am thankful for Lysol.

I am thankful for McDonald’s being open, seeing as all the other places were still closed as we headed there to get COFFEE! LOL

When we got back from McDonalds, I noticed three bikes parked in the parking lot.

I am thankful that God allowed me to ride for years and accumulate nearly a quarter million miles in the saddle.

As I close I have to say that I am most thankful for my Lord and savior and for everything he has done for me to include providing this hotel room for the night.

I hope and pray you have a Thankful Day!

Be blessed.

Got to Go to Grow

We are getting ready to head out on a trip to meet new people that are “prospects” for joining the Highway 2 Heaven Motorcycle Ministry.

Praise the Lord for the vision for this ministry.

There is no growth without us going out among the people, amen?

This is the same with the church. 

The body of Christ.

When we, the saved, go out into this dark and perverse world, the light shines into that darkness!

Philippians 2:12-15 NIV (12) Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, (13) for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. (14) Do everything without grumbling or arguing, (15) so that you may become blameless and pure, "children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation." Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky

When we shine like stars in the sky, others want to join! Amen?

Acts 2:47 NIV praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

You can Go to Grow, today!

Whether it is in person or you just sharing this daily devotional with others.

Be a light today.

Be blessed

Give Me a Break!

That was Ethan’s attitude yesterday! 

We had a few moments dealing with a teenager’s attitude about school and homework.

Simply put, Ethan just did not want to do what he had to do. 

He was learning new things and it was not easy to say the least.

The things that we think are easy today were hard yesterday, amen?

It is like chewing some bubble gum! When you first start chewing it, it is hard! 

At first, the gum hardly has any taste. 

Then as you chew more and more on the gum it becomes softer and starts to taste good. Amen?

While explaining that he must meditate (chew on) on the directions until he understands, it made me think about the fact that we must do the same with God’s word. Amen?

Psalms 1:2 KJV But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

When we read, think and pray about a verse or verses, chewing on it, for what may be hours, days or even weeks, we are meditating. Amen?

Then suddenly, without warning, it not only makes sense but it applies to a specific situation in our lives!

May you find yourself meditating daily, allowing the word to illuminate on your situations today.

Be blessed.

Remove the Stuff That is in the Way!

Continuing from yesterday’s blog post, my replacement starter is supposed to arrive today. I am pretty sure that it will take care of my problem seeing as some of the teeth on the old one was broken or chipped.

But what I wanted to talk about today is the process for replacing the starter! I had to remove fuel lines and a fuel pump just to gain access to the started. Then I had a couple other items that had to be removed! Geeesh.

I have been “turning wrenches” for many years and have learned that it is much easier to remove stuff that is in the way than to try and work around it!

I have watched so many mechanics “taking shortcuts” because they are in a hurry to complete the task at hand only to find out it took longer. 

Sometimes much longer because they broke something that should have been removed.

I encourage you to slow down and plan today. Don’t get in a hurry. It will probably take longer anyway.

Proverbs 21:5 MSG Careful planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind.

As far as removing all the obstacles in my way for that starter, life in general is the same way. 

Removing obstacles makes the path clear, amen?

Isaiah 57:14 MSG Someone says: "Build, build! Make a road! Clear the way, remove the rocks from the road my people will travel."

Have a blessed day.