Thursday, December 10, 2009

Jesus is still on the thrown

Friday, November 13, 2009

life at memorial north park

The Ninevah Experence

Here is an idea.

Suppose you woke up one day and said to yourself

“Said to your self”, heh, I guess that’s the first sign that mental health is questionable here

But

Suppose you woke up and said to yourself

“Hey”

“See that guy over there”

“Yeah the one who got sick and had to come home to his only living relative”

“Yeah the one who has an incurable eye disease that’s blinding him”

“Yeah that guy”

“Well I HATE him”

“Nah I don’t actually know him”

“But I am going to do everything I can to get him”

“For What?”

“It don’t matter … I ain’t got no reason.”

“I am going to break into the house and plant cameras and microphones. I am going to get everyone in da hood to help and if it gets to be too much I am going to hire a big expensive company to help. I am going to put a gps device and some microphones in his car. I am going to watch him 24 hours a day at home, at work and at church. I am going to poison his food and pay as many people as I can to try to make things hard for him”

“Nah I don’t know him, I hear he ain’t been in town in over twenty years”

“Well nah he a’int done nothing to me.. but”

“I still HATE him”

Psalm 37:32 The Wicked watches the Righteous and seeks to slay him

Thats kind of a strange way to start a article....

But that’s my life in Chattanooga.

You are wondering first of all why someone spends a lot of money and a lot of time and a lot of effort going after someone who doesn't even know their name? Its really a good question and i have to admit i have asked myself that question from time to time. But when i don't understand something I turn to God's word.

Proverbs 23:12 Apply your heart to instruction. And your ears to the words of knowledge.

See I am not operating under the illusion that i actually know anything. The fact that i am not dead already is just a testimony to the saving power of my incredible all knowing, all powerful God. But I am smart enough to know that i can get on my knees and pray to a supernatural God that has all my answers.

Daniel 1:22 He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in darkness, and light dwells with Him.

You may think you are doing dirt on the down low, but trust me....

God knows

and he will reveal it

That’s called revelational knowledge,

You have no logical way to have known it

But the Holy Spirit will download it into your spirit.

Its sort of like Holy ghost itunes,

......without the silly charges.

But you have to ask and it has to be in his will for you to know.

Daniel 1:23 I thank you and praise you, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might. and have now made known to me what we asked of you.

The problem is that I don't always know the correct questions to ask. I mean I could ask God how long? I could ask God why? I could ask God if the Titans will ever win the Super Bowl?

But God's ways are higher than my ways and those of coach Fisher

Isaiah 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts

How can i hope to understand why or how God allows the sons of disobedence to do the things that they do. I mean its like a french man trying to understand a bollywood movie without the corny sub titles. I will never understand how you can hate someone you don't know.

For that matter if i could understand hate at all, i wouldn't be a child of God.

If you can look at your life right now and name one person that you hate then you are not saved.

Jesus said that the second greatest commandment was

Matthew 22:39 […] You shall love your neighbor as yourself

The word of God also says

Leviticus 19:17 You shall not hate your brother in your heart

I'm not even trying to understand how so many people can think it’s such a great idea to persecute, poison and stalk another human being.

Much less a human being who you don’t know

It makes a statement about the nature of the pagan world.

For most of my life, I never saw the difference between Christians and Pagans.

I used to think, well Christians are the ones who get up Sunday and go to church.

That was the only difference that I saw.

Well now I know the difference, Christians are the ones who can not hate their brother.

You know I said I didn’t understand how so many people could think doing evil to a Christian was such a good idea…

But Jesus understood, he said

John 15:18-19 If the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you

It’s spiritual

Look, If you ever find yourself spending two years trying to get even with someone you don’t know who has never done anything to you…

You probably have a problem

Hate is a problem.. and it’s a spiritual problem

Jesus knew it and he said

John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

Hate is a spiritual problem.

But it’s not my problem.

When this all started, I thought it was a curse. I mean here I have a whole army of people who don’t know me but are willing to do anything to get me. But the word of God has a way of putting things in proper perspective. See I thought it was a curse, but it was actually a blessing.

The word of God says

Philippians 1:29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake

Philippians 1:30 having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear in me

You see, I am suffering for the sake of Christ

And that’s good news..

If you are a sinner the devil doesn’t bother you. Why should he? He’s got you on the highway to hell… with an alcohol wash rag around your neck.

If you are just a lukewarm I just go to church to talk about people Christian. The devil is not going to mess with you. You might as well be on his payroll.

But, if you are really in love with the word,

if you really want to live for Jesus…

If you read the word of God and delight in it….

If you are a tongue talking holy ghost filled person with a heart to submit and serve the lord your God..

Well then the devil has got to come at you with both guns blazing

And the fact that he has to throw so much at you, tells you

Just how close you’ve gotten to God

And Just how big a destiny he has for you

And if that doesn’t make you do a holy ghost happy dance nothing will

God is in control of the situation

And God has a purpose for you being in this situation

Maybe you can’t see it yet..

But the word says

Psalm 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the lord, and he delights in his way,

So God is guiding my life…

He may have taken me through a valley, but the only way to get to a mountain top is to come from a valley

It makes no sense for me to worry about it. So I don’t worry. I simply trust in the Lord. I don’t know why people do the things they do. I can’t understand and I have given up trying. I simply know that god is in control and I know what Gods thoughts are toward me

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope

I may be in a storm.

But I still love the Lord and one day the storm will be over.

And I will be rewarded

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, and he shall give you the desires of your heart

I can’t look at the storm… I am too busy looking at the sunshine that’s coming over the horizon

Saturday, August 15, 2009

who is crazy

Who is really crazy?


Suppose you were being stalked night and day by a group of criminals. Suppose they had placed spy equipment all over your car, home and even at your job. Suppose they watched you 24 hours a day. Suppose they were constantly trying to poison your water, food and medication. Suppose everytime you left the house they were breaking in and poisoning your food and going through your things. Suppose they stole your mail and garbage looking for something to use against you. Suppose all the people on your job knew about it and rooted for you to die on a daily basis. Suppose the police could not help because some of the people helping to murder you were police.

Sounds like a impossible situation.

The bible said that the enemy came to kill ,steal and destroy.

That is the devil and thats what he does. Just as we are the children of God and we follow his ways, so do the children of Satan follow his ways. The big diffrence is we chose what we do. The children of Satan are deceived by Satan into doing his will. But the question we face today is not why.The question becomes how will you react? The way you react tells what kind of a person you really are.

If you are a Christian you will turn to God. The Apostle Paul was put in prison by the Roman empire for no reason and he spent his time praying, preaching and singing to the lord.

To the Roman soldiers he looked crazy.

The Roman empire was the greatest military force in the world. The empire stretched to the limits of the known world and it had no rivals. Paul was but one lone disciple of Christ chained and watched by elite Roman soldiers day and night. If one looked at the surface of the situation what hope could Paul have had against this mighty evil empire.

But Paul knew the word.

2 Chronicles 20:12 O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.

He turned to God.

2 Chronicles 20:15 [...] Do not be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but Gods.

He did not sit around worrying about how he would get out of prison, or if he would even be allowed to live he focused on what God had called him to do. He preached, he prayed and he gave praise to the Lord in song.

The guards thought he was crazy.

And if you pray and praise the lord in the midst of your trouble your coworkers will think that you are crazy too. They will talk about you and maybe even hate you.

Matthew 10:22 And you will be hated by all for my names sake

They will laugh at you behind your back, stop speaking to you and probably even try to make life more difficult for you on your job. But you have to ask yourself whom you believe in. The devil wants you to give up and give in. the devil wants you to walk in fear because fear is the opposite of faith. The devil will try to tell the believer that these things are happening to you because you are not in the will of God. But do not assume that a wilderness experience means you are out of the will of God.

You better ask Moses about it.

You better ask Joseph about it.

You better ask Paul about it.

For that matter you can ask Jesus about it.

They were all in the will of God when they went through a wilderness experience. But they all believed in God and they all walked out of their trial better than they had walked in.


The question remains who is really crazy? Is a man who takes his problems to the living God with prayer, praise and supplication in the face of impossible odds crazy or are those who seek to endlessly persecute him for no cause save that of hate.

Who is crazy the man who carries the bible or the people who watch him through tiny hidden cameras day and night?
Who is crazy the man who speaks the word or the women who can’t wait to spy on him using the bathroom?

Who is crazy the coworkers who give him poison food or the man who lifts his hands and speaks in tongues?

Who is really crazy?The world is going to think you are crazy because

I Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God

Paul believed and the Roman empire fell and Paul went free.

The same God that did it for him is still in charge you just have to relax and let God fight your battle. If you fight, its your fight. But if you praise the lord and bring him to the battle field. You will find that even thought they called you crazy you will be a crazy man still standing and better off than you were before.

God has never lost a battle.

You are crazy if you don’t praise him



NOTE: I hope someone gets blessed by this, I know I was

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

The Road to Restoration

The Road to Restoration



Mark 3:1 And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand.

The first step on the road to restoration is to wait on the lord. This man was in the temple seeking the kingdom.

He could have been sitting at home bitter about his situation.

He could have been somewhere complaining about his situation.

He could have given up on the Lord out of frustration about his situation.

He didn’t go ask Oprah, Dr. Phil or Tyra. He held his head up high and came to the house of the Lord. He came to do service unto the lord. He didn't come there looking for his hand to be restored he came seeking the kingdom of God.

The word says

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

So we know that the second step in restoration is seeking the kingdom or rather the growth of said kingdom in our own lives. No matter what life throws at you keep God as your focus on a daily basis. If you find yourself lost in a situation the first step in the right direction is always a step toward God.

Mark 3:2 And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the Sabbath day; that they might accuse him. 3 And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.

When the Lord commands you must obey.

The word says

Deuteronomy 13:4 Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.

Jeremiah 7:23 But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.

Job 36:11 If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.

Genesis 22:18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

The word tells us to obey and also tells us when to obey

Deuteronomy 11:27
A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day:

If God gives you a word it’s for right now, don’t consider it, act on it.

Romans 2:13 For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Your delayed obedience could mean a delayed blessing or not seeing that blessing at all. Don’t allow yourself to delay in being a doer of the word and don’t allow people or their opinions to delay you.

1 Samuel 15:24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

A lot of us are influenced by the people around us. The man with the withered hand was surrounded by Pharisees who wanted nothing more than to see Jesus fail. When Jesus called out to him I am sure their was someone in the crowd telling him not to go. I am also sure that if he had sat down and thought about it he would have worried about making enemies among the Pharisees. We all need to remember that no one can relate to God for us. I love, honor and submit to my pastor and my church leadership but I have to talk to god for myself. I love the people in the prayer room but I have to go to God myself. Your relationship with God is personal and individual. God relates to us as individuals so that we may individually relate our personal testimony of our relationship with him to the masses. So when you are given a word from God it may be a word that no one else understands. Your pastor might not understand, your favorite deacon might think you are out of your mind. But you must act on that word. When Noah was told to build that ark in the middle of dry land do you think anyone else in the world understood? That word was just for him and if he had listened to others instead of the lord he would have been calling in a claim to his flood insurance. The man with the withered hand simply obeyed the word he knew was from God when it was given to him. The next step on our road to redemption is developing a right now faith that prepares us to hear and obey the word of the lord no matter what the world thinks.

Mark 3:4 And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace.

A lot of us are stuck in the wilderness on the way to our blessing because of distractions. The enemy has set situations and adversaries in front of us to distract us from Jesus. But the man with the withered hand was focused on the Lord and notice the enemies had no choice but to hold their peace. If we will but focus ourselves on Jesus he will see to our situations.

The word says

Proverbs 16:7 When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Bobby McFerrin was almost right. He said “don’t worry be happy” but he should have said “don’t worry be happy in Christ”.




Don’t concern yourself with your situations or adversaries.

I’m not telling you to ignore your bill collectors.

I’m not telling you to stop taking your blood pressure pills.

I’m telling you not to worry.



Ephesians 3:13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

Your problems seem unsolvable.

They may seem big.

But you serve a God who is bigger.

Mark 3:5 And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

God may ask you to do something you think you can’t do. In the case of the man with the withered hand the lord asked him to stretch out a hand that was withered and useless. His hand was a closed fist hard and unused. A fist in most cultures is a tool or symbol of war or anger. The Lord had him to open that hand. An open hand gives, greets and helps but more importantly it receives. The man with the withered hand had enough faith to try and receive the impossible and he was restored. He would never have tried unless he believed the word he just heard. So we can say the final step on our road to restoration is believing that we have received.

You might say to me, well that’s great but Jesus has never given me a word about restoration? Sure he has, he gave us all a word about restoration at Calvary. He paid the price for the restoration of us all that day.

If you can wait on Lord , because he knows the perfect timing

If you can be obedient and seek the kingdom of the Lord instead of your own agenda.

If you can obey the Lord, when he tells you its time.

If you can believe the word you just heard.

You can finish the road of restoration.



________________________________________

Monday, May 12, 2008

Bruises to Blessings

Bruises to Blessings

John 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

This post is not for everybody, its only for thoose of you who would be called peculiar.

If you are one of those believers who just doesn't seem to fit into the world.

If you stand out in a crowd and no matter what the topic of discussion starts out as it ends up as a disscussion about Jesus.

If you can't think of anything else you would rather do than talk about the word.
If you have a web site talking about Jesus.

If you have your notes from at least the last five sermons you heard.
If you own and use several versions of the bible.

I'm talking to you today.

Everyone else can go read the drudge report.

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Its time to tell the truth.

I know a lot of you are in the world and the world doesn't like it.

Everytime a salty believer steps into the flow anywhere in this world he will face trouble. The enemy is giving you trouble because your faith is troubling him. You see the enemy has tried everything he can to break you and your faith.
He used your friends to gain your confidence and try to convince you that no one could be trusted.

He has used members of your family to try and convince you that because of what you come from you could only be what you are and nothing more.

The enemy has sent people in your life to say they loved you so that your guard could be lowered enough so that they could turn your heart toward thier flesh and away from the lord.

The enemy has told you that you were strange and that the only way you were going to make it was for you to change your behavior and fit in with the world.

The devil is a liar!!!!!!

John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

He wants to murder this world and the only way he can do it is to remove the salt that preserves the rotting flesh of this earth.

Matthew 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth:

He can't touch you.

Job1:12 And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand.

He can use your family and friends

Job 19:14 My kinsfolk have failed, and my familiar friends have forgotten me.

Job 19:19 All my inward friends abhorred me: and they whom I loved are turned against me.

He may touch your possessions but if he takes anything away God will restore double to you.

Job 42:10 And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

He wants you to believe that he's running things. He wants you to look at the world and see his children and fear them. But thats what we see by looking at the world. But if you are a believer you know its not what you see its what you heard. God did not draw the world into exsistance he spoke it. God did not create you to be like everyone else.

1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

He chose you to be his sons...

Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Noah was peculiar. He built a giant boat on dry land miles away from the sea and put two of every animal in the world on board.

I am sure people had issue with that.

David was peculiar. He faced the biggest badest giant in the world with nothing but a sling shot and his faith.

I am sure people had issue with that.

Peter was peculiar. He jumped out of the boat to walk on water because someone said come.

I am sure people had issue with that.

Jesus was peculiar. He laid down his life as payment for the sins of the world.

People still have issues with that.

God is not going to lead you to follow the world. He said you were a peculiar people. That means you don't fit in.

Remember Jesus didn't fit in and he said so.

John 8:23 And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.

Jesus didn't spend his spare time watching Weezy videos or reality tv shows he was about his fathers buisness. If you are about your fathers buisness he may ask you to do something that the people of the world don't understand. Hes not going to call you to do as the sons of the enemy do. We have to walk in the fact that we are his chosen.

We have to be like Peter and step out on Faith.
We have to be like David and face our Giants.
We have to be like Noah and weather the storm.

It takes a peculiar believer ....With a peculiar relationship..... to a peculiar savior..... who has a peculiar love... for you just as you are...
and gave you ...

a peculiar word because he knew that you had the peculiar faith to believe upon it.

so lets be peculiar for Jesus

and go from Bruises to Blessings in a peculiar fashion

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Recognizing Christ

Recognizing Christ

John 1:19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. 21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet And he answered, No. 22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? 23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

The enemy will always call us to self. The serpent called Eve to self in telling her that if she ate from the tree she would be like God. Satan tried to call Jesus to self by offering him the kingdoms of the world. John resisted the devil by quoting the words of Isaiah.

Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

John had a word to stand on.

John had been sent by God for a purpose and he was equipped with Isaiah 40:3 as a word of knowledge and he had a prophetic sign to identify the Messiah given to him by God. John was focused on what he was sent to do. He preached repentance and prepared the people for the coming kingdom.

John 1:24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? 26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; 27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.

When we as believers are focused on the purpose to which we are sent and not on ourselves we have no problem recognizing Jesus. It is only when one is bound in self that we can't see or even bother to look for Jesus.

I urge you to take yourself regularly to the cross.

Everyday we need to lay down our problems and seek the kingdom and the kingdom purpose in our lives. We need to lay down our own agendas and pick up the cross. We need to embrace the fact that God loved us enough to give his only begotten son and take that same love and show it to the lost and dying world on a daily basis. We need to tell the world about Jesus but we also need to show the world Jesus in the way we conduct our lives.

The enemy calls us to self and the Lord Jesus calls us to selflessness in the name of the kingdom.

When we embrace the selflessness of the cross.

Thats when we truly recognize Jesus.

Christianthoughts

Friday, May 2, 2008

Everything I need to know about life i learned from Noahs ark

I read this on the wall of someones office today

EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE I LEARNED FROM NOAHS ARK
1. Dont miss the boat
2. Remember that we are all in the same boat
3. Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.
4. Stay fit. When you are 600 years old someone might ask you to do something really big.
5. Don't listen to critics. Just get on with the job that needs to be done.
6. Build your future on high ground.
7. For safetys sake travel in pairs.
8. Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board.
9. When youre stressed float for awhile.
10. Remember the ark was built by amateurs; The Titanic by professionals
11. No matter the storm when you are with God there's a rainbow waiting.