Do You Want To Be His Disciple?

In Luke 9:23 Jesus makes the following statement: "Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me." "Whoever wants to be My disciple..." And here we find the crux of the matter for most Christians. It is easy to be a Christian, I mean really all you have to do is follow Romans 10:9 - 10 and you are born again. Don't get me wrong, that is a very important thing indeed, without that everything else is pointless. But the decision to follow Christ is where the rubber meets the road.

When Jesus says "whoever wants to be" that leaves the decision in our hands. He doesn't force us to become His disciples. Remember when He called the twelve? He didn't walk up to Peter and say, "Hey you! I'm the Messiah, stop what you're doing and come be my follower." He simply said, "Follow me." Peter still had to decide to leave what he was doing and follow Jesus.

I have been a Christian now for twenty-four years, but I can probably say that I've actually been a disciple for the last five or so. Part of being a disciple is "denying yourself", and that is what I think for me has been probably the hardest thing. I still fight wanting to do what I want to do a lot. And it's not that I don't love Jesus, I do, I just wrestle with my flesh still. Although I am a little better at putting it in its place now than back when I first became a Christian.

Not everyone chooses to follow Jesus. Remember the story of the man that told Jesus to let him go bury his father first and then he would follow Him? Jesus's reply was to let the dead bury the dead, but for him to go and preach the Kingdom of God. (Luke 9:59 - 60) Unlike Peter, who left his nets and followed Jesus, this man had other things on his mind to do first. This person remains unnamed, while Peter goes on to be one of the Apostles. Could there be a connection here?

We are told that to be disciples we must deny ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow Him. Three things that are the deciding factors as to whether or not we are His disciples. Following Jesus requires the ability to lay aside our desires, our wants and our way of doing things. But how do you know what to do in following Jesus? Where do you find that? In the Bible, and hearing His voice.

When you read through the Bible, you will see the things that are important to Jesus. And if we are His disciples, then the things that are important to Him should be important to us as well. If we see Him showing kindness to all, then we should show kindness to all. If He is ministering to people where they need it, then we too should be looking for opportunities to do the same. The Bible is full of things that we as disciples of Jesus should be doing, if we will only look for them.

We should also be led by the Spirit of God in our own spirits too. This requires getting quiet and listening in our spirits for Him to speak to us. We should also bear in mind that whatever He speaks to our spirits will never go against what He has written in the Bible. That is the standard by which we judge what is right and true. If you think the Spirit of God is speaking to you to do something and it goes against Scripture, then it is not right and you shouldn't follow it. This is why it is so important to read your Bible daily, this will keep you from doing something flaky.

Being a disciple of Jesus is a conscious effort on our part, but one that will cause us to have untold joy and satisfaction in our lives, if we will do the three things; deny ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow Him. Let's determine to do that today, how about it? Get 'em up folks, we've gotta go out and whip something for the Kingdom today!

Where Did That Come From?

I was talking to a customer this morning, and she asked me to do something which I have a policy against doing. When I explained the policy, she bowed up on me. Well needless to say, that didn't go over really well with me, and let me just state that I didn't handle myself in the most Christian of manners. But before you think I've sinned and completely blown it, everything that happened was internal with me, and she never even knew. After she left, I repented to the Lord for my internal struggles and asked Him, "Where did that come from Father?"

How about you, have you ever had someone rub you the wrong way? How did you handle it? Did you walk in the love of Jesus, or did you let your flesh rule the way you responded? I will say that today apparently my flesh had a little better grip on the reigns of the direction my life was going, and not my spirit. Yet one more chance to come to realize that I haven't arrived in my walk with Jesus.

I remember once a man saying that when our emotions are low, our intelligence will be high. Conversely, if our emotions run high, then our intelligence will be on the lower end of things. I had an opportunity to learn this the hard way once with another customer. She had purchased several pair of shoes months earlier and brought them all back. For whatever reason it really ticked me off that day, so my emotional output was at an all time high. I refunded her money, without looking at the ticket and inadvertently refunded more money than she actually had paid for the shoes originally. Talk about feeling like a lunkhead.

Sometimes when things like this rise up inside of us, we should stop and take an inventory of what's really going on. I like to ask God, "What's that all about? Where did that come from?" and then take a little time and wait on His voice to speak to my heart. Several times there has been a revelation in my heart about something that has gone on in my past that never fully was resolved. So I go back to that, ask Jesus to forgive me, or I forgive the person that wronged me and healing comes and a little bit more of my heart is restored.

Things happen to all of us. We face trials and tribulations daily, but remember what Jesus said, "Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) This passage of Scripture used to bother me. I would say, "Well that's all good for You Jesus, but I'm still here." Then the Holy Spirit showed me that if I would stay "in Christ" and walk closely with Him, then I would be in Him and as He overcame the world, so I could as well.

Stay close to Jesus friends, let's get out there and whip something for the Kingdom today!

We Need The "You" Joint In The Church

I heard a minister say yesterday that we need all the "you joints" in church. That set my mind to thinking about "U" joints in vehicles, and wallah, a blog was born. I wasn't really sure what a universal joint in a car does, so I did what all of us do now-a-days, I googled it. And this is what I found:

"U joints are used in drive-shafts to allow the shaft to flex under load and still be able to transmit power from one end to the other. The engine and transmission vibrate as they are under power because of the pounding action of the pistons while they go up and down. Then the twisting force of the drive-shaft pushes against the transmission as it spins, and the rear axle flexes up and down on spins as the car rolls over bumps. If the drive-shaft were one solid piece, all of that extra motion would be impossible to manage and the drive-shaft would break. So they put a U Joint on each end, and sometimes one in the middle, and the drive-shaft can bend and flex while it spins."

So the U joint if broken, keeps the car from moving. Now let's look at a Scripture, and I'll tie all of this together for you. 1 Corinthians 12:18: "But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him." Here Paul is talking about the church, not our actual physical bodies. He is saying that God has set each and every one of us in the church where He wants us. (If we've actually taken the time to listen to His voice that is.)

My friend Pastor Daniel Shirley made this statement while we were having lunch yesterday. "If God set you in the body as He pleased, do you think He might be displeased if you take yourself out?" What a great question. If in fact God has led you to a church body to be a part of it, and you through reasons other than God instructing you to move on, decide that it is time to leave that church, do you think that will please God?

So here's the thing, God is the power source (The engine.) and we are the "You Joints" that He has placed in the church as it has pleased Him. Without the you joints, the vehicle can't move. If you were placed in the church, and you decide to leave, then the church cannot move forward as it is supposed to. We need each and every person that is supposed to be at Word of Life now. We need you, even if you feel as if you don't play a valuable role. What I found out about the "U Joint" in cars is that they are not the most expensive parts, but they are absolutely invaluable in making the car go.

Just like the "U" joint isn't the most expensive part on a car, and you may feel that you aren't the most valuable part of the church, but regardless of what you think or feel, God sees you as a very important part of His church, because it pleased Him to place you there. I for one, will begin to see people at my church in a different light now. We are all "You Joints" at Word of Life, and each one of us is needed. Don't let the enemy lie to you now and say that you are not an important part of the mission at Word of Life. We need you now more than ever!

Are You Paying Attention?

In the Bible there is a short passage of Scripture in 1 Chronicles 11 about the men who served David. They are called his "mighty men", and they actually did some pretty impressive things. One of my favorite stories about them, is found in verses 16 - 19. In it David was up in a cave, while the Philistines were at Bethlehem. David was thirsty, and made the statement that he would sure like a drink of water from the well that is found at the gate to Bethlehem.

There were three mighty men standing nearby that heard David's desire, and immediately left for Bethlehem, broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well and took it to David. Now I want you to see something here, because if you just read this casually you can gloss over it. These three men heard David's desire and went to fulfill it. They didn't wait to be asked, and they didn't wait to see if he really meant what he said. They were paying attention to their leader, and were ready to move at a moment's notice.

They fought their way through the army of the Philistines, the three of them. That was no small feat, right? Then they drew water from the well. Have you ever drawn water from a well? It's not like turning on a faucet. You have to lower the bucket down into the water, then pull it back up, and then pour it into whatever container you brought with you to fill up. And remember they fought their way through the Philistines, they didn't sneak in and get the water. That means that while one guy was getting the water the other two had to keep the Philistines at bay. Then, they had to go back through the army to get back to David.

We have reached a point at Word of Life, that I'm sure none of us ever thought we would be. Our Pastor, friend and mentor has gone on to be with Jesus. If you've been around Word of Life for any time, then you know that God told Pastor, "Go to Sand Springs, Oklahoma, raise up a New Testament church and from there you will touch the world. And I (God) will call faithful people alongside you to help." That is the mission of Word of Life, train people and touch the world, and that is what has been happening for thirty years.

We find ourselves at an interesting crossroads so to speak. Pastor David is no longer with us here on this Earth, so what do we as the flock of Word of Life (And Word of Life churches all around the world.) do? How can we best serve Pastor David now? I think it is by doing what these three mighty men did. They were paying attention to their leader, and we can too!

Right now we have men on staff who are leading Word of Life; Pastor Chad, Pastor Jesse and Pastor Terry. Not to mention we have a board who is looking out for the best interest of Word of Life and every area in which it has influence. We are being led at this time, each and everyone of these men are Spirit-filled men who hear the voice of God. They are here for such a time as this, and they need our support.

I for one am really going to be paying attention to the leading of the Holy Spirit and do my best to be proactive to the needs of the leadership, how about you? Instead of waiting for a plea to be made from the platform, I'm going to continue to do the things that I've always done, and look for anything else that needs to be done and do it too.

No one will ever replace Pastor David, he was one of a kind. But that fact still remains that we do have leaders at Word of Life and we as the mighty men (And women.) need to be paying attention to our leadership and be ready to charge the enemy to get them a drink of water if necessary. Keep 'em up folks, there is still a fight going on...one that we will win!

One Final Message

This morning we will lay to rest one of the most influential men that I have ever known. A man who loves Jesus, and it showed. A man who walked and followed the Lord and encouraged others to do the same saying, "Follow me, as I follow Jesus." I am saddened by the loss of my friend and Pastor, but will continue the work that he started, because that is the right thing to do.

As I was reading my Bible this morning, I came across this passage of Scripture found in Colossians 2:1-7 and it was as if Pastor David was speaking to me. If you would allow me, I've taken a little bit of liberty with these verses, having re-written them just a tad, and would like to share it with you. Read this as if it is Pastor David speaking to you:

"I want you to know how hard I contended for Word of Life and for those around the world, and even for all who never met me personally. My goal was that they would be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they would have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they could know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

"I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is. So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."

I know that in the days, weeks and months ahead the family at Word of Life will be undergoing change unlike any that we have ever seen. And while all change is difficult, if we as the body of Christ will stay together, and heed the words found in Colossians 2, we will come out on the other side in a place that Word of Life has never been before.

This is a most trying time for Word of Life, but as Jesus said, "When you are weak, then I am strong." Let's not worry about weakness, let's let Jesus do as Pastor said so many times, show Himself strong. We must take to heart what we have learned for all these years now and put those things into practice. Be on your guard family, the enemy is like a roaring lion who is seeking to destroy Word of Life and the work Pastor started. Don't let it happen, stay vigilant because he would like nothing more than to destroy the work of God that has been done at Word of Life. Don't let him get a foothold.

Jesus has great things ahead for Word of Life, both here and overseas, and for those who will continue the vision that God gave Pastor David so many years ago. Just because Pastor David is no longer with us, does not mean that the vision that he laid out for us is any less effective now. No, the ministry will continue, God will be glorified and the devil will not win. Goodbye Pastor David, I love you and will miss you dearly, but I will not let you down.

How Fads Get Started

Last night my bride and I were at the BOK Center in the lobby waiting on some more friends to arrive to see Hillsong United in concert. My friend Jeff Rains sent a text to another friend Jason Schrepel which said, "Yeahhhhhhhhh!" The predictive text on his iPhone translated that into the word "Uraniuam!" The look on Jason's face as he tried to figure out what Jeff's message meant was priceless.

What I witnessed was the birth of a new fad. Whenever someone in the group would say something especially awesome, it would be followed up with the word, "Uranium!" Needless to say, it was very fun to be around them last night.

That is exactly how trends get started I think, someone does or says something by accident and then it gets picked up and more people say or do it. And before long, we are looking at the latest thing. So hey thanks Jeff for your iPhone's hijack of the word you were actually trying to say. Dude, that is so uranium!"

Take The Hit But Keep Moving Forward

As I was mowing my grass this morning before going to work, I was thinking and praying in tongues about my church family, and how much of a blessing it has been to sit under the teaching of David Emigh for the last eighteen years. When an image from the movie "Rocky Balboa" flashed into my mind. Take a look at it:

That is where we as a church family find ourselves today, we've taken a hit and it has driven us to the ground. The loss of Pastor David is a profound one that hurts and has left us all shaken to our core. But as Rocky said, "It's ain't about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. It's about how much you can take and keep moving forward." Family, we can keep moving forward, or we can stay on the ground and let the enemy win.

We have a right to cry, we have a right to be sad, but we also need above all, to stay in faith. We must stay close to the Father in this time and let the Holy Spirit do what He does best, comfort us when we hurt. I won't lie and tell you this time in our lives will be easy, or even very much fun. But I will continue, as I hope you will, to encourage one another and keep moving forward.

My friend Pastor Daniel Shirley penned this yesterday on his Facebook page, "Today Pastor David has a little better view of the fruit of his labors, but it's not all in yet. Pastor, we'll get the rest of it." Better words could not be said about what our job is now. Let's do this work family!

Please Stay In Faith

*Disclaimer* In the following story I am not judging the lady in it, I am making an observation about her and comparing the way we as Christians should be handling the passing of our Pastor and friend David Emigh. We, as the body of Christ, and family at Word of Life need to stay in faith so that we can help and pray for the Emigh family right now more than ever. Thanks.

My cell phone was ringing in my pocket, but as I pulled it out and I looked at the caller i.d. I didn't recognize the phone number, but I answered with my usual, "Hello, this is David." The female voice on the other end of the conversation asked if she had reached the ministry of Word of Life. I replied, "No mam, it isn't, but I am a member there."

She immediately began to wail, cry and say how saddened she was by the loss of my Pastor. She went on to say that she had listened to him on the radio since 1992, and that she couldn't believe this had happened, "First Billy Joe, and now this." Her crying became stronger, and I told her that I appreciated her phone call, but seeing as I was at work and had many customers in the store I would have to end the conversation. I again thanked her for calling and asked her to please continue to pray.

I was recounting this story to a friend a while later, and it dawned on me that I was kind of aggravated by that phone call. Not because a total stranger had called me, after all my phone number is listed on the church's website, so I didn't mind that at all. What was bothering me was the reaction I had received from this caller. She told me that she had listened to Pastor David on the radio since 1992, but was completely imploding and falling apart on the phone.

I guess what really bothered me about it was that in listening to him on the radio for nineteen years I would think that she would have learned something of the character of the man in that time and been operating in faith instead of doubt. I mean this is a devastating thing for sure, but we are to rise up in these kinds of situations not fall apart because of them. How else can we be there for the family, who has every right to be falling apart. After all, their world was just rocked hard.

I love my Pastor, but I think it would dishonor him if I started to fall apart because of his death right now. There are all kinds of people who want to help out with this, then I say rise up, stay in faith and let's continue Pastor David's work and see the Kingdom increase even more. Let's do this family!

Grief, the Devil and the Passing of a Loved One

I have first hand knowledge about grief during the loss of a loved one. Actually I'm still walking down the path of grief because of the death of my youngest son Noah. Grief is never easy, and it does take a while to process. The number one thing that God has taught me through all of this is that it looks different for every person. There is no right or wrong way to grieve, you must just take each day as you find it, and keep walking one step at a time.

Well meaning people will try to help you in your grief. They may tell you how they handled it when their loved one died, or possibly you will run into the person who shoots Scripture at you like a machine gun. Or my all time favorite is the person who feels it necessary to say something that to them is important, but to the hearer is absolute lunacy.

Let me give you an example, I once heard of a person who walked up to a grieving widow a short time after her husband has passed away and said, "I understand what you're going through because I've had a really rough week too, something bad happened to my car." Seriously? You've had a rough week? This lady's husband just died, and you are saying that your car damage relates to that?

Let me just say one thing here concerning the death of my Pastor and friend David Emigh. This was not the will of God, an act of God or sanctioned by God. This has the enemy's handiwork all over it. In John 10:10 it says, "The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy, I (Jesus) have come that you might have life and life to the full." Here is the Scripture that we can base everything on. So, if something is stolen, then the devil is the cause of it, if there is death, it's the devil that is the cause of that too, and if anything is destroyed then once again, we know it is the devil. Jesus tells us that His whole purpose is to bring us life and life to the full.

Okay then, we know the devil is bad, and God is good. So please, please, please before you try and lay the blame of this tragedy on someone's shoulders will you please be sure and place it on the correct one? (That would be the devil.) And if you didn't understand what I said in the previous paragraph, or I didn't make it clear enough, let me make it perfectly clear here, God did not take Pastor David Emigh.

The next weeks and months will be tough, stay focused on the truths in God's Word during this time. And if you hear people saying things that are not according to the Word, gently nudge them in the right direction, back to what God's Word says. The Word is true no matter what happens in this life, it never changes. I'm living proof of that. Stay strong saints, we've got a lot of work left to do. In closing, let me quote my friend Pastor Daniel Shirley, "Today Pastor David has a little better view of the fruit of his labors, but its not all in yet. Pastor, we'll get the rest of it."

I Got Nothing

After a very short night of sleep, I awoke to stormy weather today. I brewed a pot of coffee and sat on my porch listening to it rain and thunder, something that usually brings peace to my soul. Today though the rain drops just remind me of tears and the loss of my dear friend.

As I sat there cradling the cup of warm liquid, I tried to pray. I tried to find the words to speak to my heavenly Father. Looking for guidance, direction or just anything from Him. But I got nothing, no burning bush, no audible voice, absolutely nothing. This morning I was desperate to know that what I've believed for almost half of my life was in fact true, that I hadn't been playing the fool all these years just believing in a fairy tale.

Yet as I sat there, I felt so alone, so abandoned. I thought of my Pastor's family and what they must be going through this morning, and wondered, "Where are you God?" As I turned to pick up my coffee cup, I noticed a motion out of the corner of my eye and looked up to see a coyote going across my neighbor's yard. He had a beautiful coat of hair that was blonde, but sort of gray too. He paused just long enough for me to get a good look at him, then he was off. I thought that was strange, as I've heard them in the distance before but never seen one up close.

Just then I heard the familiar hum of a hummingbird coming to the feeder I set up by my porch. I love watching those little avians flit around the feeder and then speed off to wherever it is they go. As I followed this one's path as he flew away, I noticed a bunny rabbit eating grass in my front yard. A few minutes later, another hummingbird flew up and as I watched it depart, there was a large squirrel hopping through the yard. I began to notice all of the various birds chirping and then saw one of the largest crane type birds I've ever seen flying through the sky.

It was at this time that I had an impression in my heart and these words formed in my head, "I'm here son, I've never left and I never will." I began to praise my Father telling Him that I would praise Him for who He is, regardless of what I was feeling. I praised Him for a few minutes and began to pray in tongues, releasing that perfect prayer that Paul talked about. The heaviness that I had been experiencing lifted off of me, and I found myself in a true place of thankfulness.

I am still saddened by the loss of my Pastor, that is just a natural thing that won't ever leave me, but I find it amazing how my God knew just what to use to show me His great love for me when I was feeling alone and having some doubts. My Father is truly amazing and will meet us where we are at, regardless of how we feel or what things look like. Remember the words of Jesus, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)

Keep your heads up folks, we've still got a work to do here!

What Now?

Sleep has left me tonight. I am in shock I'm sure, the pain of what I learned a few hours ago has not truly hit me yet. A great man of God was taken, by the enemy, from us too soon tonight. My pastor David Emigh passed from this life to the next while undergoing surgery for a broken leg. I know that I will be asking God why this happened once the reality of it has set in. There won't be an answer I'm sure, even though I will still ask the question.

Pastor told me when my youngest son, Noah died last year that God won't always tell you the answers that you want to know, but that He will always tell you what you need to know so you can keep moving forward. And right now, that is what I have to continue to do, keep moving forward.

I won't lie to you, this is a tough blow to me, my family and my church, Word of Life, and as we will realize in the weeks and months to come, for the body of Christ around the world. As that was the mission that Pastor was given by God: "Go to Sand Springs, Oklahoma, raise up a new testament church and from there you will touch the world. And I will call faithful men alongside to help you." And that is what he did. Thirty years Word of Life has been in Sand Springs, and we now have churches and ministries all around the world just as God told him.

The question in the forefront of my mind is this, "what now?" And I will tell you that the answer is to keep the vision that God gave Pastor alive and well and to continue to run the race that has been set before us as a church. There may be difficult days ahead, sure, but that does not mean that we will cower down and let the enemy have the final say here. No, we will continue the work, and we will see even greater things come to pass. God still wants to show Himself strong!

I will miss that mischievous way Pastor had of harassing those that he shepherded, and the loud shout of "Glory!" which could be heard all throughout the church or anywhere in the community he happened to be at the time. But I will not let what the enemy has meant to harm Pastor's family, my family and my church become a stumbling block that causes me to curl up into a ball and whimper. This is tough yes, but we will overcome even this setback, that's just what he has taught us to do for all of these years.

My pastor, leader and friend is in Heaven now, and I am saddened, and will miss him dearly. But mark my words, this will not stop me, and I will not let this stop my church. So what now you ask? We turn up the heat on the one who is the enemy of all mankind, and continue the work that Pastor David Emigh started so many years ago, that's what.

And please remember to pray and lift up his immediate family; his wife, children, grandchild, mom, dad, brothers and sisters. We need to be there for them now like he was always there for those of us who he pastored. May God's peace that passes all understanding comfort them in this hour of need. In Jesus Name.

Hezekiah, The Poster Boy For Selfishness

In 2 Kings 20 there is a story about Hezekiah, one of the Kings of Judah. In the beginning of the story he is close to death, and Isaiah the prophet comes to him and tells him to set his house in order, because he is going to die. Hezekiah cries out to the Lord to heal him, and God does so, telling him that he will even add fifteen years to his life.

Later on, some men from Babylon come to visit and bring him a gift because the king of Babylon had heard he was sick. Hezekiah shows them everything in his palace, all the royal treasuries, all his riches and wealth. When the men leave, Isaiah shows up and asks about them. After Hezekiah told Isaiah all that he had done, the prophet tells him that there will come a day when everything will be carried off to Babylon, and even his own descendants will be taken away and become servants to the king there.

It is in verse 19 that I noticed what could be described as the best definition of selfishness I've ever seen. "The Word of the Lord you have spoken is good," Hezekiah replied. For he thought, "Will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?" I mean how selfish is that? He gets a word from the Lord that Jerusalem and all in it will be carried off to a foreign land, and all he can think about is, "Well at least I won't be here to see that."

In Proverbs 13:22 it says, "A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just." It's interesting that when Hezekiah was sick he called out to the Lord to heal him, but when he heard what was going to happen to his own family and country he thought that was good, all because he wouldn't be around to experience it. Talk about being truly selfish at your core.

I don't know about you, but I want to learn from Hezekiah's example of what "not" to do. I don't want to be so selfish in my thinking that all I can think about is how will this effect me and what can I get for myself? I want to be that good man that leaves an inheritance for my children's children. Not the selfish dolt who spends everything on myself not caring what happens to my descendants down the line.

Get 'em up folks, there are enough selfish people out there, let's go whip something and be selfless in the process. For the Kingdom and the King!

What To Do?

What do you do when you've been standing on God's Word and then something comes along and seemingly takes the wind right out of your sails? It is ironic that there is a storm brewing tonight where I live. I say that, because I got a phone call a little while ago telling me that my Pastor has gone missing once more. So there are two storms really brewing, one is an atmospheric disturbance that will indeed last a short while and then be gone. The other, we don't know when it will be over, because when it comes to things in the spiritual realm, we just don't have that kind of clarity.

Right now I can only imagine what is going on in the minds of his loved ones, and those who belong to the church that he started thirty years ago. I know that for me it is a mixture of shock and dismay. I believe what I prayed tonight, that just as God showed the prophet secrets that the enemy king spoke in his bedchamber, He would show someone the whereabouts of my Pastor. I believe my God answers prayer, and this time is no different.

But what do you do in a situation like this? First off, you stay in faith trusting that God is at work. What the enemy would love nothing more right now is to just get people scared and talking about things that they know nothing about. The facts are that he left yesterday around noon on his motorcycle and no one has heard from him since. But remember that as Christians, we fight the good fight of faith. And that is the fight to believe what God's Word says is true regardless of what any circumstances may try to say to us.

We're in a storm right now as a church, no doubt. But Christians were never promised that they wouldn't be in a storm, just that they would come out on the other side of it better than when they started. So cheer up my friends, keep the faith and don't let the enemy beat you down. Keep praying, but more importantly keep praising God for the safe return of our Pastor!

The Power Of A Cookie

Why is it that when you aren't feeling quite on top of your game, a cookie can make things seem better? I know that's a strange thought, but then what else are you to expect from me? That's just who I am.

I don't know, maybe it hails back to the days when I was a kid living at home and had no real responsibilities, other than just not getting into too much trouble. Those were simpler times for sure; no mortgage, or bills showing up all throughout the month with unseen people desiring to take the money that I've worked so hard for all week long.

I used my imagination a lot when I was a kid too. I always spent my days building up some fort, laying out some elaborate battle with my little plastic soldiers or riding my bike all around the neighborhood, pretending that it was a space ship taking me to different planets around the known galaxy. I love that one part about my life as a child the most I think.

I guess cookies have some unseen power which takes me back to those simpler days, and I like that every now and again, it does my heart good. How about you? What takes you back to your favorite days?

Everybody Wants To Be Somebody

I was thinking about how I really have a strong desire to make an impact on this planet for Jesus this morning, when I came across this picture on Facebook with the caption, "Help is on the way." My good friend Justin Kila is on his way to Cambodia to help bring freedom to at risk children and prostitutes. It is an interesting ministry, you can check it out here.

One of the main thoughts that I was having, was how I believe that everyone wants to be somebody, and make an impact. They may or may not want that impact to be about Jesus, but I feel this is a powerful motivation in everyone. No one wants to be a nobody, even if that is how they feel about themselves and how others see them.

When I say that I want to be somebody that makes an impact on the planet, I'm not saying that I want to be a millionaire (Although I wouldn't say no to it.) or anything. I have this drive inside that wants to make the world a little better place. It's like in the movie "Kingdom of

Heaven", Balian is shoeing the horses of Sir Godfrey his father when one of the knights points at the Latin phrase, "Nemo vir est qui mundum non reddat meliorem." and asks, "What does that mean? Balian responds, "What man is a man who does not make the world better?"

Making the world better should be the work of every person in their life. If we would all do just a little bit to improve the world we live in, we would see such a massive change it would shock us. The real problem as I see it, is that there are just a few people doing the majority of the work. The rest either don't see the importance, are just too busy, or they are just selfish. I'm not judging here, just trying to open some eyes to see that if, just if everyone would their part, we'd live in a much better place.

What about you? Do you want to be somebody? Do you want to make the world a better place? If so, then start where you are, do a little something today to make the world better, and in the process you will make yourself better as well. Well there's that, get 'em up folks, let's go out and whip something for the Kingdom of God today!

What Do You Believe?

I was driving home tonight, listening to the Petra album "This Means War!". In particular, I was listening to the song, "Get On Your Knees And Fight Like A Man". One of the lines in the song is, "You'll pull down strongholds if you just believe you can." As I was singing along, I began to wonder what do I believe?

Believing is an important part of the Christian life. We are admonished over and over to believe first, then we will receive and see answers to our prayers. In Matthew 21:22 states, "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." That is pretty plain isn't it? The qualifying part of that Scripture is the three words, "If you believe." So we must believe.

Believing for some people is much harder than for others. They are what I call the I'll believe it when I see it group. Unfortunately for them, they very rarely see answers to their prayers, and it is all because they have the cart before the horse so to speak. We will never see anything from God until we first believe that we do.

Everything that we get from the Kingdom of God comes according to the principle found in Romans 10:9 - 10. Believe in your heart, confess with your mouth and you will have what you desire. But how do you believe in something that you cannot see? Take electricity for instance, you can't see it yet you believe that when you flip a switch on your wall that lights will turn on. If you didn't believe that it would happen, you wouldn't flip the switch.

The way that I learn to believe something is by going to God's Word and seeing what He has to say about it. For instance, if I need to believe that I receive healing in my body, I first need to go to the Bible and see if it is actually God's will for me to be healed. Once I see that that is true, then I am able to believe that, I have received faith to believe.

The Bible says that faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God. If I want to believe something then I'm going to have to have faith for it, and to be able to get the faith I need, I'm going to have to go to God's Word and find it. We have the ability to believe whatever we want to believe, that is one of the attributes that God gave us when He created mankind. It would be unfair of Jesus to tell us that whatever we believe we will receive when we pray if in fact we are unable to believe. That is not the way that God works.

If you are having trouble believing, then get into God's Word and read what He has to say about stuff. It won't be long before you are believing for all kinds of things. Well, there's that. Strength and honor.

Are You Tolerating Stuff You Don't Have To?

I was blowing my nose for the umpteenth time this morning when I thought, "How long am I going to put up with this?" Now I don't know if that was me thinking that thought, or if it was by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Either way, it is something that I want to ponder today.

In the Bible there are so many promises from God that belong to each and everyone of us. Now these promises are rightfully ours, but they don't just fall on us by chance. We have to appropriate (To take to or for oneself; take possession of.) each and every one of the promises. The thing I think is so awesome about this, is that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:33 - 35). That tells me that it is not who I am, what I have or my social standing that have anything to do with me getting what is mine from God.

I just have to use faith. Faith is the key to receiving anything from God. The Bible clearly states that without faith it is impossible to please God. So I'm thinking, "How long am I going to put up with my sinus passages flowing?" Not any longer. According to 1 Peter 2:24, Jesus took those stripes on His back to purchase my healing. In other words, He took the punishment for sickness so that I wouldn't have to. I don't have to tolerate sickness any longer. I'm promised victory, so I will walk in victory today!

No more sinus issues, no more snot as of this moment I claim the healing power of the Lord Jesus Christ over my body, and my body must line up in accordance to God's Word. In the Name of Jesus, I, AM, HEALED! Thank You Father for providing this for me. How about you, are you tolerating things in your life that there is victory promised to you in God's Word? Step out in faith believing that what the Bible says is true and then go about your day thanking God for your answer. It is yours the moment you pray, just stay on the Word and don't back down until you get your victory!

Well, there's that folks. Get 'em up, let's go whip something for the Kingdom today!

Confessions Of A Male Chauvinist Pig

For years now I have been saddled with the impression that I am a male chauvinist pig. Why do I have that impression you ask? Quite simple actually, my mother told me so.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming my mother or anything like that, I love her very much, as any son should. I just remember years ago when we would talk, she would tell me, "You're just like your grandfather, (Her dad.) and he was a male chauvinist pig."

I'll be honest, for years I had no idea what she was even talking about, but I learned, and I guess I kind of accepted the fact that I must be. After all, if your momma tells you that you are something, then isn't that kind of true? I mean moms don't lie to us do they?

The definition of a male chauvinist pig is: A male chauvinist pig was a term used in the 1960's among feminist for men, usually with some power (Such as an employer or professor.), who believed that men were superior and expressed that opinion freely in word and action.

I will admit that I have no problem expressing my opinions freely, if you have known me for any length of time you would agree. But I have never thought that men were superior to women. And especially since I've grown older, I've come to realize that women are for the most part smarter and even better looking than men.

I do believe that men can do some things better than women. Like for instance lifting heavy objects. Men have more red blood cells, which gives them the ability for greater strength. This is not a slam against women, because women as a general rule have a better threshold for pain. There are differences between the sexes, that much is true. But that doesn't make one better than the other. After all, I think a wise husband is one that leans on the strengths of his bride, and not one who ridicules her.

I do believe that we have lost a lot of things thanks in part to the feminist movement, and I'm not really sure that women have made the greatest leaps forward because of it. I have to admit that if I am a male chauvinist pig, it is not because I think women are any less than men, because God made us male and female on purpose. Adam was not lord over Eve, he was a co-laborer with her.

But I will have to go with what I heard Rush Limbaugh say one time; "I love the women's movement, especially when I'm walking behind it." Wait, does that make me a male chauvinist pig? Well, there's that. Strength and honor.

The Right To Bear Arms

A couple of years ago, I put up a hummingbird feeder by my front porch. I don't really know why these little birds fascinate me so, but they do. I moved the feeder closer to my porch last year so that I could really get a good look at these amazing creatures.

We've had the occasional wasp showing up too which is annoying to say the least. My son Micah mentioned to me the other day that he'd been watching and that if there was a wasp on the feeder when the hummingbirds flew up, they would not stop to feed, they would just fly off. I put the feeder up to watch hummingbirds, not wasps. So you can understand my annoyance at having to watch these little red intruders keep the birds away.

Yesterday I was sitting on my porch and there were several of these bandits flying around and taking turns eating their breakfast. I have a can of wasp spray, but you know I don't want to spray them while they are close to the feeder, for fear that then the hummingbirds will die too. Then the thought hit me, why don't you shoot them with that air soft pistol?

I went into the room and dug through a box of toys until I found it; took out the clip, loaded it, then went and sat in my chair and waited for the wasps to show up. As one arrived and landed on the feeder, I carefully took aim and shot one of the plastic b-b's at the offender. High, and to the left. I re-aimed the pistol and shot again. Low and to the right. Cocking the pistol and slowing my breathing I pointed the gun at the wasp and slowly squeezed the trigger, bam! A small splat and my enemy went down for the count.

Realizing how well the pistol worked, I sat patiently and waited for more of the little buggers. In all I shot five of them yesterday with only one of them getting close to stinging me. Who would have thought that an air soft gun, a toy for children (and dads) to play, would become a lethal weapon for wasps on my front porch? Uh, oh gotta go, I hear a buzzing on my porch. Lock and load!

Are You A House Of Prayer, Or A Den Of Thieves?

I had another odd thought this morning on the way to work, let me share it with you. You may know the story of when Jesus went into the temple and ran out the money changers, and those who sold doves. You can find it in three of the Gospels; Matthew 21:13, Mark 11:17 or Luke 19:46. It is an interesting story, and one that shows the zeal of the Lord. But what I want to look at is this on a more personal level.

When we become born again, Jesus takes up residence in our hearts. Our bodies are referred to as the "temple of God" now. (1 Corinthians 6:19) Well if that is true, then what is inside of our temple? Are we a house of prayer, or are we a den of thieves? I think it bears looking into, don't you? Are we in fact doing what is right with our temple, or are we using it for things other than what God designed for it?

I guess what I've got to do in my own life is take a hard look at what is on the inside of me, and if I find things that are contrary to God's Word, or things that I know the Father would not like me doing, then I need to do what Jesus did in the temple and run those things out. Anything that the Holy Spirit reveals to me I need to be honest and take a long hard look at how I need to rid myself of that hindrance to making my temple God's house of prayer.

How about you? Are there things in your life that maybe need to be removed? Are you willing to take a hard look at them and make the necessary adjustments in your life? I hope so. Well there's that, let's get 'em up folks and go whip something for the Kingdom!

They're Captives, Not Idiots

While at work the other day, a group of young people walked through my door. I looked up from what I was doing to see a couple of guys and girls, all tattooed and pierced in just about every area that you could see. They were dressed in a hodge podge of clothes ranging from shorts, to tank tops and pajama bottoms, not at all professional. The guy leading the pack walked up to the check out counter and asked, "Hey, are you hiring?" To which I replied, "No." As they all turned and walked out the door, I thought to myself, "I'm not hiring idiots." And went back to what I had been doing.

It was at this moment that the Holy Spirit convicted my heart for what I had been thinking, and I said out loud, "You're right Lord, those kids aren't idiots, they're captives." And that set me to thinking. I probably have had a bad habit of judging books by their covers, I'll admit it. I'm not the best when it comes to looking past the outside of a person, and making judgments. Yeah, I know this is a bad thing and the Lord has been working on me about this for years. I will say that I am much better now, than I was in years past, so there is hope for me.

It was this thought that those kids who came in my store were captives of the enemy that really stuck out to me for the rest of the day. I thought about those kids, and wondered what influence if any they have had by Christians. I know that while it is not my job to try and save everyone, or even help every young person that I come in contact with, I am to show the love of Jesus to them. I hadn't done that, and if they knew that I was a Christian, then could I have been another in a long line of Christians who instead of reaching out, passed judgement and had written them off? And if that was the case, what would their thoughts be about the Savior who loved them enough to die for them? Oh, here is another level of wretchedness that I've not seen about myself before.

Okay, so I'll admit it, this is not looking so good for old Dave today. Once again, I've been laid open and filleted by the Father so as to reveal another character flaw. Don't get me wrong, when He shows me these, it is for my good, because I know that Jesus wants me to be a better man today, than I was yesterday. And I want that too, even if it is painful sometimes to admit things like this.

I did a disservice to those young people the other day, and in doing so I may have added to their prison sentence, instead of helping them discover the true freedom that comes from knowing Jesus. How about you? Is this something that you have done yourself? How could you better interact with people who are not idiots, they're captives of the enemy in need of freedom? Let's get 'em up folks, and go win some people for the Kingdom today!

How Long Is The Battle Supposed To Last?

I think it would be a fair assumption on my part to think that you the reader understand that everyone has challenges in their lives. And that no one is exempt from them either, regardless if you are a good person or a bad. Whatever you want to call it; karma, reaping what you have sown, or just the way of the world, the truth of the matter is no matter what, everyone faces battles in their lives. So we better prepare ourselves.

So with that thought established let me move on to my thought: "How long is the battle suppose to last?" Really, I think this is a fair question to ask, because unless we have some idea of how long we must stand and fight, we can and will lose hope and eventually lose heart. And when there is a loss of heart, morale goes down and men cannot fight as well and then defeat is just a hands breath away.

I really enjoy movies which depict men having to battle overwhelming odds and come out the victor. Scarred, battered and bruised maybe, but victorious over their enemies. The really interesting thing is that it doesn't usually happen in a half an hour. But that is what has happened to us in America anyways isn't it? We watch 30 - 60 minute television programs where by the end of the show whatever conflict started at the beginning will be completely resolved and everyone loving each other again.

Transition that reality (Which really isn't, but our minds want to think it is.) into your own personal family life and see if one of your conflicts with your teenager resolves itself in an hour. In our home, they usually lasted 3 - 4 hours with all of us going to bed exhausted, and very rarely had any agreements having been reached. It usually was several days before we had everything back to normal.

When we try and put these unrealistic expectations on ourselves, we end up being set up for a fall. I think that this is one of the ways that the enemy uses to get us to lose heart. I mean think about it for a minute; you read God's Word that healing belongs to you, you get faith to believe for your healing, then the cold that has latched itself to you decides to stay on for 4 or 5 days. Isn't our first thought, "Why isn't God's Word working?" Well who's to say that it's not. After all where do you see in the Bible that healing comes with a time frame?

I read in the Word that by Jesus's stripes I am healed, (1 Peter 2:24) but I don't see in there where it states that my physical symptoms leave the moment that I pray and believe. You see this is where we miss it the most. We see in the Bible stories that Jesus did something and in an instant the people got what they needed. Then we think if it doesn't happen for us that way, we didn't get it. And nothing could be further from the truth!

We do receive our answer the moment that we believed and prayed, but that doesn't mean we will actually see the manifestation of it right at that moment. We may actually have to fight the good fight of faith. (1 Timothy 6:12) Just because we are fighting the good fight of faith, does not mean there isn't going to be a fight. Fighting the good fight of faith just means that we are fighting a fight that we will win. (Some times immediately, and some times eventually.)

You see, what the fight of faith actually is, is the fight (Within our minds.) to believe that what God's Word says is true, regardless of what everything else around us is saying. (To our physical senses.) I would say that the fight could go on for a while. There is nothing written in stone as to how long we must endure and fight the good fight of faith, just that we are to fight it, never surrendering.

So what are you going to do now? I know that I am going to continue to fight to believe that what God's Word says is true, regardless of what my physical senses are telling me. You know, I'm pretty sure that men fighting on the battlefield don't quit fighting with the enemy if they are unable to vanquish them in just a few hours. No, they keep fighting with everything that they've got, because the moment that they quit, they die. So let's learn from that example and fight to believe with every fiber of our beings. Well there's that, get 'em up folks, and let's go whip something for the Kingdom!

What About You Dad, Are You Causing Your Family To Sin?

I was reading in my Bible this morning in the book of 1 Kings and saw something in verse 26 that while I have read numerous times, the Holy Spirit brought out a level of meaning that I had not seen before. It says: "He (The current King of Israel.) did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the ways of his father and committing the same sin his father had caused Israel to commit."

The thought came to me that a king can cause his subjects to sin, and a father can also lead his family to sin. Now let me tell you, that made me sit up and take notice. I've been on this journey of discovering what a true authentic man of God is for quite some time now, and today I think I've put another piece of the puzzle into place. I don't have a complete picture yet, but it is coming more and more into focus all the time.

As fathers, we lead our families in the way that God wants us to go, if we are doing it correctly. This can be a little bit overwhelming if we will let it however. And the reason that it can become overwhelming is if in fact we are trying to do this on our own. The more we lean on our own understanding of things, the more we will become stressed when things get tough. You see, we were never made to figure everything out on our own. If that were the case, then why did God say that if we lacked wisdom we should ask Him for some? (James 1:5)

What I think is one of the biggest problems that men have, is this tendency to isolate themselves and think that they should be able to handle any situation that comes along. Then when they fail (And eventually, they will.) that failure sends them into a downward spiral that causes them to go even more into isolation and the failures come even faster.

We were never meant to do this alone, and when we do, the leading of our families goes awry and they begin to do things on their own. We, as men, are the source for all the needs our families have. Our source as men, is God. So when our family has a need they bring it to us, and we in turn bring it to the Father, and He supplies our need so that we can supply theirs. If we are alone in this, then we have no source, and when our family brings their need to us, our supply gets depleted and we fall into sin.

By our example, our family then falls into sin as well, and before you know it, you have led your family into sin, just as some of the kings in the Bible led Israel astray and after other gods. It's insidious, and something that the enemy has been using for a very long time. Remember, there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

What we as men have to do, is to lean more and more on the Holy Spirit as our helper, asking God to reveal to us what our next step is. We need to let our families see us pray, and ask for help. We need to let them see where our help comes from, and in doing so they will begin to have faith to seek His help as well. Fathers are responsible to teach their children about God, this does not mean you have to have a set devotion time every day. (Something that is terribly difficult in our fast paced world nowadays.)

Just make the most of all the time you have with your children. Teach them Scripture as you drive to sporting events, have them read a passage from the Bible as you're driving them to school, or to a friend's house. Pray together (And keep it short.), ask them what they are needing from the Lord and agree with them about it. Most of all however, as fathers let your kids see that you love your bride, kiss her, hug her and make a game out of grossing your kids out with your affection.

Men, we don't have to lead our families into sin, if we will keep ourselves centered on what we are supposed to do, be humble to ask God for help and be transparent with our brides and kids, they will be transformed into what they are supposed to be for God. So men, get 'em up and let's go lead our families into the Kingdom!