Read:
Acts 2:37,38
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Throughout the years, I have met many that claimed that they have been saved but there was no mark whatsoever of there conversion. They would say, "I have been baptized when I was a child, or they would tell me that they said a prayer and shook the preachers hand after the service." Now there are true born again Christians that may be lacking in spiritual growth. I'm not talking about this subject. I'm talking about someone that has no remorse whatsoever for sins or things that we know as Christians to be morally wrong. It is something on the inside of us that tells us that this or that is definitely wrong. I had a young guy that was working for me when I was a manager at a grocery retail store tell me that he goes all of the time and has his girlfriends get an abortion when they had an accident. I asked him, "Being that you are saved like you say you are, do you think that this is wrong?" He would tell me that he don't think that it is wrong, I'm still saved though. Then I would pull him aside and give him a foundation of repentance. Sometimes they were cut to the heart when I would explain to them that the Lordship of Jesus will bring you to a place of total surrender to God, and that means making Him the Lord of your life. There is a change in you when you get born again. I would encounter this situation time and time again in the secular world. Another story that comes to my mind is when a famous athlete claimed that he was a Christian, but would party and do unethical things in his life. He had no remorse for them, but said, "Yea! I'm a Christian. Many would be confused because they didn't see a change in him. One day, a minister who was once famous in sports confronted this young man. He looked straight through his eyes and asked, "So, are you a Christian like every one says you are?" He answered, "No man! I just say that I am. It's kinda cool huh? That minister looked straight through his eyes and said, "You might as well take that cross necklace off of your neck and swallow it, because maybe it will get in your heart and do you some good!" Now I wouldn't advise that you do this unless you really felt led, because he was a big boy and would probably pound someone's head in that wasn't led by God. But this minister was led by God to bring him to a place of true repentance. He was cut to the heart that day, and now he is on there ministry team and touches many lives with gospel. If it wasn't for someone to have a little guts and confront this young man, he would have been lost in his sins on his way to hell. Thank God for God's grace though. You see friend, you can have a big bible on your coffee table, have a necklace cross around your neck, or a bumper sticker on the back of your car. But if your heart isn't really changed, then you haven't been born again. You can raise your hands and sing He is Lord, He is Lord all you want to, but unless you truly repented then you are lost. I'm not talking about struggles we all face being Christians. I live a life of repentance daily, and repentance isn't condemning to the Christian, but the lost sinner is condemned already because he or she hasn't really come to that place of repentance. I want to ask you today, "Do you know the Lord, or are you just going through the motions? You really don't feel a change at all within you, and you just maybe raised your right hand with nobody looking. You shook the preachers hand and boom! your saved. I'm not saying that there haven't been some that have been saved that way. I'm talking about those who do it because there friends did it and they feel like it's the right thing to do. They do it because maybe there mom and dad forced them to. Ask Jesus in your heart right now and repent.
Prayer:
Lord, I ask that you will forgive me today. I need you Lord to change me and make me new in you. I repent and believe in your resurrection. I believe that you died for me on that cross, and I believe that I am saved in Jesus name. Lord, I am saved but need to get closer to you in my walk. Forgive me Lord of any sins in my life, and help me Lord to walk in your Spirit, Amen.
by Keith Edwards
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
From Holes To Holiness June 18th Devotional
Read:
Philippians 1:6
6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
I can remember one night going to work at the school we cleaned for from our cleaning business. Everything seemed to be going right on schedule. As I walked in I notice a leak in the kitchen of the school, and water was coming from a pipe behind the dishwasher. Water began to leak under the walls and onto the carpet in the teachers lounge. I began to go crazy. I ran to the main breaker room and started turning off the breaker for the water. I turned off the hot water heater as well but nothing seemed to work. I began to try and tape the pipe, but every time that I would plug one hole another hole would appear etc. I was going nuts. I finally got a hold of the owner. He came running in there going crazy as well. He ran down one end while I ran down the other. You should of seen us. He got a hold of one of the guys that knew what to do. It ended up being one small lever that you had to pull. We would have never known without the direction of this one small step. Do you have holes in your life today. Maybe you have never been born again and no matter how many holes you plug, another one appears. you may become successful, but you still feel empty inside. You become healthy conscience, but it seems like no matter how many holes of life you try and plug up, there is still that feeling of emptiness. You can go from holes to holiness today by looking to Jesus in salvation. But then there are times as Christians when we have holes as well. We see this in the life of Job, Joseph, and the life of Paul. They were doing everything right in God's eyes but they began to see holes in there life. Job lost everything he had, and no matter how hard he prayed other holes would appear. Job focused on God and got everything restored to him again. Then there is Joseph. He gets thrown in a pit, almost murdered, sold into slavery, and accused of rape. He eventually became Pharaoh. Then we see Paul. He would start one church and see holes of doctrinal error sometimes pop up in the church and would have to address it. He would plug that hole to find another hole and on and on it goes. We can either go from holes to holiness by repentance and asking Jesus to be Lord of our life in salvation, or go from holes to holiness by focusing on Jesus with the holes that may be around you, and realize that God is in control of your life. He will complete the work by His holiness in you. Just remember that as a Christian we don't have to let the holes that pop up in our life to be who we really are. We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. We are more than conquerors through the blood of Jesus. We don't have to let problems and trials define us, but we can let them mold us and shape us. When we begin to allow God to heal us in different areas as Christians, holes that are deep within our soul will appear. This could be a memory from the past, an emotional thing, or it could be a thought pattern that needs to be changed. We need to let the holiness of God plug up those holes, and let Him do His perfect work in our lives. But sometimes we just cover the holes in our life with spiritual bandages and they are never really dealt with By God's holiness. We make holes in our life as a Christian by the lack of knowledge of who we really are in Christ Jesus and the blood of Christ that has covered us. We just patch it up as if the hole is no longer there, but sooner or later that emptiness inside you will begin to surface once more. I can remember being a manager at a grocery retail store for about eight years. We had this one supervisor who didn't like holes in your department at all. I can remember several times coming in and finding holes from poultry being low, lunchmeat truck not coming in, and other low places all in my department, either by someone calling in, or problems with the truck that was supposed to show up etc. Then I hear those words you don't want to hear coming from the store manager. "He's coming!" Man! you should of seen all of us scattering around that store trying to get those holes plugged up somehow. It was like ground zero. I'd be spreading out, filling in, doing everything I could to get those holes covered. However, they were never filled in the right way. I just had to do something to get us through. Eventually we couldn't plug the holes up anymore, so the truth of what was really there showed up. You see friend, God in His infinite grace and mercy can fill in your life the right way by the right thing. His Holiness and grace can fill you with the healing you may need, or the financial need you may have need of, or whatever you may have need of today. God is there for you. Are you facing some holes in your life as a Christian? You can go from holes to holiness today in your walk with the Lord. Our focus in the middle of situations can be so powerful. You can call on the Lord Jesus in your situation, and He will carry you through.
prayer:
Lord we come to you now and ask for your forgiveness. We ask that you will forgive us for not keeping our focus on you through all of the holes in our life. It can be you pruning us, or it can be holes that we brought upon ourselves that we face today. Lord let your presence so fill our lives today, and let us go from holes to holiness, Amen.
by Keith Edwards
Philippians 1:6
6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
I can remember one night going to work at the school we cleaned for from our cleaning business. Everything seemed to be going right on schedule. As I walked in I notice a leak in the kitchen of the school, and water was coming from a pipe behind the dishwasher. Water began to leak under the walls and onto the carpet in the teachers lounge. I began to go crazy. I ran to the main breaker room and started turning off the breaker for the water. I turned off the hot water heater as well but nothing seemed to work. I began to try and tape the pipe, but every time that I would plug one hole another hole would appear etc. I was going nuts. I finally got a hold of the owner. He came running in there going crazy as well. He ran down one end while I ran down the other. You should of seen us. He got a hold of one of the guys that knew what to do. It ended up being one small lever that you had to pull. We would have never known without the direction of this one small step. Do you have holes in your life today. Maybe you have never been born again and no matter how many holes you plug, another one appears. you may become successful, but you still feel empty inside. You become healthy conscience, but it seems like no matter how many holes of life you try and plug up, there is still that feeling of emptiness. You can go from holes to holiness today by looking to Jesus in salvation. But then there are times as Christians when we have holes as well. We see this in the life of Job, Joseph, and the life of Paul. They were doing everything right in God's eyes but they began to see holes in there life. Job lost everything he had, and no matter how hard he prayed other holes would appear. Job focused on God and got everything restored to him again. Then there is Joseph. He gets thrown in a pit, almost murdered, sold into slavery, and accused of rape. He eventually became Pharaoh. Then we see Paul. He would start one church and see holes of doctrinal error sometimes pop up in the church and would have to address it. He would plug that hole to find another hole and on and on it goes. We can either go from holes to holiness by repentance and asking Jesus to be Lord of our life in salvation, or go from holes to holiness by focusing on Jesus with the holes that may be around you, and realize that God is in control of your life. He will complete the work by His holiness in you. Just remember that as a Christian we don't have to let the holes that pop up in our life to be who we really are. We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. We are more than conquerors through the blood of Jesus. We don't have to let problems and trials define us, but we can let them mold us and shape us. When we begin to allow God to heal us in different areas as Christians, holes that are deep within our soul will appear. This could be a memory from the past, an emotional thing, or it could be a thought pattern that needs to be changed. We need to let the holiness of God plug up those holes, and let Him do His perfect work in our lives. But sometimes we just cover the holes in our life with spiritual bandages and they are never really dealt with By God's holiness. We make holes in our life as a Christian by the lack of knowledge of who we really are in Christ Jesus and the blood of Christ that has covered us. We just patch it up as if the hole is no longer there, but sooner or later that emptiness inside you will begin to surface once more. I can remember being a manager at a grocery retail store for about eight years. We had this one supervisor who didn't like holes in your department at all. I can remember several times coming in and finding holes from poultry being low, lunchmeat truck not coming in, and other low places all in my department, either by someone calling in, or problems with the truck that was supposed to show up etc. Then I hear those words you don't want to hear coming from the store manager. "He's coming!" Man! you should of seen all of us scattering around that store trying to get those holes plugged up somehow. It was like ground zero. I'd be spreading out, filling in, doing everything I could to get those holes covered. However, they were never filled in the right way. I just had to do something to get us through. Eventually we couldn't plug the holes up anymore, so the truth of what was really there showed up. You see friend, God in His infinite grace and mercy can fill in your life the right way by the right thing. His Holiness and grace can fill you with the healing you may need, or the financial need you may have need of, or whatever you may have need of today. God is there for you. Are you facing some holes in your life as a Christian? You can go from holes to holiness today in your walk with the Lord. Our focus in the middle of situations can be so powerful. You can call on the Lord Jesus in your situation, and He will carry you through.
prayer:
Lord we come to you now and ask for your forgiveness. We ask that you will forgive us for not keeping our focus on you through all of the holes in our life. It can be you pruning us, or it can be holes that we brought upon ourselves that we face today. Lord let your presence so fill our lives today, and let us go from holes to holiness, Amen.
by Keith Edwards
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Take My Life Lord June 16th devotional by Sandy Groom & Keith Edwards
Scripture Reading: I Kings 18-19
“And the word of the Lord came to him: ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He replied, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your alters, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.’ The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by. Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He replied, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your alters, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too. The Lord said to him, ‘Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get theire, anoint Hazael King over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.” I Kings 19: 9b-18
Elijah had lots of time to think as he walked alone to Mount Horeb. Forty long days to think about being alone, about all that happened on Mount Carmel, and the threat Queen Jezebel put on his life! He likely spent a great deal of time contemplating his meeting with the Lord; probably rehearsing what he would say. Elijah seemed to forget what just happened on Mount Carmel. He saw the Lord consume the alter with fire. He saw many Israelites turn their hearts to the Lord on Mount Carmel in one day. He seemed to forget the amazing revival that occurred as people cried out “The Lord—he is God! (I Kings 18:39). He even heard Obadiah talk about the 100 prophets kept safely hidden in caves. Yet his mind was fixated on being alone, and he started to believe he was the only prophet of God left on earth. We all have times in our lives where we perseverate (get stuck on a thought or idea) on things that are not true. These incorrect thoughts caused Elijah emotional distress, just as it does in our lives. Just like Elijah, we can cry out to the Lord with our misguided beliefs, and he will completely love us. He will also show us what is true.Although Elijah’s thoughts mislead him, he eagerly shared his beliefs with the Lord. God did not rebuke him. He did not speak to Elijah through a destructive wind, earthquake or fire. Instead, he came in a gentle whisper. In a still small voice the Lord asked him again why he was there, giving Elijah another opportunity to cry out with his concerns and thoughts. Again Elijah shared with the Lord about being alone.
The Lord did not scold Elijah for forgetting so quickly what took place at Carmel. He did not tell Elijah to stop feeling sorry for himself, or stop dwelling on the negative. Instead, God lovingly gave Elijah a task and a purpose. The Lord exchanged his loneliness and despair with a plan that involved interaction and fellowship with others. And the Lord corrected his mistaken beliefs by telling him “Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.” Are there thoughts that trouble you or bring you increased pain. Ask the Lord to show you his perspective. You may be feeling lonely, sad, depressed, or anxious. The physical pain may seem never-ending, it may even feel unbearable. You can pour your heart, thoughts, and beliefs out to the Lord. He will hear you. He will wrap his love around you and show you his truths. Allow the Lord to speak to you through his word and his gentle whisper. We all have an inner dialogue, called self-talk, going on inside us throughout the day. Often times we speak to ourselves in negative and hurtful ways. I encourage you to notice your inner self-talk, and ask the Lord to cleanse you from those hurtful thoughts and a negative view of yourself. Ask the Lord to replace any destructive thoughts with his perspective and love. He loves you so much that he sings over you with delight and rejoicing. Allow him to turn your self-hate into self-love. Not a selfish, me-first kind of love, but a love that honors, appreciates, and is kind to your-self. A love that accepts and absorbs God’s incredible love for you. Allow the Lord to take your life, your emotions, your thoughts, and mold them into his loving image. Here I am Lord, take me; take all of me. Cleanse me, heal me, mold me, use me.
Comment by Keith Edwards:
There are times in our Christian walk, as Sandy has mentioned, that we find ourselves like Elijah hiding in a cave. We want God to explain things to us, why this? and why that? but God wants us to have faith in the fact that we don't have to understand everything about God to walk in His Spirit. God does reveal reasons for different things that go on in our life, but we may have to just trust God in certain areas, and remember, there are others who haven't bowed their knee to the enemy.
Prayer:
Father God, I pour my heart out to you. You know all my anxious thoughts, my mistaken beliefs, and my misunderstandings. Father God, please forgive my self-destructive thinking, please cleanse my mind and give me your perspective. “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” Lord. Please exchange my negativity for your love, my hurtful ways with your kind, gentle ways. Take my life Lord; my heart, my strength, and my mind. Make me, mold me, create me into the loving person you desire for me to be. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
“And the word of the Lord came to him: ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He replied, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your alters, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.’ The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by. Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He replied, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your alters, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too. The Lord said to him, ‘Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get theire, anoint Hazael King over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.” I Kings 19: 9b-18
Elijah had lots of time to think as he walked alone to Mount Horeb. Forty long days to think about being alone, about all that happened on Mount Carmel, and the threat Queen Jezebel put on his life! He likely spent a great deal of time contemplating his meeting with the Lord; probably rehearsing what he would say. Elijah seemed to forget what just happened on Mount Carmel. He saw the Lord consume the alter with fire. He saw many Israelites turn their hearts to the Lord on Mount Carmel in one day. He seemed to forget the amazing revival that occurred as people cried out “The Lord—he is God! (I Kings 18:39). He even heard Obadiah talk about the 100 prophets kept safely hidden in caves. Yet his mind was fixated on being alone, and he started to believe he was the only prophet of God left on earth. We all have times in our lives where we perseverate (get stuck on a thought or idea) on things that are not true. These incorrect thoughts caused Elijah emotional distress, just as it does in our lives. Just like Elijah, we can cry out to the Lord with our misguided beliefs, and he will completely love us. He will also show us what is true.Although Elijah’s thoughts mislead him, he eagerly shared his beliefs with the Lord. God did not rebuke him. He did not speak to Elijah through a destructive wind, earthquake or fire. Instead, he came in a gentle whisper. In a still small voice the Lord asked him again why he was there, giving Elijah another opportunity to cry out with his concerns and thoughts. Again Elijah shared with the Lord about being alone.
The Lord did not scold Elijah for forgetting so quickly what took place at Carmel. He did not tell Elijah to stop feeling sorry for himself, or stop dwelling on the negative. Instead, God lovingly gave Elijah a task and a purpose. The Lord exchanged his loneliness and despair with a plan that involved interaction and fellowship with others. And the Lord corrected his mistaken beliefs by telling him “Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.” Are there thoughts that trouble you or bring you increased pain. Ask the Lord to show you his perspective. You may be feeling lonely, sad, depressed, or anxious. The physical pain may seem never-ending, it may even feel unbearable. You can pour your heart, thoughts, and beliefs out to the Lord. He will hear you. He will wrap his love around you and show you his truths. Allow the Lord to speak to you through his word and his gentle whisper. We all have an inner dialogue, called self-talk, going on inside us throughout the day. Often times we speak to ourselves in negative and hurtful ways. I encourage you to notice your inner self-talk, and ask the Lord to cleanse you from those hurtful thoughts and a negative view of yourself. Ask the Lord to replace any destructive thoughts with his perspective and love. He loves you so much that he sings over you with delight and rejoicing. Allow him to turn your self-hate into self-love. Not a selfish, me-first kind of love, but a love that honors, appreciates, and is kind to your-self. A love that accepts and absorbs God’s incredible love for you. Allow the Lord to take your life, your emotions, your thoughts, and mold them into his loving image. Here I am Lord, take me; take all of me. Cleanse me, heal me, mold me, use me.
Comment by Keith Edwards:
There are times in our Christian walk, as Sandy has mentioned, that we find ourselves like Elijah hiding in a cave. We want God to explain things to us, why this? and why that? but God wants us to have faith in the fact that we don't have to understand everything about God to walk in His Spirit. God does reveal reasons for different things that go on in our life, but we may have to just trust God in certain areas, and remember, there are others who haven't bowed their knee to the enemy.
Prayer:
Father God, I pour my heart out to you. You know all my anxious thoughts, my mistaken beliefs, and my misunderstandings. Father God, please forgive my self-destructive thinking, please cleanse my mind and give me your perspective. “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” Lord. Please exchange my negativity for your love, my hurtful ways with your kind, gentle ways. Take my life Lord; my heart, my strength, and my mind. Make me, mold me, create me into the loving person you desire for me to be. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
June 15th Devotional
Read:
6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
A lady asked a silversmith one time, "Do you just let the silver become refined on it's own?" The silversmith said absolutely not. I have to keep a fixed eye upon it at all times to make sure that it comes out alright. Before the lady could walk out the door, the silversmith said, "Oh! and one more thing I forgot to tell you." You know when it is ready because you can see a clear reflection of yourself in it. God is at work in us sometimes when we may not even know it. We may think it is something else or just your own imagination, but friend it could be God. I want to share just a little testimony of this gold and silver stuff. As a worship leader, I pray to God that I may seek His face. A wise man of god told me one time, "Son be careful when you pray that prayer, and get ready." I didn't know exactly what he meant until things started happening that I can't even explain. All along I was trying to find out what it was. Why was I feeling certain pains within my soul? One night I was at my job listening to some worship music. My wife and I owns our own business, so I was all alone in the middle of the morning working. The Holy Spirit came to where I was at and I began to break down crying from the presence of the Lord. I got down on my knees and began to pray. I said Lord what is this. I feel something on the inside of me breaking into pieces. He said, "Son I'm healing you of things. I've tried your faith in some areas and you have been going through my fire and been tried. Now the dross from the gold is beginning to come out." Just let me do a work in you. You see my friend, growth is part of that refining. I felt like the Lord was saying to me, "Don't drown in the dross, but let my perfect work heal you, mend you, mold you, and make you into the christian that I called you to. this is the sanctifying work of grace in our lives that flows through us. I've known many powerful minister's in full-time ministries that had something that God needed to pull out of them. No christian is exempt from God's refining. But the joy in being able to reflect Christ Jesus to others is such a great joy. You see, when God is done with us in a certain area through that refining, He can see a reflection of Himself from us. Oh that we might decrease so He can increase. We need to be living epistles to those around us. Are you going through something that you can't explain right now? It very well could be God taking out and putting in. Just let Him touch you today by His spirit. Open yourself to His healing hands. The faster we let God do what He needs to do in us in certain areas, the faster we can move on to whatever else He wants to do in our lives, and just remember that God used Peter even in the middle of alot of refining. The things God may need to restore may be something that we brought upon ourselves, but God can forgive us and turn any situation around in our lives.
prayer:
Lord we come to you with our arms open wide. We don't know why we face certain things in our life Lord, but we know that it's all for your glory. We seek your face today and not just your hand. We want to be more like you, and we want to have a heart of true worship to you everyday. Amen
6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
A lady asked a silversmith one time, "Do you just let the silver become refined on it's own?" The silversmith said absolutely not. I have to keep a fixed eye upon it at all times to make sure that it comes out alright. Before the lady could walk out the door, the silversmith said, "Oh! and one more thing I forgot to tell you." You know when it is ready because you can see a clear reflection of yourself in it. God is at work in us sometimes when we may not even know it. We may think it is something else or just your own imagination, but friend it could be God. I want to share just a little testimony of this gold and silver stuff. As a worship leader, I pray to God that I may seek His face. A wise man of god told me one time, "Son be careful when you pray that prayer, and get ready." I didn't know exactly what he meant until things started happening that I can't even explain. All along I was trying to find out what it was. Why was I feeling certain pains within my soul? One night I was at my job listening to some worship music. My wife and I owns our own business, so I was all alone in the middle of the morning working. The Holy Spirit came to where I was at and I began to break down crying from the presence of the Lord. I got down on my knees and began to pray. I said Lord what is this. I feel something on the inside of me breaking into pieces. He said, "Son I'm healing you of things. I've tried your faith in some areas and you have been going through my fire and been tried. Now the dross from the gold is beginning to come out." Just let me do a work in you. You see my friend, growth is part of that refining. I felt like the Lord was saying to me, "Don't drown in the dross, but let my perfect work heal you, mend you, mold you, and make you into the christian that I called you to. this is the sanctifying work of grace in our lives that flows through us. I've known many powerful minister's in full-time ministries that had something that God needed to pull out of them. No christian is exempt from God's refining. But the joy in being able to reflect Christ Jesus to others is such a great joy. You see, when God is done with us in a certain area through that refining, He can see a reflection of Himself from us. Oh that we might decrease so He can increase. We need to be living epistles to those around us. Are you going through something that you can't explain right now? It very well could be God taking out and putting in. Just let Him touch you today by His spirit. Open yourself to His healing hands. The faster we let God do what He needs to do in us in certain areas, the faster we can move on to whatever else He wants to do in our lives, and just remember that God used Peter even in the middle of alot of refining. The things God may need to restore may be something that we brought upon ourselves, but God can forgive us and turn any situation around in our lives.
prayer:
Lord we come to you with our arms open wide. We don't know why we face certain things in our life Lord, but we know that it's all for your glory. We seek your face today and not just your hand. We want to be more like you, and we want to have a heart of true worship to you everyday. Amen
Monday, June 14, 2010
Two Opinions: I will and I Am June 14 th Devotional
Read:
1 Kings 18
In I Kings 18, Elijah asked the wavering Israelites "How long halt ye between two opinions". There are in this world basically only two opinions. Throughout the Bible, one can see as well that there have only been two systems of worship (the worship of God and the worship of devils), two groups of people (covenant or non-covenant people) and two wills (God's and Satan's). So once again, even though there are many different thoughts and theories, feelings and fancies, all of those will come under one of two all-inclusive opinions that can be summed up in the phrases "I WILL" and "I AM".
The angel Lucifer said in Isaiah 14:13,14 "I WILL" five different times, each time setting his will was against the Lord's will. It represents the inclination to have or to be something independent of the plan and provision of God. However, in Exodus 3:14, God introduces Himself to Moses three times as "I AM". Satan and the nature of Satan says defiantly "I WILL"; but God simply says "I AM"!
The original issue in I Kings 18 was not about the outright taking of one of these two opinions: it was rather about the people of God "halting" between these two opinions...wanting "I WILL" and "I AM" at the same time. But oil and water do not mix...and "I WILL" and "I AM" will not mix either! Just listen to the strength in both opinions: "I WILL" with the strength of self-confidence and self-reliance and then "I AM" with the power of eternity (Psalm 90:2 "From everlasting to everlasting THOU ART God")! Satan and his children have to "will" to become anything - but God just IS! The first Adam had to struggle and toil for life; but the Last Adam simply said "I AM life" (John 14:6)!
Let us all consider that life truly is a yoke (Matthew 11:29,30); and that there is no such thing as purely independent life - we are either yoked up with God or with the devil! And the easy one is God's yoke, where we do not have to try so hard to "will" Christ-likeness but we can rather simply BE Christ-like by yielding to the Spirit of Christ within - JUST WALK IN THE SPIRIT!
NO MORE HALTING, FELLOW BELIEVER! Abandon "I WILL" and rest in "I AM"!
Comment by Keith Edwards:
This is a good devotion about us letting God have His perfect work in us and through us. So many times we find ourselves praying, "God, I give you all, but let me show you how I want to give you all." Lord, guide me by Your Spirit, but let me show you how I want you to guide me. It's all about Jesus, and he can step across boundaries to get your destiny He has for you accomplished. I want to encourage you today to realize that it's all about Him.
Prayer:
Lord, we come to you in your mighty name that you will have Your perfect work done in our life. Help us to trust you as we go through life's stuggles, and help us to trust you more, Amen.
by Joel Hawkins and Keith Edwards
1 Kings 18
In I Kings 18, Elijah asked the wavering Israelites "How long halt ye between two opinions". There are in this world basically only two opinions. Throughout the Bible, one can see as well that there have only been two systems of worship (the worship of God and the worship of devils), two groups of people (covenant or non-covenant people) and two wills (God's and Satan's). So once again, even though there are many different thoughts and theories, feelings and fancies, all of those will come under one of two all-inclusive opinions that can be summed up in the phrases "I WILL" and "I AM".
The angel Lucifer said in Isaiah 14:13,14 "I WILL" five different times, each time setting his will was against the Lord's will. It represents the inclination to have or to be something independent of the plan and provision of God. However, in Exodus 3:14, God introduces Himself to Moses three times as "I AM". Satan and the nature of Satan says defiantly "I WILL"; but God simply says "I AM"!
The original issue in I Kings 18 was not about the outright taking of one of these two opinions: it was rather about the people of God "halting" between these two opinions...wanting "I WILL" and "I AM" at the same time. But oil and water do not mix...and "I WILL" and "I AM" will not mix either! Just listen to the strength in both opinions: "I WILL" with the strength of self-confidence and self-reliance and then "I AM" with the power of eternity (Psalm 90:2 "From everlasting to everlasting THOU ART God")! Satan and his children have to "will" to become anything - but God just IS! The first Adam had to struggle and toil for life; but the Last Adam simply said "I AM life" (John 14:6)!
Let us all consider that life truly is a yoke (Matthew 11:29,30); and that there is no such thing as purely independent life - we are either yoked up with God or with the devil! And the easy one is God's yoke, where we do not have to try so hard to "will" Christ-likeness but we can rather simply BE Christ-like by yielding to the Spirit of Christ within - JUST WALK IN THE SPIRIT!
NO MORE HALTING, FELLOW BELIEVER! Abandon "I WILL" and rest in "I AM"!
Comment by Keith Edwards:
This is a good devotion about us letting God have His perfect work in us and through us. So many times we find ourselves praying, "God, I give you all, but let me show you how I want to give you all." Lord, guide me by Your Spirit, but let me show you how I want you to guide me. It's all about Jesus, and he can step across boundaries to get your destiny He has for you accomplished. I want to encourage you today to realize that it's all about Him.
Prayer:
Lord, we come to you in your mighty name that you will have Your perfect work done in our life. Help us to trust you as we go through life's stuggles, and help us to trust you more, Amen.
by Joel Hawkins and Keith Edwards
Sunday, June 13, 2010
June 13th Devotional
Read:
18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money
19 and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
One day one of my employees who never went to church asked me, " how much do you have to pay in the offering plate to become a member?" I chuckled a little because I thought he was joking. To my surprise he was serious. He honestly thought that the church was like a membership to a health club. I'm not putting him down at all, because most non believers believe this. They see all of the seed screaming and finger prying from some television channels and other places, and they get a false perspective of the real gospel. I told him that you don't have to pay a dime to come to church. I did tell him that my wife and I do believe in tithing and offerings to the church, and if the church is doing what they supposed to be doing, the poor, widows, missions, and a reasonable payroll to the staff will be pure and real. It's a shame that many really believe that you have to pay to be a member as if it was some kind of membership package. We do need to teach about giving, but it needs to be taught the correct way. Our giving should come out of love for God instead of the feeling of it being like an electric bill. Church, this is absolutely absurd to think that many preachers impart this teaching. God is really grieved by some minister's in the church that has gotten way out of order concerning money. Preachers scream for seeds on television, and this only makes a lot of false conversions. People think that they can buy salvation or any other thing from God. They tell the people that they will give them a word from the Lord if they would just send in one-hundred dollars to so and so ministry. How much does it cost? How much do we need to tell the lost man or woman on their way to hell that it's going to cost them money instead of their life through repentance to Jesus Christ of Nazareth. When you sell all to Jesus through that repentance it will compel you to give unto the Kingdom of God. It will compel you to have a hunger for the word of God. Yes, you have to give all to the Lord, but you don't buy salvation friend. If you are a minister and are mixed with this nonsense I exhort you in the name of the Lord Jesus to repent and get out of this mess. The world sees no difference between the church and the world. We were never called "to get to the top" as a church. We were never called to build big buildings apart from the first priority of spreading the gospel and winning souls for the Lord. Politics and greed has leaked into the church, and it is flooding out the purity and holiness of God. There's nothing wrong with big buildings, but we have built big buildings and erased the reason for the church meeting in that big building. We have small churches as well who are maintaining and just barely getting by, and they to are in need of refining. It's not the building but the body of believers that makes up the church. We look for revival but can't find it. The floods of corruption has drowned any hope for a lost and dying world. I know I'm sounding a little angry about what I am talking about here, but it's time that we be the church to those living in darkness looking for light. How much does it cost? Our life to Christ!
Prayer:
Lord we ask that you will get the mixture of greed and politics out of our hearts. We repent Lord for the mess that we have gotten ourselves into. We pray that your will pour upon our hearts such a pure anointing of your spirit, and give us direction like never before. Help us to make your name attractive to that lost and dying world in the name of Jesus. Amen.
by Keith Edwards
18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money
19 and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."
One day one of my employees who never went to church asked me, " how much do you have to pay in the offering plate to become a member?" I chuckled a little because I thought he was joking. To my surprise he was serious. He honestly thought that the church was like a membership to a health club. I'm not putting him down at all, because most non believers believe this. They see all of the seed screaming and finger prying from some television channels and other places, and they get a false perspective of the real gospel. I told him that you don't have to pay a dime to come to church. I did tell him that my wife and I do believe in tithing and offerings to the church, and if the church is doing what they supposed to be doing, the poor, widows, missions, and a reasonable payroll to the staff will be pure and real. It's a shame that many really believe that you have to pay to be a member as if it was some kind of membership package. We do need to teach about giving, but it needs to be taught the correct way. Our giving should come out of love for God instead of the feeling of it being like an electric bill. Church, this is absolutely absurd to think that many preachers impart this teaching. God is really grieved by some minister's in the church that has gotten way out of order concerning money. Preachers scream for seeds on television, and this only makes a lot of false conversions. People think that they can buy salvation or any other thing from God. They tell the people that they will give them a word from the Lord if they would just send in one-hundred dollars to so and so ministry. How much does it cost? How much do we need to tell the lost man or woman on their way to hell that it's going to cost them money instead of their life through repentance to Jesus Christ of Nazareth. When you sell all to Jesus through that repentance it will compel you to give unto the Kingdom of God. It will compel you to have a hunger for the word of God. Yes, you have to give all to the Lord, but you don't buy salvation friend. If you are a minister and are mixed with this nonsense I exhort you in the name of the Lord Jesus to repent and get out of this mess. The world sees no difference between the church and the world. We were never called "to get to the top" as a church. We were never called to build big buildings apart from the first priority of spreading the gospel and winning souls for the Lord. Politics and greed has leaked into the church, and it is flooding out the purity and holiness of God. There's nothing wrong with big buildings, but we have built big buildings and erased the reason for the church meeting in that big building. We have small churches as well who are maintaining and just barely getting by, and they to are in need of refining. It's not the building but the body of believers that makes up the church. We look for revival but can't find it. The floods of corruption has drowned any hope for a lost and dying world. I know I'm sounding a little angry about what I am talking about here, but it's time that we be the church to those living in darkness looking for light. How much does it cost? Our life to Christ!
Prayer:
Lord we ask that you will get the mixture of greed and politics out of our hearts. We repent Lord for the mess that we have gotten ourselves into. We pray that your will pour upon our hearts such a pure anointing of your spirit, and give us direction like never before. Help us to make your name attractive to that lost and dying world in the name of Jesus. Amen.
by Keith Edwards
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