Thank the Lord!

March 25, 2016 6:32 am Comments Off on Thank the Lord!

Have you ever been in a situation that is extremely difficult to thank God for? Do you ever find it hard to give thanks in everything? The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” There are a lot of situations in life that are hard to face. Facing them with a grateful heart can be even harder. Here are three obstacles to having a grateful heart.

One of the first obstacles is our pride. This is the attitude that says, “Nobody ever gave me anything, I worked hard for everything I have. I have made it through life without the help of anybody.” With this kind of attitude, we feel that we have no one to thank but ourselves. It is apparent that we fail to recognize that if it wasn’t for the grace, strength, and ability that God has granted us we would not even be alive. God uses people on our journey to come up alongside of us and help us through things.

Another obstacle that keeps us from having a thankful heart is a critical spirit or constant complaining. Instead of being grateful, this person will always find something to complain about. It is like we are on a fault finding mission and we are always picking everything apart and nothing is ever good enough. Have you ever met a “chronic griper?” Like the man that had a piece of rotten cheese hung in his mustache and thought the whole world stunk. Everything stinks and nothing is right. A lady known as an incurable grumbler constantly complained about everything. At last her preacher found out that her potato crop was very good that year so he wanted to compliment her regarding a good crop. He felt like that would make her happy so when he met her, he said to her with a beaming smile, “You must be very happy, Mary about your healthy potato crop this year.” Mary replied by saying, “yes it is a very good crop and I have a lot of healthy potatoes but what am I going to do when I need bad ones to feed the pigs.” Like this lady, some people see nothing but the bad in everything.

A third attitude that keeps us from being grateful is carelessness. Someone once said that if the stars only came out once a year, we would stay up all night to watch them. But they are there every night and we have grown accustomed to them. We have a tendency to take things for granted, especially the things that are always there.

Are you so sold on yourself and your ability and accomplishments that the only person that you think about in life is you? Are you thankful for others, and you have come to the place in life that you recognize that if it wasn’t for God and people, you would not be where you are today?

The Israelites grumbled constantly because they had no food so God miraculously sent manna to cover the ground each day except the Sabbath day. Then they started to complain because they got tired of the same thing every day. Eventually, God was displeased with their ungrateful attitude and sent leanness to their souls because they were never satisfied.

May we always be appreciative of the great things that God provides and the things that he does for us daily. Being grateful is an attitude that we should exercise on a daily basis. Would you begin today to bless someone by showing gratitude to them for something they have done for you? Would you commit yourself to giving God praise for ALL He provides? Remember, “thanksgiving leads to thanksliving.”

Bro. Terry

May We Pray!

6:13 am Comments Off on May We Pray!

Here we are in 2016, the year of a Presidential Election. Our pursuit of a new President has turned from seeking a man of integrity and character to watching grown men who act like spoiled brats slinging mud at each other. Same sex marriage and marijuana have been legalized in many states. Crime and murder are running rampant. Terrorism attacks are an every day occurrence. Our country has moved so far away from God’s intent. We are seeing 2 Tim 3:1-5 being lived out in front of us. The scripture says, “. . . this know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” If there was ever a “prime time” for change to come to our country it is now.

Vance Havner in his book entitled, The Secret of Christian Joy stated that “the greatest need of America is an old-fashioned, heaven-sent God-ordained revival. Throughout the history of the Church, when the clouds have hung the lowest, when sin has seemed the blackest and faith has been at its weakest, there have always been a faithful few who have not sold out to the devil nor bowed the knee to Baal, who feared the Lord and thought upon His Name and have not forsaken the assembling of themselves together. These have besought the Lord to revive His work in the midst of the years, and in the midst of the fears and tears, and in wrath to remember mercy. God has always answered such supplication, filling each heart with His love, rekindling each soul with fire from above.

Certainly it is high time that we prayed once more: “Wilt thou not revive us again, that thy people may rejoice in thee?” America has been a land of revivals. It was conceived in revival. Its foundations were laid by men who came out of the Puritan and Pietist revivals in England and on the continent. In those early days, when hardship gave way to prosperity and men drifted away from God, the faithful few besought heaven and God sent the Great Awakening through the terrific preaching of Jonathan Edwards and the evangelism of George Whitfield. Spirituality flourished, the churches filled, and there was a preacher for every two thousand of our three million people.”

It is time for God’s people to get back to what works and to step up and begin to do what God intended for us to do. He says in His word in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” We must begin to seek him for a mighty moving of His Spirit. A revival is a work of God not a work of man; however, every great moving of God can always be traced back to a kneeling figure. God has always had a remnant that saw the need to be a seeker of His face. Vance Havner added, “Revival is a supernatural work, but the fact that men have prayed for revival and received it proves that God will turn to His people in answer to fervent, effectual prayer.”

We need to go from small sentence prayers to times of prevailing in prayer as we pray according to Lamentations 5:21, “Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.”

Bro. Terry

Where to Turn in Time of Need

5:54 am Comments Off on Where to Turn in Time of Need

Where do we turn in the time of need? Psalm 25 was written sometime during the period of Absalom’s rebellion. The underlying theme of this Psalm is guidance. David’s circumstances are dire but he realizes that his only hope is to turn to God for protection and direction. Abraham Lincoln once said, “I have often been driven to God by the overwhelming sense that I had nowhere else to turn.”

There are times in life when we are surrounded by troubles on every hand. David was surrounded by his enemies. They hated him, they laid traps for him, and they wanted him to fail.

It has well been said, “When the outlook is bleak, try the uplook.” Out of desperation David flung himself on the mercy of God. He was facing a life threatening situation that needed a God-sized intervention. Life can be extremely difficult at times and you might not be able to see the victory that God has for you in midst of the trial.

Sometimes the problem is that we are looking in so many other directions or we are living life to the fullest and God is not part of the equation. Life has a way of helping us to get the right perspective and get our focus back where it needs to be. David was at that place were God had his attention and he was willing to look at his life objectively and make the proper changes.

In verses 4 and 5 David desires to learn from his circumstances. Someone said, “A mind too proud to learn is not fit to be taught of God.” David has realized he is not in a proper state of mind to trust himself. He has been here before and knows what will happen if he looks within himself to try to find the wisdom to get himself out of this mess.

I think there are three basic things that we must to do in order to walk in the victory that God has for us. First, we must release ourselves to God in open confession that we desperately need His help. You must admit exactly where you are in life. David was quick to admit that he had failed in life. He went clear back to the days of his youth and in several verses he acknowledges the vastness and depth of his sin.

Secondly, we must rely upon God and His Word. In Proverbs 3:5-6 the scripture says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” It has been said, “The more you know God’s Word the better you will know God.” That is so true. How can we know His will if we don’t know Him?

Thirdly, we must be ready to follow as God leads. Wherever He leads we must be willing to follow. In verse 14 God gives us some keen insight into knowing and doing the will of God. He says, “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.” I truly believe if you and I will walk in the fear of the Lord and keep our relationship were it needs to be with the Lord, God will pull us aside and let us in on what His plans are. He will give us the guidance that we need.

David closed out this passage in verse 21 by stressing the importance of walking in righteousness and integrity. He understood that “the steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord.” If you and I will maintain our relationship with the Lord, God will go before us giving us the direction and the protection that we need. Where are you in life today? Are there some immediate steps that you need to take in order to get back to where you need to be?

Bro. Terry