Character Builder or Character Destroyer

Character Builder or Character Destroyer 

Mathew 5:23-24  Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the alter and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother; then come and offer your gift.”

      WHAT! He's the one that has to come to me, I'm not going to him. Do those words sound familiar. I bet they do.

      My brother was out here in Vt. for  couple of weeks and in those couple of weeks the family had planned to spread my dad’s ashes on the mountain side per dads request. My dad would travel up on the hillside with this 'Ole Toyota land cruiser, it had the shifter on the column. He would cut firewood, listen to country music and just be out in the wilderness on that mountain. Kinda like the Walton’s, remember the Walton’s? 

      It had been a long time since I had seen my brother so I had no idea what to expect, considering the last conversation I had with him was not a good one. I have forgiven my brother for all those things that occurred in our past and have laid them down at the foot of the cross. I love my brother very much and desire the best for him. That’s what Jesus did for me, for you, for him and continues to extend His hand of grace for us all. Therefore my heart must do the same. Not an easy task but a necessary one. During that week as I shared with a dear brother in Christ, I had found out that he too was in a similar situation and knew where I was coming from. He gave good solid biblical counsel to which I embraced with much appreciation. As we ended our conversation he prayed for me, for my brother, and our family and before we hung up I said to him that I expect a miracle, whether it be here or back in California my heart was expecting a miracle. 

     I saw my brother 4 times during his stay and the two times in the middle were not good meetings. My heart was being tested and my character was being torn down and rebuilt. It could have been real easy to let what was said destroy all of what god had built in my heart. I fought back with what my heart knew to be true even though there was one point when I was second guessing what I knew. You all know who that was? UH HUH! That’s when I turned to my wonderful helpmate, my dear wife Robin. We talked, we prayed, we read the scriptures and came to this conclusion. What my beloved brother was saying was not of God. It was all evil speech, talk about being face to face with the devil. And yet as I looked deeper into my brother’s face, I began to see myself. OUCH! I was just like that once and that’s when the abundant grace of Christ came and I wept in my heart for him. I was praying for a miracle. 

    The last evening my brother was here, I had no intention of going over and seeing him. God had different plans. My youngest daughter Marissa kept bugging me to go over to see her uncle, I kept saying no. Each no that was said, broke her heart even more, the scene just a few days ago was still ringing in my ears and I couldn't take that risk of it happening again with my daughter present and that’s when it hit. Why are you being so selfish?, asked the still small voice. I knew without a shadow of a doubt what needed to be done. Galatians 1:15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through his grace, Bring your daughter over there and let me do the rest said the still small voice.

    Had my heart not listened to GOD we would not have experienced God's answer to prayer. My brother and I reconciled, we hugged, we talked, we took pictures, we hugged some more, For 1 solid hour God was present in the face of him, in all of us. As Marissa and I were leaving I said to her, that was my brother, God did that. Oswald Chambers says this in his devotional "My His Utmost for His Highest." Leave room for God-  We tend to overlook the element of surprise, yet God never works in any other way. Suddenly--God meets our life--"...when it pleased God...." Keep your life so constantly in touch with God that His surprising power can break through at any point. Live in a constant state of expectancy, and leave room for God to come in as He decides. What is God doing for you today? – Keith Varga is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy

GPS – God’s Positioning System: Micah 1-6; Psalm 149; Proverbs 30

Compass Pointers: Worship is the test of the authenticity of any conversion, whether to Christianity or some other religion. But the factor that distinguishes our faith from every other creed is the intimacy of our relationship with the living God. Tom Inglis

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 26:28; Level 2: Proverbs 26:17-25

Anchored to the Rock: If you can’t pray as you want to, pray as you can. God knows what you mean. Vance Havner

Don't Fear the Red Sea

Don’t Fear the Red Sea

The Lord said to Moses, “ … Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea.” Exodus 14:15-16

I am sure you’ve been there before – I know I have. So maybe right now like me, you are facing one of those “Red Sea” experiences and need this word of encouragement. It came in my June 25^th reading from Streams in the Desert (Zondervan):

Dear child of God, just imagine the triumphal march! Picture the exalted children being constantly hushed and restrained by their parents from their outburst of wonder. Think how women must have experienced an uncontrollable excitement as they found themselves suddenly saved from a fate worse than death.

Imagine how the men who accompanied them must have felt ashamed and admonished for mistrusting God and for complaining against Moses. And as you envision the Red Sea’s mighty walls of water, separated by the outstretched hand of the Eternal in response to the faith of a single man, learn what God will do for His own.

Never dread any consequence resulting from absolute obedience to His command. Never fear the rough waters ahead, which through their proud contempt impede your progress. God is greater than the roar of the raging water and the mighty waves of the sea. “The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever” (Psalm 29:10). A storm is simply the hem of HIS robe, the sign of HIS coming, and the evidence of HIS presence.

Dare to trust Him! Dare to follow Him! Then discover that the forces that blocked your progress and threatened your life become at His command the very materials He uses to build your street of freedom. (F. B. Meyer – famous Keswick speaker)

Years ago my mentor and friend, “Dr. B.” gave me a little saying on a post card that said this: THE RED SEA RED SEA BEFORE YOU – THE EYGPTIAN ARMY BEHIND YOU – HEMMED IN MY MOUNTAINS ON EITHER SIDE – LOOK UP! THINGS ARE RIPE FOR A MIRACLE!

Not sure what YOUR Red Sea is today – but know this – God is in the midst of your Red Sea experience. Dare to trust Him! Dare to follow Him! Look for YOUR miracle. – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick

GPS – God’s Positioning System: Isaiah 9-12; Psalm 148; Proverbs 29

Compass Pointers: Sin comes when we take a perfectly natural desire or longing or ambition and try desperately to fulfill it without God. Not only is it sin, it is a perverse distortion of the image of the Creator in us. All these good things, and all our security, are rightly found only and completely in him. Augustine

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 26:28; Level 2: Proverbs 26:17-25

Anchored to the Rock: When we do not pray, we work against God. E. F. Hallock

Acquainted with Grief

Acquainted with Grief

“He is … a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” Isaiah 53:3

Chambers was right on with his insights regarding our sin in his June 23 post in My Utmost for His Highest:

We are not “acquainted with grief” in the same way our Lord was acquainted with it. We endure it and live through it, but we do not become intimate with it. At the beginning of our lives we do not bring ourselves to the point of dealing with the reality of sin. We look at it through the eyes of REASON and say if a person will control his INSTINCTS, and EDUCATE himself, he can produce a life that will slowly evolve into the life of God.

But as we continue on through life, we find the presence of something which we have not yet taken into account, namely SIN – and it upsets all of our thinking and our plans. Sin has made the foundation of our thinking unpredictable.

We have to recognize that sin is a fact of life, not just a shortcoming. Sin is blatant mutiny against God, and either sin or God must die in my life. The New Testament brings is right down to this one issue – if sin rules in me, God life in me will be killed; if God rules in me, sin in me will be killed. There is nothing more fundamental than that.

The culmination of sin in the history of God on earth will also be true in your history and mine – that is, sin will kill the life of God in us. We must mentally bring ourselves to terms with this fact of sin. It is the only explanation why Jesus Christ came to earth, and it is the explanation of grief and sorrow of life.

Thanks, Mr. Chambers, for the reminder. It isn’t just a matter of agreeing with this truth, it is a matter of applying it to our lives. Think about it. – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick

GPS – God’s Positioning System: 2 Chronicles 27; Psalm 147; Proverbs 28

Compass Pointers: Whenever a man has seen the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ...at once he comes right into a head-on collision within his own personal living, with all of his principles and motives upon which he has lived until this moment.... if there is to be a continual manifestation of Holy Spirit life, there must be a constant submission to the crucifixion of the flesh, not simply sometimes, but always.
Alan Redpath

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 26:28; Level 2: Proverbs 26:17-25

Anchored to the Rock: The Bible is permeated by prayer. E. F. Hallock

Stop Lying to Yourself

Stop Lying to Yourself 

     Ephesians 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

            It is not the words outside your head but the ones inside. It is not the water outside the boat but the water in the boat that sinks it.

            When you wake up in the morning, do you lie to yourself by such statements as, “I am tired” or “I am hungry” or even “I am depressed”? These are very damaging thoughts. It is not only untrue (for they are only feelings) but it adds the  name of God to the lie. You may feel tired or hungry or even depressed but that is no who or what you are.

            You are not your feelings and Feelings are not who you are.

            If you speak the truth you become free to help yourself. So what can you say, using God’s name, that will help sustain you in your daily struggles? How about, “I am a child of God” (1 John3:1&2)? You may not feel like a child of God but that is just a feeling and not who you are. Try, “I am a winner” (Romans 8:37). I really like this one, “I am a friend of Jesus” (John 15:15) We need never to feel friendless!

            Remember, you are not your feelings and your feelings are not you!

                        God has made you more than that. 

How I must always recall
            That should I stumble or should I fall,
I need not define myself by what I did then
            For God has claimed me from way back when. 

I came to God who sent His Son
            To pay for the debt that I had run.
Thus day by day I find anew
            How God, himself, will see me through. 

How like the melting of the winter snow,
            Feelings come and feelings go.
Relationships will never change of fade

            For God, himself, will give me aid 

When my life has ended, my race run,
            Because of the work of His dear Son,
I know that my feelings may leave me numb
            But He’ll greet me with the words “Well done!”

Pastor George VanSandt is a Christian counselor and a frequent contributor to Freedom Fighter

GPS – God’s Positioning System: Amos 6-9; Psalm 146; Proverbs 27

Compass Pointers: God is often silent when we prefer that he speak, and he interrupts us when we prefer that he stay silent. His ways are not our ways. To live with the sacred God of creation means that we conduct our lives with a God who does not explain himself to us. It means that we worship a God who is often mysterious - too mysterious to fit our formulas for better living. It means that God is not our best friend, our secret lover or our good-luck charm. He is God. Craig Barnes

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 26:28; Level 2: Proverbs 26:17-25

Anchored to the Rock: Prayerlessness is a sin against God and it is a sin that can find no excuse.  E. F. Hallock

Unadorned Worship

Unadorned Worship

“And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8

I shared this devotional with you back in June of 2007. As I read it again, I thought how timely it is for us as we prepare to celebrate this Lord’s Day.

"I must make my spiritual life as simple as possible. God is the most complex being in the universe; yet when it comes to His relationship to people, He wants utter simplicity. The altar the Israelites were to build for God was to be on unhewn stones, with no tool or cutting instrument used upon it. (Exodus 20:25)

The message is clear. God knows man's tendency to adorn, to artify, to decorate a thing until MAN'S talent overshadows the instrument itself. Medieval art is an example of that. God wants to make Himself so available, so disposable to man that He wants no hindrance to a hungry, seeking heart. That means no rules or conditions to keep people from God.

The Laodicean church was the model of organization and regulation - but it was DEAD! I can become so structured, so habitualized, so regular that my devotional life becomes a self-centered worship of RULES rather than GOD. My life with God must be spontaneous. God reserves the right to break in, change habits, start new directions, and otherwise keep me on tiptoe expectation. God is not finicky, but He understands human nature and He does not want us majoring on things that do not count.

I must not become upset if someone interferes with my schedule, interrupts my 'quiet time,' or tampers with my routine. God may be in that very interruption; calling me to HIMSELF instead of to the scaffolding I have built around Him. I must be a Nathanael in worship as well as in life, a person without twists or deviousness, but openhearted and direct in my communion with God. The 'blessed' ones of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-11) are those with qualities of utter simplicity and transparency; they carry away enormous bundles of the blessings of God." Adapted from DAILY WITH THE KING - Moody Press

Something good to think about today, brothers. Enjoy your day worshipping HIM! – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick

GPS – God’s Positioning System: Amos 1-5; Psalm 145; Proverbs 26

Compass Pointers: For a small reward, a man will hurry away on a long journey; while for eternal life, many will hardly take a single step.Thomas a Kempis

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 26:28; Level 2: Proverbs 26:17-25

Anchored to the Rock: Prayer is a divine imperative because God desires fellowship with His redeemed children. E.F. Hallock

What Kind of Church Member Are You

What Kind of Church Member Are You

“Now the multitude of those who  believed were of one heart and soul … “ Acts 4:32a

I came across this description of church members in a book of illustrations. It was originally printed in the Watchman-Examiner:

Which are you?

Pillars … worshipping regularly, giving time and money.

Supporters … give time and money if they like the minister and treasurer.

Leaners … use the church for funerals, baptisms, and marriages but give no time or money to support the church.

Working leaners … work but do not give money.

Specials … help and give occasionally.

Annuals … or Easter Birds, dress up, look serious, and go to church on Easter.

Sponges … take all the blessings and benefits but give no money to support the church.

Tramps … go from church to church but support none.

Gossips … talk freely about everything except the Lord Jesus.

Scrappers … take offense, criticize and fight.

Orphans … are children sent by parents who do not set the example.

Hypocrites … are leaners who say they are better than churchgoers.

So as you prepare your heart for worship tomorrow … which one are you? Think about it. – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick

GPS – God’s Positioning System: Isaiah 5-8; Psalm 144; Proverbs 25

Compass Pointers: A Christian must keep the faith, but not to himself. Jim Patrick

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 25:28; Level 2: Proverbs 25:25-28

Anchored to the Rock: To pray without laboring us to mock God; to labor without prayer is to rob God of His glory. Robert Haldane

Oxen, Eggs, With a Side of Deuteronomy

Oxen, Eggs with a Side of Deuteronomy 

“Now Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, “Keep the whole commandment that I command you today. And on the day you cross over the Jordan to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall set up large stones and plaster them with plaster. And you shall write on them all the words of this law, when you cross over to enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you.”  Deut 27:1-3 (ESV) 

I do like me a good breakfast, may not always start my day with one but I do like’em. And having been blessed to be part of men’s fellowships in two different churches has its advantage when it comes to getting a good breakfast on a Saturday morning…as well as getting a good message from God’s Word. Both of these fellowships have that core group that take what was done for them by Jesus Christ very seriously and are not afraid to express it. What is also a cool thing to note here is that men from each of these two groups have shared a devotional at each other’s men breakfast. It is within these devotionals where each fellowship brings a sense of accountability and self-reflecting conviction.  

The most recent of these men’s fellowship breakfast devotional’s had its start in Deuteronomy 27 then went into chapter 28 where we all collectively agreed that it ain’t too good to be cursed by God. To set this up you have to imagine the twelve tribes of Israel crossing over the Jordan River, splitting into two groups and placing themselves on different mountains as instructed by Moses. Six of these tribes are on Mount Gerizim to bless the people and the other six are to stand on Mount Ebal and proclaim a curse. They are a blend of importance in relation to the way they had marched in the wilderness. The burnt and peace offerings have been completed to indicate personal consecration and fellowship before and to God. 

I can only imagine the quiet that falls upon the nation of Israel, the vastness of the open space and the amount of people that are present as the Levites proclaim the “Cursed is the one who’s”. I guess it would have taken all the Levite priests to say them in unison so their voices could carry and how loud the responsive “AMEN” that followed after each proclamation. Then comes the blessings for obedience, which if you really look at it are the foundational needs for any community or nation for that matter. As the finally blessings resonates throughout the valley we hear a resounding, “But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all His commandments and His statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you.” (Deut 28:15 ESV) 

And quite a list of curses it becomes. There are things on that list that just by the mere wording of them are downright frightening. Being a man that likes a good burger, hearing that my ox shall be killed in front of me and I ain’t getting’ any of it to eat…WHAT? Then you hear that warning again about what will fall upon you when you “CHOOSE” not to obey the “Lord your God.” And the list picks up where it leaves off all the way to point of having to be returned to Egypt (don’t make Him do it) to put oneself up for sale only to find no buyers. This is all a clear sign to me that the nation of Israel would suffer the futility of existence for any disobedience to precepts of the “Lord your God.” Oy vey!!! 

As breakfast was being finished up that morning, we quickly turned our conversation for the provision made for us in Christ Jesus. We took a look at the world around us and found that throughout history many civilizations were making bad choices (some still are, huh?) and receiving these kinds of curses placed upon them. But that it is up to us, the Christian man, to turn things around and bring them captive in the mindset of Jesus. I still suffer from making a bad choice every so often, but praise God for what was done on the Cross. I hope you are uttering the same praise this day. After all, a side of Deuteronomy may go well with oxen and eggs but it needs to be seasoned with blessings and not curses…just sayin’!! – Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a regular Freedom Fighter contributor 

GPS – God’s Positioning System: Isaiah 1-4; Psalm 143; Proverbs 24

Compass Pointers: “We must do something about the Cross, and one of two things only we can do---flee it or die upon it. And if we should be so foolhardy to flee, we shall by that act put away the faith of our fathers and make of Christianity something other than it is. Then we shall have left only the empty language of salvation; the power will depart with our departure from the true Cross.” The Radical Cross  A.W. Tozer

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 25:28;  Level 2: Proverbs 25:25-28

Anchored to the Rock: What an awful place is a Christian’s closet. The whole Trinity is about it every time he kneels. Edward Griffin

Joyful, Patient, Faithful

JOYFUL, PATIENT, FAITHFUL

“Be...fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer” (Romans 12:11-12 KJV).

            Above my computer is a Scripture verse beautifully cross-stitched by one of my sisters.  It says: BRENDY, BE JOYFUL IN HOPE, PATIENT IN AFFLICTION, FAITHFUL IN PRAYER. What a great reminder of what God wants me to be! 

            Missionary kids like me acquire “aunts: and “uncles” in different places where we have been.  I have several (beside my real ones)! Our family met “Uncle Mel” and “Aunt Lola” at Keswick and they became very special, dear friends, spending many happy days together. In a chat about death with Uncle Mel (who is now with the Lord), he commented that as a Christian our hope is not a “hope-so” hope but a “KNOW-so” hope. I love that and think of that often! “I KNOW whom I have believed.” Our hope is in the Lord for today, all year and on through eternity.  The blessed hope includes knowing that we will be with Christ forever. What JOY that kind of HOPE and assurance brings.

            Now, PATIENT IN AFFLICTION? Easier said than done! There are many kinds of afflictions and the verse doesn’t specify what kind, so it must include ALL. Whether it be physical (my main one), a hurt heart, loneliness or economic stress.  “...to added affliction He (God) addeth His mercy.  For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth and giveth and giveth again.” (How I love that hymn and sing it often.)  So why should I ever feel hopeless or impatient?? I need to read Romans 12:12 again! 

Brendy is on left

            FAITHFUL IN PRAYER... Wow!  I want to be, but that’s not easy either. On my 15^th birthday the students of the Central American Theological Seminary in Guatemala, where I grew up, crowned me their perpetual queen! What an honor, but what a responsibility to pray for Amy subjects, Max, Gustavo, Jaime, Wilfredo,  Noemi,  Mima, Hilda, Gonzalo, Delwin (my Hispanic pastor in Dallas), to name a few, serving God in different areas of the world.  “God, I do want to be faithful to the task, and I am thankful for those who are faithful in prayer for me, too! May I have a patient heart in affliction to show forth Thy sufficiency, and to be joyful in hope always. Amen.”

Brendy Platt recently went home to be with the Lord after a battle with cancer. Despite her physical challenges, Brendy was an amazing woman of God and a great prayer warrior. We love you, Brendy!

GPS – God’s Positioning System: 2 Chronicles 26; Psalm 142; Proverbs 23

Compass Pointers: Combat comes before victory. If God has chosen a special trial for you to endure, be assured He has kept a very special place in His heart just for you. A badly bruised soul is one who is chosen. From Streams in the Desert, June 19th

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 25:28; Level 2: Proverbs 25:25-28

Anchored to the Rock: You can do more AFTER you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray UNTIL you have prayed. S. D. Gordon

Be There

Be There

My guess is that many of you this morning can relate to what I am about to share. I am of the baby-boomer generation, and while I am only 57, I am still very much connected to technology.

I can remember life before cell phones and computers. 25 years ago – what was email? But yet I find myself very frustrated with cell phone coverage or when our network is done and I can’t get into my email.

Most of us have multiple gadgets and toys – I have my cell phone, laptop, Itouch and Ipad. It is easy to justify that these things are needful because of my “work/ministry” in order to be “connected.”

Someone shared with me this weekend that they were in a restaurant observing a family sitting together to enjoy a meal. The problem was that none of them were communicating face-to-face – everyone was texting or playing a game.

I pride myself on being able to “multi-task.” I can watch TV and be working on my laptop. I can be in a room of people but still be connected to the outside world, talking in the room, but texting and checking email.

The conviction came when reading through Craig Groeschell’s book, Weird. When addressing the time we need to spend with God and those most important to us, he urges us to BE THERE – giving our undivided attention to those we love, and most importantly, to God.

I am very guilty of having my quiet time with the Lord, and yet finding myself adding things to my to-do list while I am reading or praying. Instead of giving Jan my undivided attention when she is sharing something, too often I am working on my laptop or I touch instead of really listening.

Maybe all this technology isn’t as helpful as we think it is. Multi-tasking isn’t necessarily a gift to be proud of – especially if it keeps me from being focused on the ones I love, and especially to the One who always gives me HIS undivided attention.

Something to think about today, brothers. I have started repeating this phrase more often: BE THERE! – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick

GPS – God’s Positioning System: 2 Kings 15; Psalm 141; Proverbs 22

Compass Pointers: If others do not encourage us, let us encourage ourselves in the Lord. How much he encouraged others! On the stormy lake, and in the upper room. He spoke words of cheer to the paralytic and to the stricken women he administered words of comfort. A. Soutter

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 25:28; Level 2: Proverbs 25:25-28

Anchored to the Rock: The greatest thing anyone can do for God and for man is to pray. S. D. Gordon

Eight Marks of Stiff-Necked People

Eight Marks of Stiff-Necked People

“I have seen these people,” the LORD said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people.” Exodus 32:9

Dr. Ray Prichard, President of Keep Believing Ministries (Keepbelieving.com) was one of our speakers for our 2011 Memorial Day Weekend conference (check out his messages on our website: www.americaskeswick.org).

I saw this great outline on Rays website and it was too good to not share with you:

Stiff-necked people.

That’s not a compliment.

Here are some synonyms: obstinate, stubborn, willful, rebellious, wayward, defiant, unruly, ornery, pigheaded. When Stephen preached in Acts 7, he called the Jewish leaders “stiff-necked, uncircumcised in heart and ears” (v. 51).

Again, not a compliment.

When the Lord promised judgment on Jerusalem, he said it was coming because “they were stiff-necked and would not list to my words” (Jeremiah 19:10).

They had an attitude problem.

Pride keeps us from hearing what God is saying. Pride make our necks stiff.

What are the marks of stiff-necked people?

1. Certainty that you are right.
2. Refusal to listen to anyone else.
3. Defensive when criticized.
4. Making excuses for your short-comings.
5. Lashing out at others.
6. No desire to examine your own life.
7. Repeated pattern of misbehavior.
8. Prayer without repentance.

This can happen to any of us when we become hardened in our ways and so certain of ourselves that no one can reach us. We don’t realize what has happened until judgment comes.

Wow! I bet you might have thought to yourself: “so and so needs to read this!” Well maybe it isn’t for “so and so!” Could it be that God is talking to YOU this morning? Think about it. Then run to the cross and repent! – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick

GPS – God’s Positioning System: Jonah; Psalm 140; Proverbs 21

Compass Pointers: O Lord, break down the stiff-necked spirit within us. Break us, soften us, cleanse us, renew us. Make us ready to hear Your Word. – Ray Prichard

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 25:28; Level 2: Proverbs 25:25-28

Anchored to the Rock: Prayer should be the key of the day and the lock of the night. Thomas Fuller

Learning to Forbear

Learning to Forbear

“And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ has also forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32

On Saturday I wrote about the dangers of criticizing others. I was preaching to myself when I wrote that blog post, and today’s blog is a follow-up “whack on the side of the head” that I needed to hear.

Dr. Glynn Evans, author of a great daily devotional, Daily With the King (Moody Press) shares his thoughts on learning to forbear:

Next to the problem of self, the greatest problem I will have as a disciple is my relationship to others. When that relationship is pure, there is no greater joy; when sour, no greater heartache.

But what do I do when a friend becomes a “holy irritant?” I use the formula of the apostle Paul, “forbearing one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2). Someone has said, “There are two pets every Christian family should have: bear and forbear.

To forbear means that I will accept others as they are without rejection. I have been guilty of tow sins in my interpersonal relationships: I tend to pick my friends, hoping to avoid trouble; and when I can’t pick them, I try to reform and reshape them, hoping to avoid trouble. Both are impossible ways of relating to others.

I must realize that when I surround myself with “similar prophets,” people who see things as I do, who are quick to agree and slow to disagree, I am not doing them and myself any justice. To develop properly as a disciple, I need a “troubler,” someone who tells it like it is, regardless. That is what Elijah was to King Ahab (1 Kings 18:17). Though Ahab did not know it, Elijah was his best friend. Unfortunately, Ahab did not forbear Elijah, so he failed.

My critic, my irritant, my troubler will do wonders for my heart if only I will learn to forbear. I must grant him the right to exist and say his piece so I can learn from him and even be molded by him. God deals with me in strange ways, none stranger than my troubler. He may be God’s velvet glove to smooth away the crustiness of my heart. The crowning truth of my relationship to my troubler – regardless of what he may say or do to me – is “God meant it for good (Genesis 50:20).

Has God brought that person into your life who is a “holy irritant?” If so, allow God to use this person in your life to take away “the crustiness of your heart.” – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick

GPS – God’s Positioning System: 2 Chronicles 25; Psalm 139; Proverbs 20

Compass Pointers: Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do! Johann Wolfgang van Goethe

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 25:28; Level 2: Proverbs 25:25-28

Anchored to the Rock: Prayer is the highest use to which speech can be put. P. T. Forsyth

Abba Father

Abba Father

“And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!” Galatians 4:6

Happy Father’s Day. God blessed me with a wonderful earthly father, but he has been with the Lord for over 25 years. He blessed me some “adopted” Dads since then – Pastor Bill Raws, Pastor George Van Sandt and Neil Fichthorn. I have been so blessed to have these giants in my life.

But there is no father like THE Father – the One you and I call, Abba Father. Dr. Henry Blackaby in Experiencing God – The Devotional (Broadman) writes:

The word conjures up different images for everyone. To some it brings the picture of love, laughter, respect, and acceptance. Unfortunately, others associate the term FATHER with fear, rejection and disappointment. That is why it is so important not to take your understanding of your heavenly Father from your experience.

Take it from Scripture. You undoubtedly had an imperfect earthly father, perhaps even one who brought you harm. But, as in all of your Christian life, the key is to understand your experience in light of the Bible. God is our model father in the truest sense of the word.

Our heavenly Father was willing to pay ANY price in order to save you (Romans 8:32). Your heavenly Father is ALWAYS ready to meet your needs (Luke 11:11-13). Your heavenly Father loves you so much that He is willing to discipline you to bring you to Christian maturity (Proverbs 3:11-12; Hebrews 12:5-10).

Even when you rebel against Him and reject His love, your Father continues to do what is best for you (Romans 5:8). He does not make His love for you conditional upon your love for Him (1 John 4:19). He has made you His heirs and reserves a home for you in heaven (Romans 8:15-17).

This is what a father is like biblically. If this has not been your experience, it can be now. There is One who has adopted you and wants to love you in a way you have never experienced. Take comfort and find strength from HIM – YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER!

Wow! As you reflect this morning on what Abba Father has done for YOU – take some time to thank Him and tell Him you love Him. Then take the initiative to let your earthly Poppa know you love him! – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick

GPS – God’s Positioning System: 2 Chronicles 24; Psalm 137; Proverbs 18

Compass Pointers: Our dads are our first heroes, and decades later, our last. John Thorn

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 25:28; Level 2: Proverbs 25:25-28

Anchored to the Rock: Time spent in prayer is NEVER wasted. Fenelon

Beware of Criticizing Others

Beware of Criticizing Others

“Judge not, that you be not judged.” Matthew 7:11

I opened my friend Chambers and knew it was coming! The Holy Spirit uses this man to annoy me! J On June 16^th I glanced at the next page and wanted to scream.

If there was one characteristic of our day and age that is grieving the heart of God it is our critical spirit. We live in a time when EVERYONE, myself included, has an opinion about everything and anything and how often I feel entitled to share my “opinion” which really is criticism.

Admittedly I was as ticked off as many of you were with the latest rounds of “predictions” from the mouth of an owner of a large Christian radio station. I have been guilty of making fun of him from the platform.

This week a report came out that this brother had a stroke which affected his ability to speak which means his voice will be silenced for a season. My first reaction was, “good for him! God shut him up!”

Then I saw some postings on Facebook about his stroke and read some of the most vicious comments including, “Well, he got what he deserved.” It was like the Holy Spirit slapped me on the head.

While I believe that his teaching was erroneous and off the wall, he is still a brother in Christ. Since I suffer with “hoof in mouth” disease, I am thankful that God hasn’t silenced me for some of the stupid, sarcastic, and evil things that have proceeded from my mouth over the years. You know what I am talking about – the kinds of words that when they depart the mouth you wish you could suck right back in?”

Chambers says that “the average Christian is the most piercingly critical individual known. Criticism is one of the ordinary activities of people, but in the spiritual realm nothing is accomplished by it.”

He says that “the Holy Spirit is the only one in a proper position to criticize, and He alone is able to show what is wrong without hurting and wounding. It is impossible to enter into fellowship with God when you are in a critical mood. Criticism serves to make you harsh, vindictive, and cruel, and leaves you somehow superior to others.”

He concludes by saying, “Stop having a measuring stick for other people. There is always at least one more fact, which we know nothing about, in every person’s situation. The first thing God does is to give is a thorough spiritual cleaning. After that, there is no possibility of pride remaining in us. I have never met a person I could despair of, or lose all hope for, after discerning what lies in me apart from the grace of God.”

Ouch! My prayer – Lord, set a trap over my mouth! Help me to not be a critical person, but and encourager and a man who praises others. How about you? – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick

GPS – God’s Positioning System: 2 Chronicles 24; Psalm 137; Proverbs 18

Compass Pointers: "There are no atheists in foxholes," wrote William T. Cummings in 1942. "While crouched in a trench with bullets zinging overhead, even the most reluctant heart begins to bargain with God- just in case He might exist. "God if you only get me out of this alive, I'll. . ." But foxhole faith rarely lasts. The crisis passes and thoughts of God recede into the background. To the "foxhole Christian" God is there mostly for emergencies. Troy Borst

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 24:1-2; Level 2: Proverbs 24:1-10

Anchored to the Rock: God seeks intercessor. God needs intercessors. God wonders why there are not more intercessors. Do not rest until God sees that YOU are one!” – Andrew Murray

Seizing the Territory

Seizing the Territory

“For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.” Psalm 27:5

I keep navigating back to the daily devotional, Daily with the King by Glynn Evans (Moody Press). I first picked up a copy back in the 90’s and have been using my hard cover edition since 2004.

Today’s reading really spoke to my heart and was a good reminder for me:

I will realize and act upon the principle that every victory must lead to an occupancy. Merely to conquer a habit, to win over an alienated friend, or to drive doubt out of my heart is not in itself sufficient. I must follow up those triumphs with being “more than a conqueror,” that is, seizing the territory so the enemy cannot recapture it.

When the Israelites conquered the Amorites, they followed up their victory by occupying the land (Numbers 21:21-32). This many any counterattack by the enemy impossible. I must nail down my victories in such a way that the counterattack is impossible. Otherwise, as Jesus reminds me in His parable, the end may be worse than the beginning (Matthew 12:43-45).

The only way to crucify my fleshly desires is to drive them from my mind [Stop and think how often we play with those desires in our mind!], then let the Holy Spirit create new, fresh desires in me. The only way I can conquer hate is to replace it with love. I cannot conquer bitterness by confessing it; I must replace it with praise and thankfulness. In short, there must be no vacancy after victory!

As Paul puts it, I must “withstand” (fight and overcome the enemy), after which I must “stand.” Too often I have withstood only to fail to stand afterward. It does not take the enemy long to recognize an unguarded post and seize it.

The city gate was the city’s most crucial defense; once lost, the whole city was lost. That is where victory will lead me on – to make inoperative those things that would keep me from enjoying what Christ dearly bought for me! “The Lord your God will Himself cross over before you; He will destroy the [enemy] from before you … Be strong and courageous!” (Deuteronomy 31:3-6, Berkley Translation)

So brothers, what areas do you need to seize and take captive today? What unguarded gate needs to be fortified and protected in your life? My guess is you already know! So you have the choice – what will it be today? Think about it. – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick

GPS – God’s Positioning System: 2 Kings 12-13; Psalm 136; Proverbs 17

Compass Pointers: Powerful and wily people use apologies to escape judgment for great evils, they betray a trust and, found out, they say they are sorry for mistakes in judgment. They commit a crime, and they call their crimes errors which they regret. They sneak around their offense on the oiled wheels of apology when their crime calls for nothing less than oceanic tears of remorse. Lewis Smedes

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 24:1-2; Level 2: Proverbs 24:1-10

Anchored to the Rock: Even if no command to pray had existed, our very weakness would have suggested it. Fenelon

Do Real Men Seek Counsel

Do Real Men Seek Counsel

I have always felt that real men never ask for advice. There are thousands of miles on my car that are a result of being too proud to ask for directions. I learned not to ask for advice or directions in Basic Manhood 101. But one day I stumbled across Proverbs 12:15 which says “The way of the fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel”. Ouch! That hurt.

From that point, I did a little more digging in the Bible and came to the conclusion that not only does God want us to seek counsel, but He gives us pretty specific guidelines as to who to seek counsel from. I believe there are three guidelines concerning the ones from whom we should seek counsel.

Guideline one pertains to the highest level of human counsel. This is yoked counsel. This is a situation where we are obligated to adhere to the counsel we receive. A marriage, business partnership (with binding partnership agreement) and also debt (Proverbs 22:7) fall in this category. In any of these situations, counsel can be given that we are forced to abide by. Check any divorce settlement, partnership breakup or mortgage foreclosure and you will find one party most likely was subject to a verdict they did not like as a result of a yoking relationship. This is one reason I think it is unbiblical for a Bible believing church to borrow money from a secular bank. 2 Corinthians 6:14 warns us pretty sternly not to get into a situation where we are yoked with unbelievers and subsequently forced to take the counsel they give us.

The second guideline pertains to counsel we receive each day. We all go to doctors, accountants, lawyers and even car mechanics and receive advice. Does the source of this counsel have to be from Christians? I believe the answer is preferably yes, although sometimes it is not possible. Sometimes we need counsel in a very specific area that we do not know a Christian who is able to give such advice. Just like with any counsel, we need to weigh it against the Word of God (Psalm 119:105;Romans 15:4). If the counsel is not inconsistent with the Bible, then we receive it as good counsel, even if the one who gave it is not a Believer.

Level three is counsel to avoid. This is advice from the ungodly and wicked. Psalms 1:1-3 and Proverbs 12:5 tell us to stay away from this source of counsel. What is the difference between the counsel in the previous paragraph and this level? I believe in this level are the “counselors” that flagrantly and outwardly mock God and the principles of His Word. Leviticus 19:31 is pretty direct that we should run from fortune tellers and mediums. But I also believe this principle can be expanded to include doctors that continually promote and practice abortions and other ungodly practices or lawyers that promote and practice unethical behavior. Even the mechanic that is constantly taking the Lord’s name in vain, using vile language and displaying lewd pictures should be avoided.

So maybe I am a man, and “real men” never ask for advice, but more importantly, I am a follower of Jesus Christ. In His Word it is pretty clear that I need to seek Godly advice. My first source should be the Word of God (Psalms 119:24). But in addition to that I must look for others to help me understand the proper application of His Word to my life. – George Hutchison is a member of the Keswick Board of Trustees and serves as an instructor with Crown Financial Ministries. Follow his blog Stewardship Insights

GPS – God’s Positioning System: 2 Kings 9-11; Psalm 135; Proverbs 16

Compass Pointers: This hill, though high, I covet to ascend; the difficulty will not me offend. For I perceive the way to life lies here. Come, pluck up, heart; let's neither faint nor fear. Better, though difficult, the right way to go, than wrong, though easy, where the end is woe. John Bunyan

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 24:1-2; Level 2: Proverbs 24:1-10

Anchored to the Rock: Prayer is where the action is. Any church without a well-organized and systematic prayer program is simply operating a religious treadmill. Paul Billheimer

Temptation: Watch and Pray

Temptation: Watch and Pray

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. Matthew 26:41

We all do battle with temptation. I found this reading from Streams in the Desert – June 6^th so timely and helpful:

Dear friend, never go out into the danger of the world without praying first. There is always temptation to shorten your time in prayer. After a difficult day of work, when you kneel at night to pray with tired eyes, do not use your drowsiness as an excuse to resign yourself to early rest. Then when the morning breaks and you realize you have overslept, resist the temptation to skip your early devotion or to hurry through it.

Once again, you have not taken the time to “watch and pray.” Your alertness has been sacrificed, and I firmly believe there will be irreparable damage. You have failed to pray, and you will suffer as a result.

Temptations are waiting to confront you, and you are not prepared to withstand them. Within in your soul you have a sense of guilt, and you seem to be lingering some distance from God. It certainly is no coincidence that you tend to fall short of your responsibilities on those days when you have allowed your weariness to interfere with your prayer life.

When we give in to laziness, moments of prayer that are missed can never be redeemed. We may learn from experience, but we will miss the rich freshness and strength that would have been imparted during those moments.

Jesus, the omnipotent Son of God, felt it necessary to rise each morning before dawn to pour out His heart to His Father in prayer. Should we not feel even more compelled to pray to Him who is the give of “every good and perfect gift” (James 1:17) and who has promised to provide whatever we need?

We do not know all that Jesus gained from His time in prayer, but we do know this – a life without prayer is a powerless life. It may be a life filled with a great deal of activity and noise, but it will be far removed from Him who day and night prayed to God.

I really needed that word today – especially the part about not rushing ahead without taking time to pray about these battles that I face almost daily. How about you? --  Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick

GPS – God’s Positioning System: 2 Kings 5-8; Psalm 134; Proverbs 15

Compass Pointers: The proof of love is in the works. Where love exists, it works great things. But when it ceases to act, it ceases to exist.  Gregory the Great

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: Proverbs 24:1-2; Level 2: Proverbs 24:1-10

Anchored to the Rock: To speak to God it men is a sacred and responsible task. To speak for men to God is not less responsible and is more solemn. Robert Dabney