My heart is Yours

Matt 23:37-39 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’


As I was reading my bible the other day, I read these verses. It made me think about how many churches and denominations that have rejected the move of the Holy Spirit. Why? Because it did not come the way we expected? Maybe the board disapproved, or leadership did not like what was happening? Maybe the congregation was against what God was doing?

The other question is, can we do that with our lives as well? Do we reject the work of the Holy Spirit, when we refuse to accept what Jesus wants to do in our lives?

I have heard for many years from certain people that they want an old fashion revival, not some of this “new stuff” that is going on today. (Whatever that means?) But as of yet, I have not seen any move of God in their churches. Others talk about the “latter rain” movement and how we need another outpouring, but my question is would we recognize it? I have heard it said that “If the Holy Spirit left the church, 90% of the churches would just keep on going on as usual.”

There is no question that we need a revival, an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. My prayer is let me not criticize what God is doing, but let me recognize the time of visitation and allow God to do with my life whatever He desires.

Your race can be Amazing!

Last weekend was all about racing for me.  I went to the drag races because it was the last races they were holding at the drag strip before it closes.  And then I spent Sunday evening watching one of my favorite shows "The Amazing Race".

The Amazing Race

I was reminded that we are all in a race.  Sometimes the race can get hard.  Obstacles get in the way.  Sometimes we take on heavy loads.  (On one episode the contestants had to haul a huge bag of hay and an unruly goat.)  Some runners want to give up when the race gets hard, but we must keep running with our eye on the prize.  For us, that means, following after Christ. 

1Cor.9:24  NIV

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.

One of my favorite episodes of  "The Amazing Race" involved a giant slingshot and a watermelon.  The contestant was to use the giant slingshot to launch a watermelon and knock over a suit of armor.  They had been airing a teaser for the show for weeks.  When one team got to this "Roadblock" in the race, they struggled, but they weren't giving up.  On one of many attempts to launch the watermelon, it reversed direction and hit the woman right in the face.  It knocked her down and she lost feeling in her face.  I think I may have quit at this point, but she kept her eye on the prize (half a million dollars) and they made it to the pit stop without being eliminated.  (I'm adding the YouTube video below)

Sometimes the race can knock you down, make you numb, or leave you battered and bruised.  We have to put aside everything that would try to hinder us. We have to have endurance. Other people run have run this race, others are still running it, and some are running at the same pace we are.  That should be encouraging for us.
Heb.12:1-2  ESV
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.


And even if we do get tripped up at times (or hit with a big watermelon), we need to keep pressing on toward the goal because there is a finish line before us.
Phil 3:14  ESV
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

So the best we can do is run the race, stay focused on the goal, fight the good fight and make sure we finish our race. You have probably heard the statement, "It is not how you start the race, but how you finish". It is never too late to start, and we can finish strong for Jesus.  Your race can be amazing.  We may not win a half a million dollars for our race, but our prize is much greater. 
2Tim.4:7 ESV
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

What path are you on?

Psalm 90:12
So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. (ESV)

I just finished reading The Principle of the Path by Andy Stanley. This is a book that everyone should read. The book talks our path in life and how it is directly affected by the direction we take. Here are some quotes from the book that stood out to me:

“People come to believe the popular notion that as long as their intentions are good, as long as their hearts are in the right place (whatever that means), as long as they do their best and try their hardest, it doesn’t really matter which path they take. They believe somehow they will end up in a good place. But life doesn’t work that way.”


“Direction__Not Intention__Determines__Our Destination.”


All good Christians are taught to believe as long as we are doing "good" and trying hard that good will come out of it. The reality is that everyday we are faced with choices that can change our direction. I pray that each day the choices I make keep my on the right path. That I am gaining wisdom; not just natural wisdom, but spiritual wisdom as well.

So, we are to number our days, because every day we are given, we have opportunities to make decisions that could put us on the path to something great that will bless our lives. Or we could decide to choose a path that leads to something that is disastrous and unpleasant for our lives.

Remember… Direction__Not Intention__Determines__Our Destination. What path are you on? Who is guiding you?

John 16:13
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. (ESV)

I lift my eyes up

One of my favorite songs right now is by Kristian Stanfill called “Always”.   The song talks about going through troubles and how we are to lift up our eyes to the Lord, because that is where our help comes from. Psalm 121

Our help may look like it comes from different places or different ways.  But our help comes from the Lord. So lift up your eyes and look to the Lord., because that is truly where are help comes from.  The chorus of the song has these words, “Oh, my God, He will not delay”.   When we are in troubles and we cry out to God, we want immediate results.  God is faithful and delay is not denial.  And delay doesn’t mean God didn’t hear you. 

Remember Lazarus in John 11?   Lazarus was sick and when they brought word to Jesus,  He stayed two more days where He was at.  John 11:6.  Mary and Martha both said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died".  The situation seems hopeless, but Jesus says to them, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”  You know the rest of the account, how Lazarus died and was brought back to life, so that people would see the glory of God.   John 11:40-43

Remember Acts 12?   Peter was in prison and going to be killed the next day. The church had been praying for him. And the last night before Peter was to be killed, he was miraculously rescued by God.

So when you find your faith being tried, or you find yourself in a fiery trial, lift your eyes up! 
Lift up your eyes. Your help comes from the Lord. And He will not delay, Help is on the way!!

 1 Peter 1:6-7 (NIV)
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

1 Peter 4:12-13 (NIV)
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

The good hand of the Lord

In my bible reading the other day, I was reading the little book of Ezra.  I began to notice in chapters 7 & 8 a phrase that was used, “The hand of the Lord his God was on him”.




Ezra 7:6   this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted him everything he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him.


Ezra 7:9   He had begun his journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, for the gracious hand of his God was on him.


Ezra 7:28   and who has extended his good favor to me before the king and his advisers and all the king’s powerful officials. Because the hand of the LORD my God was on me, I took courage and gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.


Ezra 8:18   Because the gracious hand of our God was on us, they brought us Sherebiah, a capable man, from the descendants of Mahli son of Levi, the son of Israel, and Sherebiah’s sons and brothers, 18 men;


Ezra 8:22-23,31    I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.” 23 So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer. On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way.




I was reminded that in order for us to be successful in life we need the hand of the Lord upon us.

It is the good hand of the Lord upon us that He hears and answers our prayers.

It is the good hand of the Lord upon us that guides and directs our lives.

It is the good hand of the Lord upon us that gives us favor with people of influence and brings organization to our lives and projects.

It is the good hand of the Lord that brings divine contacts into our lives.

It is the good hand of the Lord that brings protection from the enemies.



Eph 1:3   Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.




How good it is to have the good hand of the Lord upon us!