Why is Praying so difficult?

 I have embraced prayer most of my Christian life but I believe the reason it is difficult for most to do is the discipline it requires from the individual.  The earth bound nature of man wants to do his own thing and prayer is something that requires that nature to be submissive to the new born again nature of the spirit of man, which takes place when one accepts Christ as their personal Savior.  

Much like daily exercise, one must work on developing the discipline to pray.  As one spends time doing so you are able to enjoy spending time seeking after God and the wells of revelation and understanding will begin to open up. For it will not be something that  feel obligated to do but it will become something you look forward to doing.  

My favorite time of day is the time I get to seek God in prayer.  In fact I am disappointed that it must end and I have other tasks that I must do.  The devil doesn't want you to pray because he is afraid of the relationship you are developing with God plus your prayers are targeting his kingdom and destroying that which he is hoping to accomplish. I believe that prayer also helps to bring boldness and confidence to the believer as they learn to trust God with that they are petitioning Him for.  

So don't let your old man nature and the devil steal from you the blessings of seeking God the Father in prayer.  Open your heart and just talk to Him as your best friend and as you do you will discover just how much He wants to hear from you and He will speak to you as well.  For prayer is a two way street.  And who doesn't want to spend time the all knowing, all powerful Creator of mankind.  For there is hope and life in His presence.  He is waiting.  Just step into that place where He is and your amazing journey will take you places you never thought possible. 

Where is the Altar?

 When I was much younger I remember invitations given by ministers for people to come to the altar at the church I was attending asking for people to come meet Christ for salvation or for a prayer need.  But as time has progressed I rarely see or hear that invitation given.  Why?  

I believe that seeker friendly approach has much to do with it.  As ministers embraced this anti- biblical approach it began a process of destroying a foundation that was necessary for helping people see their need for a Saviour from their sins.  For the seeker friendly approach wanted people to feel comfortable with the Church and instead of preaching holiness and the need for repentance it preached greasy grace. 

This caused the Church to lose it status in society as Salt and Light and made it irrelevant to society in general because by trying to fit in instead of pointing towards a different path to travel on the power and the glory left as God was not allowed to have His way in our services.  

We must have a return of the Altar in the Church so that the business of the Kingdom of God can be carried out as He intended.  The message of John the Baptist, "Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand" needs to be our cry.  For as John prepared the world for Jesus's first coming so let us emphasis the message of the Altar as Christ readies Himself for His soon coming return.  Will you join me at the Altar?

Exalting Jesus

 In the Christian world I have seen and noticed a trend where we like to exalt the gift that God has given over the one who has given it.  What do I mean by this?  How many times have you heard or seen people exalting preachers that they enjoy following over the Lord himself?  

I have fallen into that trap as well, especially in my early days of my faith walk.  Rod Parsley was the preacher that I wanted to be like and though I see nothing wrong with following a man or woman of faith when you place them upon a pedestal you are only setting yourself up for a potential fall.  For in a sense Rod Parsley became an idol to me. 

As I grew in my faith the Lord began to deal with me about making Him the center of all I do and say.  I still enjoy the minister gifts that God has placed in the body of Christ that I now listen to, but I don't emphasis them as my source of my faith and belief.  I choose to exalt Jesus Christ and God the Father and welcome the Holy Spirit to lead and order my steps on a daily basis.  

If you recognize that this something you need to change I encourage you to humble yourself before the Lord and allow Him to become the center of your faith.  Stay in the Bible and let the Holy Spirit direct your steps.  For the goal is to more like Jesus. And as you submit unto Him the more He will become a part of you.  And that will bring God glory.  

Here is a song by a friend and fellow believer that sums up what I have spoken about.  The link is https://youtu.be/OUiJ7x108rU

The Fear of God

 In the world today there is many who don't fear who the God of the Bible is.  Because of that lack of respect for Him we see it trickle down into all aspects of society.  How many times have you seen individuals disrespect their boss, a co-worker or someone that is serving them by either insulting them or by acting as if they don't matter.  

The reason we are seeing this is because the Church has become to friendly with the world and doesn't want to confront them with the gospel of Christ but instead wants to be wishy washy and not cause those who are outside the flock to be offended.  

The Church needs to repent, pick up it's cross and begin to decree whom are God is.  He is a God of holiness, a God of righteousness and a God of truth. 

What the Church has done is promote love as all inclusive but does not true love not require boundaries?  When one is rebellious isn't discipline required?  Love requires it as a parent teaches a child what is right and wrong.  The same applies here to those who the Church is attempting to win. We must show and uphold the standard the Father God requires.  If we don't than we misrepresent the Father God to the world and the fear ,or respect He deserves is not given.  

Church it is time to humble ourselves and to declare who are Father God is in His fullness so that the truth of who He is can set the world free.  Will you join in this endeavor?

Set your eyes up on High

 When it comes to seeing what we are faced with in this world it is easy to become discouraged by what we see if we look at everything from a worldly view. With rioting and a pandemic and race relations being our focus there appears to be no hope for peace and for justice to be served properly in this world.  

However if we get our eyes focused on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and begin to see things of our world from His perspective than fear and worry will flee.  The Lord wants us to look to the hills where our help comes from. Colossians 3:1-4 says the following, " If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on things above, not on things of the earth.  For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. " Church our God has not failed us up to now and He will not us down.  Renew your mind with His Word and keep your perspective not on what you see and hear from the news outlets of the world, but get your eyes on the Lord most High because we may be in this world, but our Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven trumps all that the enemy of mankind can do or attempt to do to me or you.  For He is Risen!  And if you behold Him so shall you be raised so you and I can be where He is.  Hallelujah!!

Why so Negative?

Negative news sells but why?  Could it be that people like to gossip and hear about others are suffering to feel better about themselves?  Or is just the nature of humans to hear something that is negative because of the shock value that it generally brings? I tend to believe that people like to use this type of information to help them feel that though they may be suffering, that someone is in a worst situation than what they are experiencing, which makes them feel better about themselves as a result. 

I believe that humans in their fallen state like to gossip and talk about what is wrong with a person before finding anything good to say because it appeals to the sin nature that we all have been born into.  Do you ever find yourself having a difficult time resisting the urge to gossip?  When the rumors start flying isn’t easier to participate than to resist the temptation?  I know from my experience it always has been a difficult one to stand up against.  When God allows us to hear something that is negative could it be that He is asking to stand in prayer for the person or people involved so that He can get glory out of a situation that the enemy of mankind, the devil is trying to snuff out and defeat.  Because the believer who is truly linked to Christ, has the spirit of an Overcomer living inside of them.  For Christ overcame it all to give us life.  Thus if we will tap into that power source that He provides we can overcome any and all opposition that opposes us and instead of becoming a casualty that the devil is able to sway and defeat, we can provide light in the darkness that reflects the Overcoming King who is able to shine through us into a world that needs hope and belief that there is One who truly cares.  

 

So the next time you are faced with an opportunity to fall into the trap of gossip and negativity just recognize it for what it is and resist the temptation.  The Bible says to “submit yourself unto God, resist the devil and he will flee from you”.  For to become like Christ we must take on His nature.  And as we recognize the devil and how he tries to play us then we are no longer held in bondage to this because “light and darkness cannot be in the same place” So shine the light on these situations and resist the devil and victory will be yours.

Why is Sacrifice Necessary?

What does the world have to offer that people try to run after it and thinks that it will provide them with the satisfaction that they seek?  Jesus said to seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.  Could the answer that we all are seeking is to know God and to be in His presence, because in the presence of God there is fullness of joy.  Money, fame, possessions are all nice to have and enjoy, but if they are you are pursuing than you are not in a place that God would want you to be.  Greed will eat your soul alive and as you continue to try and feed it, you will find that you can’t be satisfied and eventually it will lead you to the death of you.

However if one should pick up his cross and follow the example of Jesus Christ, by laying everything down, by not making your pursuit of worldly possessions your goal in life, but instead be willing to get to know the Savior of mankind with all your heart and soul, then the things that God will bring unto you will be able to meet not only your needs , but the needs of others because your heart will be free to give unto those who are less fortune than what you are.  The biggest thing that God is after is the heart of man because He wants relationship with us.  If we get our hearts aligned with Him and His way of doing things than we can enjoy life to the fullest because we will no longer be controlled by our sinful passions and desires and will live a life that is full of peace and joy in Him. 

Remember the two great commandments that Jesus Christ taught.  To love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul and your strength and your neighbor as yourself.  Love covers a multiple of sins and if we as the Church are going to be relevant in the world we live in today than we need to allow His love to permeate us and be the reason why we exist so that the power of the cross can be properly demonstrated in a world that is looking for an answer to its sufferings and the power of evil which is keeping them suppressed.   For all of man is yearning to know God and we as His body must be willing to lead the way to hope and freedom by laying down our lives so that His name and person will be lifted up so that all men will see and know of the hope of salvation that only comes through Jesus Christ.  Will you join me in this crusade?  The choice is yours.