In the midst of David’s journey, he cries out to the Lord in Ps.139:23 saying, “Search me, O God, and know my heart” David invites the Lord to check out the hidden most parts of his heart. He didn’t want there to be anything that would hinder his relationship and walk before the Lord. The next verse goes on to say, “see if there is any wicked way in me”. The words “wicked way” can also be defined “painful way”. I believe David had experienced and knew that followers of God will often go through hardships in life’s journey and become bruised and hurt along the way. These can ultimately open the doors for various negative affects in our walk with the Lord. Therefore, David was emphatic about not letting anything come in his life that would jeopardize his journey with the Lord.
Growing up in school sports like many, I remember that it was a yearly requirement to get you physical check up by your doctor before you could be released to participate in any activities. It wasn’t a long appointment, by no means but as I remember there were some specific things the doctor would check. They would first
It’s important that we frequently have a spiritual check up to see if we are healthy and growing in the Lord (tweet)
listen to your heart to see if there were any irregular rhythms. The blinding light in the eyes was one of the worst things he would do as he checked for any indications or alerting signs. It seemed almost as a police officer checking if a person is under any kind of influences. The doctor would continue his check up wrapping the blood pressure gauge on your upper arm, as well as taking my temperature. All of these simple and quick tests gave him an overview of our health and growth. The physical check up kept all of us in tune with our health keeping us from any serious danger.
How much more important is it that we frequently have a spiritual check up to see if we are healthy and growing in the Lord. We have all seen many people become
Have we become churches that are filled with the walking dead? God forbid! (tweet)
lax and even lethargic when it comes to continue in good spiritual health. The end result can be spiritual sickness or even a spiritual death. God wants us to be alive and Continue reading
Stranger things have happened, but the story we read in Gen 16 can definitely be counted among that category. We drop in on a story that started much earlier with the God of the universe putting a divine stamp or call on Abraham and his wife Sarah. God had called them out from among their own people to a land that they had not been and then downloads a promise that they are going to be blessed beyond measure (Gen 12:1-3), as well as, their own personal family to be numbered as the stars of the sky (Gen 15:5). In Gen 16:1-2, 4 we read, “…Abram’s wife, had borne him no children…” which at this point had been some time from God’s initial promise.
Trash talking and gutter gossip is nothing more than fruit from the pit of Hell! (Jas.3:1-12) and it seems to be such a big part of our society. We have TV shows and magazines solely dedicated around slander and gossip. It has always astounded me how different ones can constantly be involved with corrupt communication. In many communities of believers we even cloth it with religious jargon saying it’s a prayer request. But sadly there never seems to be the prayer just the gossip.
Many of the traditions or situations that we organize can cause young people to think that they are second-rate citizens. Whether it’s the “kids table” at Thanksgiving dinner or the youth section at the football game or even youth swim in the neighborhood pool. Young people can begin to think that they are being pushed aside and made to feel useless by the older generation.
In the midst of the quiet night my wife shot out of bed with a crying scream, “I am in so much pain”! Those who have experience a dry socket will immediately remember the excruciating pain it can cause. It was after my wife had finished getting a wisdom tooth pulled that she was released to go home and recover with the needed medication. Well, at the crack of dawn I was rushing her back to the dentist’s office because of the unbelievable pain she was in. It didn’t take long for the diagnosis of a dry socket to be made and dealt with.
Recently, at a local park I over heard a mother question her child and his friends if they were playing nice? Those words captured my thoughts back to a childhood memory of my own. Where my father had to sit my brother and I down after supper and had one of “Those” talks. My father had been concerned by what he had seen earlier that day when my older brother’s friends had been making fun of me in a derogative way with out any objection from my brother. My father with a tone of seriousness told us that there is never a time for family to side against one another. My father went on to say at all cost we should stick together and not side against each other. I know he was emphasizing the importance of a family bond. Many times we see this same scenario with the different age groups or even different generations. We forget we’re family and allow our differences to bring a collision of generations. It’s not a bad thing to think differently or have different strong or weak points. We must see the value of God’s gifts in each person. In 1 Kings 12, We see a tragic story where this type of limited thinking brought a great disastrous result. It was at the time of transition from the great king Solomon to his son Rehoboam now becoming King. It says in verse four that a representing group from the people came to the new young king asking, “Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.” Israel had gone through an incredible generation of building and prosperity under the former king. The people didn’t want to rebel but wanted to enjoy life for a while. It was a reasonable request don’t you think? King Rehoboam consulted with the older advisors of the former regime. These men had been a crucial part of the success and would surely know what to do. Their advice and counsel in verse 7 saying, “If you will be a servant to these people today… and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever” was abruptly rejected! The king then went to his childhood friends and peers and asked them what they would advise. Now these where probably friends that the king had played army with and chased girls and even boasted on what they would do when they grew up? We read their shockingly different advice in 1 Kings 12:11, where they tell the king to say, “now, whereas my father put a heavy yoke on you, I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scourges!'” It was an answer of arrogance and immaturity, yet the young king agreed with it. It was a collision of two generations that had long lasting results of epic proportions! The people were devastated and offended choosing to not follow the new king. This unwillingness to blend the thinking of two different generations caused a wall and great division. Verse 16 – 21 tells lets us know ten out of twelve tribes defected from king Rehoboam and chose their own likeminded king. In the next chapter we see this king leads this whole group astray from God. When the generations don’t “Play Nice” and value God’s gifting’s in each other it will lead people away from God!
Not only is the story of Abram fighting vultures away from his sacrifices captivating in Gen 15, but also has helped me in my walk with the Lord over the years. It demonstrates that we have a responsibility to keep our commitments to God as living sacrifices. This story in brief shows God revealing His promise to Abram through a covenant that both agree upon. Also in Deut. 7:9 Moses shares about God’s covenant, “Therefore know that … God (is) faithful … who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments”.
There is no greater exhilarating feeling than pushing yourself beyond the natural limit during the last seconds of a race. It’s as if every muscle and fiber in your body is working together to thrust forward to cross the finishing line first where with pulling off a victory.
Eager to get on the way, we loaded the car and began our journey. The crisp Sunday morning couldn’t have been any more perfect. We were scheduled to minister in a church on the south side of Chicago that morning. So we got an early start for the trip from Milwaukee, to insure plenty of time to get there.
Remember how you would tell your parents that all your friends are doing something so why can’t you do it? And your parents would sternly say as they looked at you, “If they were jumping off the cliff does that mean you should do it?” Even if you didn’t like when their answer was in the form of a question, it actually made sense. Didn’t it?
Are you a person who knows how to pray with expectant faith? In James 5:16–18, Elijah was not superhuman, but was an ordinary person like us. The scripture goes on to say that he prayed earnestly that it would not rain and for three and a half years it did not rain, not even one drop. Then, in verse 18 it says, “He prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.”
Most people would agree that the Welsh Revival was a revival of prayer. Often the meetings would go for hours without any type of teaching or singing, only with prayer and travail. God used a young man named Evan Roberts as His instrument, who was a true intercessor and a man of prayer.
Have you ever tried to climb a mountain and felt as though your heart was going to pound through your chest? If you’re like me the answer is more times than I’d like to remember. One of those times was when I was returning back to my parent’s ranch, which is settled in the midst of the beautiful Rocky Mountains. I had decided to climb one of the peaks that I had conquered many times growing up. Whether it was self-deception or a shortage of oxygen that made me think I was in shape enough to start
Bill Virgin Blog - Leave room for Cream 