Leftovers

Leftovers are not always a bad thing- we think of leftovers as yesterday’s dinner, something used up and passed down...a TV that you have to change the channel with a pair of pliers, but I submit to you today that leftovers, in God’s sight, are not a bad thing at all. In God's eyes, He is always trying to get us to the point of being the leftovers of His eternal purpose. What I am saying is this, when God sends us through a process, what's left-over is someone that is better than they were before they entered the process. When a man produces leftovers, whatever is left has been subtracted from and used up; but when God produces leftovers, whatever is left has generally been touched by Him and has been proven to be genuine.

There is a message in Zechariah 13:8, 9 that stuck with me and I want to share it with you. The scripture reads:

8“It will come about in all the land,”
Declares the LORD,
“That two parts in it will be cut off and perish;
But the third will be left in it.

9“And I will bring the third part through the fire,
Refine them as silver is refined,
And test them as gold is tested.
They will call on My name,
And I will answer them;
I will say, ‘They are My people,’
And they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’”

To put this scripture in context, Zechariah is prophesying in a post-exilic Jerusalem during the rebuilding of the temple. The issue of impurity is present and God says in verses 1-5 of this same chapter that he is getting ready to purge the land by cutting off the names of idols and driving out the false prophet and the unclean spirit. Sometimes, God purges using fire, a universal symbol for purification. God uses fire to get to the leftovers. Fire does three things: 1. Identifies 2. Purifies and 3. Glorifies

Fie Identifies (Verse 8)

Recall fiery tongues identified the disciples of Jesus at Pentecost, John said that Jesus was coming and was going to baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire! Fire identifies in that it separates the sheep from the goats! Peter 2:9 says that God knows how to deliver the righteous from trial and punish the wicked-at the same time– so we see in verse 8 that although the entire land was burning, only 2/3 actually perished. Fire distinguished the righteous from the wicked. The righteous were God's leftovers.

If we were to apply this to our lives, in the fire, the righteous will see God for who He really is AND understand that this fire has purpose! God works all things together for my good…so although it is hot, I’m alright because I know that God is ultimately GOOD!  I also understand that He will not give me any more than I can bear.  On the other hand, the wicked will see God as the judge-if you are outside of Christ the fire is different for you!

What we can conclude is this: the wicked and righteous might be in an identical situation- and the wicked man will curse God and die whereas the righteous man will give God glory for being a deliverer! What we also see is the same fire having two different purposes: The fire for the wicked is punishment--- BUT for the righteous is purification and what’s left is holy! In Isaiah 1:25, God says, "I will turn my hand against you; I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities."

Fire Purifies (Verse 9a)

If we read the A clause of verse 9, we see that after the 2/3 has perished, what's left, a 1/3 remnant,  is dealt with by fire and the fire has two intended purposes: 1. Refine and 2. Test

Refining is designed to burn off the mess and to get us to the place that God desires for us to be. Refining is a purification process. Fire from a chemistry standpoint, causes a chemical change. A physical change simply means putting on a new outfit but burning reduces anything into its basic elements. Fire for the ones that love God- is designed to bring about a chemical change- to reduce us to our basic elements. Fire removes all of the pretenses and causes a spiritual change in such a way that what I was when I went into the fire is not what I am when I come out of the fire.

Malachi 3:3 says that Jesus is like a refiner’s fire and a fuller’s soap who comes to purify the priests!  Isaiah 61:6 says you will be called PRIESTS of the LORD!  Under the New Covenant, the one in Jesus’s blood, 1 Peter 2:5 says that we are a royal priesthood; we are the ones that proclaim the excellence of God! We cannot proclaim God's excellence in impurity therefore the fire is used to purify us!  Christians are constantly being conformed into the image of Christ.  We were created in God's image, however, the image was marred in the garden of Eden.  God had an eternal plan in place to repair the image.  Every fire moves us a little closer to holiness- and repairs the image incrementally.  Therefore, what is left over after the fire is the image restored and not the image deformed. The fire brings all of the mess to the top---the dross---God skims it off and what’s left is holy!

Testing is simply this: the leftovers must be examined and found to be sure! Peter says (1 Peter 1:7) that our faith, which is more precious than gold, must be tested and found to be genuine! It’s one thing to say we have faith but it something else to demonstrate that faith while enduring suffering! God is trying to move us to holiness, to a place where I no longer view Him as an outsider- but an insider, living inside of me (Holy Ghost) and moving me closer to Him through the fire- the more fires that I walk through with Him, the more I trust Him! So the fire separates and identifies those that are committed to holiness as opposed to those that reject to God.

Fire Glorifies (Verse 9b)

In the fire: I will learn to call on His name. In the fire, I will learn that God is trustworthy because when I call on His name, the text says, He will answer! I will learn to give God praise even though the predicament that I am in has me confounded, perplexed and tired- wishing that this was over. But if God sends the fire or if God ALLOWS the fire, God will take us through the fire! I don’t have to avoid the fire because God gives grace when we need it most. God says, “My grace is sufficient.”!

The fire in this text came as a result of sin in the land- God was purging the land! The whole land was on fire but not everything in the land was burned up! God’s grace is unlimited and all of us need it.  If you are confounded by the fire that you are experienceing and wondering "why am I going through this?", consider this: although we do not live in sin (i.e. practice sin) anymore, we will still see trouble in this lifetime!  We have to deal with cancer, heart trouble, money issues, credit issues, marriage issues, etc.  Simply put, being saved does not exempt us from trouble but it does give us some options on how we deal with trouble! Grace allows us to glorify God while I am in a fiery situation. If you notice in the text, it is the ones that love God, the remnant, the leftovers that were the ones that were subjected to the fire for an even longer period of time. God is saying to us, "I will bring you THROUGH the fire, I will not lift you above it, I will not quench it, I will not douse it…I will bring you through it!"

If we recall the Hebrew boys (Daniel 3), when Nebuchadnezzar had them thrown into a furnace heated seven times hotter than normal, we should also recall his reaction to what he witnessed. He said (paraphrasing), "We threw three in but I see four now, unbound, unharmed--- and one looks like a son of the gods!" We need to understand that Jesus is in the fire with us and when that is the case, there is no smoke, no burning, not even the residue of being in a fire…just glory to God for the great things that He has done!

What we see from this scripture is this: God's leftovers are good because He has dealt with the raw material in order to produce something that is pleasing to Him. I'm ok with being God's leftovers. I was once sick with sin, but the blood of Jesus covered me and I became leftovers- no longer the sick person that went into the fire but a changed person after the fire. All of us are going to hit patches where we feel like we cannot go on-- I submit to you that not only can you go on, those rough patches are designed to humble us and bring us closer to God.  Find the lesson that the fire is trying to teach.  If God is currently dealing with you and purging you, submit to His process! His leftovers are blessed, holy and sanctified-- and I'm ok with that.  God's grace and peace be upon you.

The Paradox of Being Lost

It is common to hear people, especially those that are confused or those that are on a "journey", say that they are trying to "find" themselves.  This journey to "finding" of oneself is usually filled with all types of asinine pursuits, foolish relationships and bad choices.  Finding yourself is usually that period of time that we are alienated from God and are looking for some type of purpose in life.  I have been on this quest to "find" myself and realized that outside of Jesus, the pursuit of your true identity is futile.  Jesus Christ replaces that old identity with an identity that is inherited from Him and is constantly being conformed to His image.

Luke 9:24 says that the one that tries to "find" his life or "save" his life will lose it.  That's a simple statement.  When we are trying to "find" ourselves, we are in effect trying to save our own lives.  We are trying to ensure that some defining trait is maintained or we are trying to develop a sense of who we are so that the world will recognize us.  Jesus says, point blank, this is folly and will only end up leading to death.  The life that we are seeking to save and find outside of Christ is, for all intents and purposes, worthless.

Jesus follows up the a clause f Luke 9:24 with an even greater statement: "however, the one that loses his life on my account, while save it to eternal life."  Here, the same word for lose is used which alludes to two things: 1. If my physical life is destroyed on the account of my relationship with Christ, I will be ok and 2. My life does not belong to me, it belongs to Christ.  My identity is with Christ and therefore, the life that  I am trying to find cannot actually be found- Christ must indeed find me.  The bible says in Galatians 6:14 that as Christians, we are crucified to the world and the world is crucified to us. 

Can you see the paradox?  Trying to save your life, trying to find yourself and live independently of Christ will result in the exact opposite.  As bad as you might want it and as bad as you desire to be autonomous, apart from Christ we are doomed to a life of mediocrity and death.  However, the one that will lose his life...this one will prosper.  This one will inherit eternal life because not only have they identified with Jesus, they have forsaken their own identity to do so.  When we forsake all else for the sake of the cross, we become lost to those that do not understand the power of God in Christ.  We become an aroma of death and a stinch (2 Cor 3:15,16) to those that are perishing trying to hold on to their last bit of themselves. 

The paradox here is that if I find myself, then I am lost- but if I am lost for the sake of Christ, then I am found.  If I try to preserve my own life in this world, I forego the preservation that God offers through Christ.  The bible says in 1 Tim 4:10 that God is the Savior, i.e. the physical and spiritual sustainer of all men, especially of believers.  Why would I give up the riches of God's grace in order to chase the dragon of "self"?  I would much rather be lost in Christ and to be found in the world.     

Therefore, the quest for my existence, should end with Christ.  It should not end trying to become one with myself, looking for Zen or feng shui or "inner peace" but it should end with me realizing that there is nothing redemptive within me.  All redemption and validation comes from Jesus.  If you are reading this and you are on that quest to become one with yourself and to maintain the status quo, consider this, you will never be as satisfied with yourself and you will be with Jesus.  Get off the hamster wheel and lose your life for Christ.  God's grace and peace be upon you.

Sideswiped

I try to edify myself and refresh myself on a daily basis by reading my bible (I don't always succeed here, smile), listening to uplifting Christian music, and listening to good, theologically sound Christian ministries.  I often listen to Family Talk radio, Sirius XM 131, and, politics aside, there are several excellent ministries on this station.  I was listening on Friday and I listened to Jack Graham, the son of evangelist Billy Graham.  I admire Dr. Billy Graham for his evangelistic efforts and I am also very fond of his son, Jack.  I try to catch him in the mornings, although the kids usually overrule me and get to listen to Kids Place Live, also on XM. 

Friday morning, Dr. Graham was preaching from a series that he has been doing on the culture of America and how the culture runs counter to the Word of God.  I have no disagreement with Dr. Graham here at all.  I too believe that pop-culture is antithetical to the gospel of Jesus Christ and to the principles set forth in God's Word.  His sermon Friday dealt with man being created for paradise.  He spoke from Genesis 2 and he was building a very convincing case.  I did not disagree with him at all, but there was on particular comment that was troubling to me and you can listen to the message yourself here (Life in Paradise, Jack Graham). 

The argument that Dr. Graham was making was against the humanistic worldview that man is inherently good.  Christians that understand the fall of man also understand that nothing is further from the truth.  Man is not good but evil.  Man, according to Psalm 51:5 is inherently evil, born into sin.  Man is birthed into a sinful world and our initial propensity is toward sin, not toward God.  Man has to be called out of sin, redeemed from death and called into a renewed and reconciled relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  There is no other way for man to reconcile with the Father except through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.  Then we can be born again, not in sin but in the newness of life.

With that being said, and with the understanding that men are born evil, Pastor Graham went on to say this.  I want to directly quote him so that there is no misunderstanding of my ensuing argument against what he said in his message(beginning at about 15:00). 

"Man was perfect sociologically.  Man was in a perfect environment. He placed him, according to verse 15, in the Garden of Eden.  Today there is a worldview that man is basically good...that you elevate him, that you educate him, get him in the proper environment and he will succeed and that's what we need to do...and millions of dollars spent on attempting to get people elevated and successful in life, out of the ghettos and so on and out of the poverty of our times and so on...and elevated.  But the fact is, we tend to blame our circumstances, our background, our genetic pool or whatever rather than understanding in the very beginning that God is teaching us that he placed man in a perfect environment in the Garden of Eden  and yet even in a perfect environment man chose to rebel against God."



I have no beef with the premise of Dr. Graham's argument.  What he said is essentially true, that even in perfection man chose to rebel rather than to serve God.  Man was also tempted into rebellion, which is a point that Dr. Graham did not emphasize...but ultimately, the choice was man's to agree to the temptation.  That's not what I disagree with at all. 

What I did not like was his assertion that  "elevating, educating and getting man into the proper environment" is somehow a bad thing.  Getting people out of the ghettos and out of poverty is somehow bad?  He also seems to insinuate that those "millions of dollars" have been wasted "trying" to elevate folks that have blamed their circumstances and their genetic pools.  I can't help but think that this is a swipe at a particular ethnic group and although he may not have even intended it that way- that's how it came out.  Someone with a discerning ear would catch that in a heartbeat.  His intention was to show that even in spite of Adam being in a perfect place spiritually and sociologically, he still sinned.  One could easily gather from his thought that if Adam was in a perfect place and still fell, why waste time trying to change the sociological status of men/women that are in imperfect places- they won't "change" and it won't make a difference.    He did highlight that Adam was created in perfection earlier in the sermon, and we cannot fail to make that point.  Adam was not born, he was created, and he was not created sinful but he was created in perfection.  We could argue about what point Adam became sinful, etc., but that is a totally separate issue. 

What Pastor Graham missed is this.  He conflated two issues to make his point and in doing so he ended up weakening his argument.  The two issues that he mixed up are: 1. Socioeconomic equality so that one is able to "do" good versus 2. a spiritual disparity in man so that one is able to "be" good.  Those two issues do not mix.  If you look around, there is evidence that, when the socioeconomic playing field is leveled, there really is no difference in ability between those of different "genetic pools".  Circumstances can indeed play a huge role in the outcome of how a person makes choices, how they live, their self-esteem, their ability to get a quality education, their ability to achieve, even if a person never blames said circumstances.  The reality is, the conditions exist and do indeed influence those that live in them. 

Through court decisions like Brown vs Board of Education ruling, through constitutional amendments like the 13th and 14th amendments, attempts have been made to level the socioeconomic playing field such that African-Americans are given the same opportunities as their cultural counterparts.  Efforts to get rid of Jim Crow laws and Dred Scott mentalities, voter suppression, and questions like "how many bubbles are in a bar of soap" that were asked to African-American voters to ultimately deny them the right to vote, have been sustained but gains are still not where they should be.  Through the struggles of the Civil Rights movement which led to programs like "affirmative action", "equal opportunity" etc., we have tried and had some success in getting equal recognition for ALL human beings, regardless of the color of their skin.  To make light of the situation by relegating it to someone "blaming" their circumstances and "blaming their genetic pool" is a little offensive and I think he could have made the same argument a different way.  I would venture to say that those "millions of dollars" are not enough!  Per capita, the amount of money spent in school districts that are predominately African-American pales in comparison to that of our cultural counterparts.  While there are some that abuse programs like welfare, there are many that have benefitted and many that do not desire to simply remain on welfare, but that look for a way out by educating themselves, learning a skill or a trade, or pursuing other means of bettering their situations. 

Without understanding the jumpstart that white-America has had based on several hundred years of oppression of black-America and several hundred years of forced, free labor and several hundred years of racial discrimination, there is really no way to discuss the socioeconomic plight of those of a particular gene pool.  You will never reach a common ground with anyone that fails to recognize the disparity in resources and in opportunity between one gene pool and the other gene pool that has existed from the inception of this country.

While I respect Pastor Graham a great deal, I think he would have been better served to use a different illustration than the one that he used.  He would have been better served to highlight not just the ones that "blame their circumstances" but also the ones that helped to create said circumstances through evil, malicious, greedy motives based on the principle that all men were not created equal. 

There are scriptures that could be used to support the argument that wherever you are, that's where you should stay.  This is a different issue, but it is relevant to the discussion of "elevating a man to better conditions."  1 Corinthians 7: 17, 20, 24 all say that each one is to "remain with God in that condition in which he was called."  Whatever your social status is, remain there and operate in God's grace.  But Paul makes a point to tell the slave that if they were called while a slave, do not worry about it- BUT if you are able to become free, rather do that.  What Paul is saying here is that if an opportunity to better yourself is present, take it.  Here we see that this scripture is not discounting upward social mobility, but it is simply saying that we should not use our salvation or "new existence" as an excuse to change our social status. The "name it and claim it" crowd loves to do exactly this, say that because you are saved you should automatically be moved into a penthouse with the finest of everything. Nothing is further from the truth.  It is no different than Joseph being elevated in Pharaoh's house or the Israelites going to Canaan in Numbers 14, when Joshua and Caleb returned with a good report.  Joshua and Caleb based their confidence on the fact that God assured them victory- they had faith that although giants were indeed in the land, God was on their side and they could not lose.  If anyone entrusts their future to God, God is faithful and will not leave nor forsake the one that trusts in Him.  God was getting ready to change the condition of those that had been enslaved but were now free.  He did so at his own discretion and at His own pleasure.   

What cannot be mistaken is that we do not determine our lot in life, God does and just as He determines it, He can also change it.  The bible says that one that humbles himself will be exalted and one that exalts himself will be humbled (Luke 14:11).  As long as we operate with the understanding that it is God that exalts and God that humbles, as long as we seek God's kingdom first, then we can live a life that glorifies God regardless of our circumstances. 

Pastor Graham's message, in my eyes, was slightly diminished by his statement but his overall message was very solid.  We were created to live in perfection and in perfect unity and harmony with the Father.  We were created for His good pleasure, to worship Him and to fellowship with Him.  Sin caused the playing field for the entire human race to be skewed toward evil.  That's why we saw evil men walk seemingly victorious and triumphant in their evil deeds- because sin and the author of sin, Satan, reigned in the earth.  Despots like the slave traders, like Hitler, Mussolini, Saddam Hussein or even Bin Laden operated with impunity because of Satan's position as the "prince of the air" but God has remained in control and was not asleep at the wheel. 

God sent the remedy for sin in Christ, who paid the price for our sins and for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2) and for those that accept that payment, we are able to join a different gene pool where race, ethnicity, gender or color no longer matter (Galatians 3:28) - we are able to all become heirs to the inheritance that God has promised us through Christ (Ephesians 1:11).  We are able to be children of God and our prior genetics don't factor into God's will!  He called us through the kindness of His will, not because of where we live or what our social status is and through His Spirit, we are able to become New Creatures (2 Cor 5:17) no longer slaves to sin and to the "old man".  Thank God for His grace and for His mercy.  Thank God that He does not judge us based on anything else except for Christ- and whether we stand with Him or against Him.  If you are unsaved and reading this, my question is this: Have you accepted your new genes?  If not, God is willing and waiting to exchange your old genes for those that are infused with Christ's DNA- and He is willing and waiting to grow you, develop you and conform you to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ, regardless of what gene pool you are from.  God's grace and peace be upon you.

Satan the Pervert

Satan is a total pervert.  By definition, a pervert is one that corrupts something from its intended purpose.  Clean jokes get perverted all the time.  Seemingly innocuous statements become sexual innuendo because of the perversion of someone's mind.  Satan is one that tries to pervert that which is pure and cause it to be profane.  When Job was "on trial", Satan tried to pervert God's justice and cause God to punish Job unjustly but God did not take the bait.

Satan's perversions can be seen everywhere.  Pornography is a perversion of sexual purity.  God intended sex to be enjoyed between a husband and a wife.  It is meant to be mutually beneficial and enjoyed by both parties.  The porn industry, on the other hand, objectifies one party in favor of the other, they reduce sex to a quick fix, they promote promiscuity, fornication and all manners of sexual immorality.  Pornography has been the downfall of many married men that have lusted after the images displayed on the computer or TV screen or depicted in the pages of dirty magazines.  Coming from someone that has dealt with a porn addiction, those images are hard to get rid of.  The whole idea of using a woman for your own selfish desires and to treat them as a piece of meat is a perversion of the intimate, selfless relationship that God intended for man and wife.

Satan has even perverted the weather.  Perfection reigned until sin entered the world.  Now, the chaos that we see in the environment mirrors the chaos that is in the world as a result of sin.  The weather and the natural events that occur are even in rebellion.  Tornadoes spring up and kill hundreds of people with no warning.  Tsunamis wash away entire cities.  Hurricanes come ashore and blow down houses, flood streets and destroy electrical infrastructure.  Satan takes something that God intended for good and causes it to rebel, thus corrupting it and causing it to act contrary to its purpose.

Satan tried to pervert the plan of God by tempting Jesus to worship him.  He waited until an opportune moment and then came when Jesus was at his weakest point.  That's when he tried to tempt Jesus and that's when we see how to deal with Satan's lies and his tricks...use the Word of God against his lies.  That's why it is important to have God's word written on our hearts! 

Satan tried to pervert the priesthood (See Ezekiel 34) by causing the shepherds to feed on the flock versus feeding the flock.  Ezekiel indicates that the priests made themselves fat off of the flock rather than being servants of the flock.  The priesthood in and of itself was not corrupt, but the people that were a part of the priesthood were corrupted.  God understood this and because of this, in eternity He made up His mind to replace the high priest with the true High Priest (Hebrews 4) and the priests with a new, holy priesthood (1 Peter 2) that are made holy through the finished work at Calvary of the High Priest, Jesus Christ.

Our bodies are also in rebellion because of the perversion of Satan.  Cells multiply too rapidly and become cancer.  Children are born with genetic defects, deformities and health problems that and leave us wondering why a child would have to enter the world with a challenge from the outset of life.  Sickness is everywhere.  The devil is a master at taking what God created and trying to use it to kill us.  Take, for instance, when Jesus and the disciples were in the boat on the Sea of Galilee (See Luke 8) and that storm came out of nowhere.  Well, the tempest that showed up can bee seen as an ambush of sorts because Jesus and the disciples would later encounter a man possessed with 2000 demons.  He was eventually set free from demonic oppression and went on to become an evangelist in the Decapolis.  That storm, from the water that God created, was intended to stop this man's deliverance- but notice, Jesus spoke to the winds and the waves...and they OBEYED!

This we know, regardless of the ferocity or the perverseness of Satan- when Jesus speaks, even the most perverse event is abated and must obey the words of our Lord.  When the words "The Lord Rebuke you Satan (Zechariah 3)" are spoken, Satan has no choice but to tuck his tail between his legs and go.  Whether it is the weather, cancer or some other illness, whatever it is has to give way to the command of Christ!  That is good news for those of us suffering from illness, those of us affected by different issues, those of us that have had recent problems with Hurricane Sandy etc.  Jesus is still the Master even though Satan seems to be in control.  The devil is nothing more than a glorified landlord and one day, Jesus is going to kick him out of the house and restore everything back to where God the Father intended it to be from the beginning.  Jesus has already taken away the keys of death and Hades when He got up from the grave and when He returns, everything will be made perfect.  There will be no more tears and there will be no more perversion of what God created in holiness and in perfection!  Thank you Jesus for sitting on the throne and thank you that the pervert will soon be put in his place.

The Open Road

I am writing this to share a testimony.  On Sunday morning I was travelling back from Mobile to Montgomery.  I left Mobile at 5:30am to ensure that I got back in time to teach Sunday School.  I hadn't made plans to be absent, I did not notify the superintendent that I wouldn't be there and I even cut my time with my family short so that I could prepare my lesson.

I have been teaching about Paul's journey to Rome (Read Acts 22 through 28 to get the big picture) and how he encountered so much opposition in his quest to get there.  He was beaten, he was tried by the Jerusalem council, tried by Felix the Governor, Agrippa the King, shipwrecked, snakebitten and finally he got a chance to get to Rome- although the bible never records that he spoke to Caesar, he did get a chance to preach freely although he was under house arrest.  There is are several underlying currents to this story: 1. God's plan is totally unstoppable 2. God's grace is totally unlimited and 3. Although we are all endowed with a mission from God, we do not know what they journey will be like to carry that mission out.

So, with that lesson in mind, I will finish my story about the trip.  My daughter was sound asleep in the back seat, my gospel music was sounding sweet and all of a sudden, about 80 miles into the trip...traffic came to a complete stop!  I looked at my watch and it was about 7am.  Traffic was so bad that people were getting out of their cars and jogging over to the rest area to relieve themselves and walking back to find their cars in the exact same place.  One guy's truck's battery went dead and he got a jump off right there in front of me!  I called my wife and I am on the verge of spazzing out because Sunday School started at 9am and I wanted to go home, change clothes and then go back to church.  The time ticked and we moved up enough for me to see some red flashing lights on the horizon.  Obviously there had been an accident and I am thinking now, "I am not going to make it to Sunday School."  I send the superintendent a text message and asked her to pray that the lanes on the road would open up. 

At about 8:00 am, traffic finally started moving.  I passed the rest area and saw cars lined up trying to get back onto the interstate.  I was roughly 86 miles from my exit with one hour to get there and I was not about to be the "courteous" driver and let 10 cars come over in front of me.  The miraculous thing was this, as I drove up, those emergency vehicles that were on the horizon were absolutely gone!  It was as if they vanished into thin air.  Because I commute about 100 miles round trip every day to work and I have seen a ton of accidents on the road, I know that it takes WAY longer than one hour to clean up an accident.  Traffic was backed up for at least two miles and all of a sudden, the lights were no longer flashing and we were driving along...and as I picked up speed, I noticed that I was not slowing down or having to use my brakes because everything was moving very smoothly.  Where did the emergency vehicles go?  Where did the accident go?  What happened?

I am a firm believer that IF God has a message for even one person, that nothing is going to stop that.  The bible says in Isaiah 43:13 that when God acts, no one or no thing can reverse it.  I am in no way trying to say that I am so special or that someone else couldn't have taught the lesson but I simply want to give thanks to God for getting me to my destination safely and for opening up a situation that was stagnant and threatening to keep me stranded on the highway.  God's grace is sufficient, even in spite of our doubts.  I was doubting that I would make it on time.  Although I was about 10 minutes late, I did get there, I did teach the lesson and I do believe that God was glorified.

Here is the take home message, do not doubt God when things look bleak or things look as if they won't work out.  The bible says that God works all things together for good for those that love the Lord and that are called according to His purpose.  I learned a valuable lesson sitting there on the interstate, never doubt, never fear because God is awesome and whatever God has prepared for us, He is faithful and will deliver it.  I know that it is human to doubt but faith is divine and faith comes from God!  Whenever we walk in faith, we please God.  Some of you are facing some situations were you are stranded on the interstate with an assignment in front of you...let me encourage you to remember that once God acts, no one can reverse it.  Once God says go, once He flips the on switch, there is no one that turn it off.  Continue in grace and peace.

In Total Shock

So I am on my evening commute home and listening to Al Sharpton on MSNBC.  I'm at a red light and a commercial comes on that I quickly write off as a spoof.  Then it came on again and I quickly realized that it was a serious advertisement for a serious company.  The commercial featured an African-American man asking Santa Claus for a special gift...a mistress!  He says, "it's been a while Santa, I need a mistress for Christmas."  I was floored.

Ashley Madison is a company that promises that any married person can get hooked up with someone and have an affair.  They promise discretion and they promise that you can find someone with no problem.  I don't even know where to begin.  I was so shocked, I drove all the way home with my mouth open in disbelief.  Their slogan is "Life is short...have an affair."  Wow.  I mean there are no other words but...wow.

Let's see, biblically, marriage is the first institution, coming before the church was even established.  Marriage is the analogy that God uses to describe His relationship to His people.  Marriage is the analogy that Christ uses to illustrate His relationship to the church.  I mean, marriage is SACRED.  It's actually the one thing left in the world that actually means something to people.  Yet, this company has chosen to dismiss all of these things and set up a business that is in the business of breaking up marriages.  They tout the fact that you can find someone to meet your needs, someone that will listen to you, someone that matches up with you.  My advice to you if you are married and your needs are not being met...it's time for you and your spouse to have a meeting and lay EVERYTHING on the table.  Before going out seeking fulfillment outside of the marriage bed, find out what the problem is and why the fire has gone out.  Bringing that other man or woman into your situation is Satan's trap for you and won't benefit anyone.  It will only cause sorrow for the wife, husband and children if there are any.  Something else to consider, you might be the reason that the fire has gone out...it might not have anything to do with your spouse.  The best way to keep a marriage healthy is to constantly be working on yourself and making sure that you are constantly walking in love.  We have to always be evaluating ourselves and making adjustments so that we are the best possible person that we can be.

The bible says this in Hebrews 13:4, "Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous..."  Marriage is to be held in HONOR among ALL- married and unmarried.  The marriage bed is to be undefiled.  There is no room for a third person to fit into any marriage.  The final statement is enough to cause this website and any like it to shut down- God's judgment will be upon the sexually immoral and the adulterous.  That's very plain and simple.  Jesus even went so far as to say that even lusting after a person, without even committing the act, is just as bad as committing the act of adultery. 

Quite simply, this website is leading people into sinful relationships and causing married folks to have sinful desires.  That temptation is serious and this is just beyond bad.  How can anyone be so wicked as to lure a married person to sin.  But this shouldn't be a shock because the prince of the air, Satan, is in firm control of the media, the airwaves, the music industry, etc. 

Ok, so if you're reading this and you've considered visiting Ashley Madison or you've already been there, my prayer is this: That God would deliver you from the lustful desires of your heart.  Their slogan says a lot about what they think of their patrons.  "Life is short...have an affair."  The more appropriate thing to say is this, life is short...have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?  Life is short...are you encouraging one another as we see the day approaching (Hebrews 10:25)?  Life is short...Jesus is coming back like a thief in the night (1 Thess 5:2)...will you be ready?  Life is short...are you living a life that glorifies God (Ephesians 4:1, Colossians 1:10)?  They are absolutely right, life is short but that's no reason to have an affair.  It is, however, a very good reason to have a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus.

Momentary Atheism

Proverbs 3:5-6 says this: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path."  These are wise words from King Solomon and words that every Christian must live by.  To trust in the Lord with all of our hearts is a daunting task.  We get weary, we get worn down and we carry burdens that are, at times, unbearable.  However difficult things get, we are still supposed to trust God above all else.  Many times, we let the flesh or the physical man win out and we end up as momentary atheists.  This term came from a good friend of mine, Brother Ken Moore.  We were sitting in bible study and talking about worry and he said, "worry is momentary atheism" and I totally agree.  It is a fitting euphemism for those of us that place circumstances above our God!  We forget that God works all things to the good, we forget that God is the Sovereign Ruler of the universe, we forget that God can simply think about us and things change!  Most of all, we forget that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father and that there is nothing that comes to us that hasn't come through Them! 

Jesus had sage advice for the worrier- he says the phrase "do not worry" or "don't be worried" five times in 10 verses through Matthew 6:25-34.  Worrying won't add an hour to our lives, but it can actually take years off because of the stress that it causes.  Worrying won't change our circumstances, but it can actually make them worse because of the stress that it causes.  Worrying won't put food on the table, but it can cause you to lose your appetite because of the stress that it causes.  Worrying about tomorrow won't change what tomorrow holds because tomorrow has enough trouble of its own.  These are words from the Lord of glory and we would be wise to take heed to them.

Lest I sound like a hypocrite, I have been worried about things.  I have stressed over situations and I have had moments of "momentary atheism".  My worry made my problems bigger than my God and that was an even bigger problem than the problem that I had!  Try saying that three times fast.  My worry caused me to spaz out on my family, to snap at my kids and my wife and it caused me immense physical stress.  Then I had a moment alone with God where He spoke peace to my soul.  Once I remembered WHO GOD WAS and that I actually had a relationship with Him through Jesus, my worries dissipated and my faith went to work!  God spoke plainly when He said for me to live in faith and not in fear.  That's why Paul's words mean so much when he says that we walk by faith and not by sight.  Walking by sight creates emergencies for us and rather than understanding that God has already fixed them, we bug out and start trying to solve the problem ourselves.

Having an unyielding trust in an all powerful God is essential to the Christian walk.  When those moments of doubt and worry come up, remind yourself that God's name is Jireh, the great provider.  Remember that His name is Nissi, the banner in battle.  His name is Shalom, the peace that surpasses all understanding.  Be blessed and please keep me in prayer.  I will do the same for you!