February 15- Get Thee Behind Me, Satan

A young seminary couple struggling financially developed a budget and agreed to live within the numbers they had proposed.  As the young wife went out to pick up the weekly groceries she passed by a window that displayed a dress she had wanted to buy.  The devil whispered in her ear, “That dress would look good on you!”  Knowing she couldn’t afford it she thought, “What harm will it do to just go look?”  As she made her way into the store she found the dress to which she heard the devil say again, “Go ahead and try it on, that dress would look good on you!”  She thought, “It won’t hurt to try it on” so she did.  Once she tried it on she stood in front of the mirror and Satan whispered once again, “Go ahead and buy the dress, it looks good on you!”  At that point she realized she was being tempted and shouted, “Get thee behind me Satan!”

When she came home with the dress she told her husband what had happened.  Frustrated he asked, “If you told Satan to get behind you, how did you end up buying the dress?”  The wife said, “When I told him to get behind me, Satan said the dress looked good back there too.”

Satan will work at every angle to make you fall. Be cautious when tempted for it leads to sin and ultimately death.  Remember, every word out of his mouth is a lie. His goal for you is to separate you from God.  Do not listen to anything he has to say.

What makes resisting temptation so difficult for many people is they don’t won’t to discourage it completely” – Benjamin Franklin

February 14- The Blessings of Being Barren

The word “barren” is not a very uplifting word. It represents infertility, lifelessness, and emptiness.  In Scripture whenever the word barren is used it always speaks of despair.  But have you ever considered that God uses empty things to bring about His goodness?

God used empty space to create everything- literally, out of nothing He made the universe.  God used two empty tablets in the hands of Moses to give us the Ten Commandments.  God used an empty barrel at the widow’s house to supply food for Elijah.  God used empty pitchers in the hand of Gideon to defeat the Midianites.  God used empty pots at the wedding of Cana of Galilee to turn water into wine.  God used the empty nets of Simon Peter to catch a great multitude of fish.  God used an empty tomb to bring hope and salvation to lost man.

God took the barren womb of Sarai and gave us Isaac.  God took the barren womb of Rebekah and gave us Esau and Jacob.  God took the barren womb of Rachel and gave us the twelve tribes of Israel.  God took the barren womb of Hannah and gave us Solomon, the great prophet and priest.  God took the barren womb of Elisabeth and gave the world John the Baptist.  God is in the business of taking empty lives and empty people and filling them with His power and glory.  God uses barrenness to bring blessings.  Sometimes God empties us just so He can fill us again!

He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children” – Psalm 113:9

February 13- Four Seconds Past Midnight

In 2011 an Iron Man Competition took place in Kona, Hawaii.  The Iron Man consists of a 2.4-mile swim in the open water, followed by a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile marathon run.  You have 17 hours to finish the course with midnight being the deadline.  Nancy Summers, a 50 year-old grandmother was selected out of a lottery system to compete in the marathon.

The documentary of Nancy Summers tracked every mile in her journey.  She swam in the open waters with enthusiasm and strength; she then launched onto her bike and crossed 112 miles of mountainous terrain; finally she began her 26.2 mile course on foot.  With every step midnight was quickly approaching.  Exhausted and fatigued she crossed the finish line.  As she fell to the ground she heard someone say, “That poor woman, she missed it by 4 seconds!”  She finished the race with an official time of 17 hours and 4 seconds.  Unfortunately she could not officially be considered an Iron Man because she crossed the finish line too late.

Many people are spiritually like Nancy Summers- they are so close to heaven, yet they will cross the deadline too late.  Although they finish their course, their names are not officially recorded because they fail to trust Christ as Savior.  Four seconds into eternity is too late to make a decision about following Him.

We will have all eternity to celebrate our victories, but only one swift hour before the sunset to win them” – Robert Mofatt

February 12- The Psalm or the Shepherd?

Actor Charles Laughton attended a Christmas party with his family in London one year.  The host of the party asked everyone if they would be so kind to recite their favorite passage or poem that would coincide with the spirit of Christmas.  When it came to Laughton’s turn he quoted Psalm 23 with great dignity and poise.  Everyone applauded graciously and the host continued calling on people to participate.

The last person to take part was the elderly aunt of the host.  She had fallen asleep during the course of the evening and had no idea what was going on.  Once aroused, she slowly stood before the crowd and with a broken-voice recited Psalm 23.  Everyone was moved to tears by her discourse.  Charles Laughton received applause for his interpretation, but the elderly aunt moved the room emotionally.  Someone asked Laughton why such a different response to the same passage to which he replied, “I know the psalm; but she knows the Shepherd.”

There is a difference in head knowledge and heart knowledge when it comes to our relationship with Christ.  There are many who quote Scripture, memorize liturgy, and understand doctrine; but knowing about God is not a substitute for knowing God.  Do you know the psalm, or do you know the Shepherd?

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” – David

February 11- The Last Piece of Paper

Recently I wanted to print out a couple of recent sermons and realized I was almost out of paper. The tray in my printer only had one piece of paper left; and so I did what anyone else would do- I grabbed about 50-60 sheets and put it on top of the one piece of paper in the tray.  After placing the new stack of paper on top of the one single piece of paper I paused to think about how long that one piece of paper had actually been in the tray. Probably it had been there for some time. The only time I see it or even recognize it is when I am low, and it simply serves as a reminder to fill the tray back up. Perhaps it has been there for months and has never been used.

No Hewlett-Packard ink has ever left its mark on its single white page. No sermon title has ever been printed upon its blank canvas. No letters, no numbers, no asterisks, no….it was just there all by itself. And to add insult to injury, after it finally made an appearance after these many weeks, it was covered up immediately with a stack of paper that will be used right away. It sits there until it is all alone again, only to be covered back up. Wow, what a vicious cycle!

Have you ever felt like the last piece of paper? You may be experiencing a season of life where you feel like you are covered up, and no one appreciates what you can offer.  May I encourage you with a simple thought? Do not worry whether God will use you or not (that is up to God), just be where you are supposed to be in case He ever does! You see the greater blessing is simply knowing that you are in His tray!

Come unto me all ye that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” – Jesus Christ

February 10- The Influence of Icons

Cultural icons are everywhere. They appear in commercials, movies, TV shows, internet advertising, marketplace magazines, billboards, and the list goes on. We are in love with their witty humor, their chiseled jaws, their muscular physiques, their style of hair, and their perfect smiles. We call them stars, idols, celebrities, entertainers, and legends. Their extravagant and flamboyant lifestyles mesmerize a generation that is void of moral depth. Oftentimes these “icons” are somehow thought of as heroes and champions of cultural issues. As parents, ministers, and spiritual leaders, we must consider the celebrity effect on our young people. Our children are being inundated with their influence.

Whether we realize it or not, celebrities have the star power to create doubt and confusion as to what is right and wrong in the minds of young people. We cannot allow the entertainers of this anti-Bible, anti-God society to become the educators of our children.  As the leader of your home, exercise your authority to rid their lives from such dangerous influence. Monitor their movies, their music, and their magazines. Watch their websites. Engage their electronics. May God help us to point our young people to the Bright and Morning Star; and may we, as fathers and mothers become the greatest influence of their lives.

Love not the world neither the things that are in the world…” – John the Beloved

February 9- Children and Church

According to Neil MacQueen, national researcher of church attendance, “Going to church regularly has a dramatic impact on life.” Compiling data from Duke University, Indiana University, The University of Michigan, The Center for Disease Control, Barna Research Group, and other reputable organizations, MacQueen found some interesting facts about the children of regular church attendees.  Going to church will:

• Increase the average life expectancy of your children by 8 years
• Significantly reduce your child’s use and risk from Alcohol, Tobacco and Drugs
• Dramatically lower their risk of suicide
• Dramatically reduce their risk for committing a crime
• Improve their attitude at school and increase their school participation
• Reduce the likelihood that they would binge drink in college
• Improve their odds for a “very happy” life
• Provide them with a life-long moral compass
• Provide children with a caring extended family
• And will also statistically improve the odds that they will lead an active church life in their adults years

The evidence is overwhelming, church must be a priority.  Plan to be in church this Sunday, and every week following.  Get plugged into the ministries.  Realize the impact and influence it has on your children.  Involve yourself in the work of the local church and see the difference it will make.

If we fail to make church a priority, we have failed in our priorities” – Kenneth Kuykendall

February 8- Let’s Go to Church!

Recent trends in Christianity reveal that the church is revamping traditional worship services to accommodate the world.  More and more congregations are calling off Sunday evening service in an attempt to promote family and leisure time.  Wednesday evening services are reduced to small “connect groups.”  Statistics prove that although America is still a religious nation, it is placing less emphasis on faithful church attendance with the average parishioner only attending 2-4 services a month.

The current trends that de-emphasize church attendance are not producing mature Christians; on the contrary, the results show that more and more believers are becoming colder in their spirituality.  The Bible teaches believers to forsake not the assembling of ourselves together.  In these dark days we need the church more than ever.  The Church of Jesus Christ is a place of refuge, rejoicing, and renewal.  If we fail to make church a priority we have failed in our priorities.

The Lord God established the church, Jesus gave His life for the church, and the Holy Spirit empowered the church- we should be willing to go to church! Don’t allow the schedules of life to hinder you from going to the House of God!  Be as David and say, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of God” (Psalm 122:1)

Church attendance is as vital to a disciple as a transfusion of rich, healthy blood to a sick man” – D. L. Moody

February 7- Have Thine Own Way Lord

In 1902 a young hymn-writer by the name of Adelaide Pollard attended a prayer service after facing great discouragement in her life.  She wanted to go on a mission’s trip to Africa but discovered she was financially unable to make the journey.  During the prayer service she heard an elderly woman in prayer cry out to God, “It really doesn’t matter what you do with us, Lord, just have your own way with our lives.” This deeply touched the young lady, and she reflected on the lady’s prayer for several days.  As she thought about what God wanted for her life she was led to Jeremiah 18 and later penned down the words to her famous hymn:

Have Thine own way, Lord!

Have Thine own way!

Thou art the Potter, I am the clay

Mold me and make me after Thy will,

While I am waiting, yielded and still.

     Pollard came to terms with a very significant truth: as the Master Potter, the Lord develops us so that we can be used of Him. Oftentimes, the process of refinement can be painful and tumultuous, but no matter how heated the trials may get, one thing is for certain: the Lord is always near and can be trusted to work all things for our good.

He who breathes into our hearts the heavenly hope will not deceive or fail us when we press forward to its realization” – Anonymous

February 6- Flat World and Flat Faith

In his book, The Winning Attitude, John Maxwell speaks of “the flat world” vision. Those who have this kind of vision are likened unto the naysayers during the days of Columbus.  Maxwell writes, “In 1490 Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain commissioned a royal committee to look into Christopher Columbus’s scheme to find a new and shorter route to the fabled Indies.  The committee, an impressive panel of Spain’s leading scholars examined Columbus’s plans and presented its findings to the King and Queen.  The scheme could not be carried out.  Quite impossible, they wrote.”

The reason why the committee thought the “scheme” could not be carried out was because they were “flat world” people.  Columbus had trouble financing his voyage because he attempted to sail “around” the world.  Most people in his day believed the world was flat.

Fortunately for Columbus, the King and the Queen were visionary leaders.  They ignored the “experts” and financed the expedition.  The Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria set sail and the flat world was found to be round.

Do you consider yourself a “flat-world” person?  Do you accept the status quo?  Do you lack courage to attempt great things for God?  If so, know that faith is an adventure and God is calling you to attempt great things for Him.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed in the things you didn’t do than the things you did do” – Mark Twain