saved from neuroticism…

dr. leslie weatherhead, probably the most preeminent psychiatrists of the last century, said this: “the forgiveness of GOD is the most powerful therapeutic idea in the world.  if a person can really believe that GOD has forgiven him he can be saved from neuroticism.”

all kinds of emotional problems in your life are caused because you don’t feel forgiven.  i don’t know what secret sin you’re holding inside.  even me just writing about it makes you a little bit nervous probably.  i don’t know what you’re carrying but i do know this.  it’s stupid to keep carrying it.  it’s foolish.  it’s dumb.  there is no reason for you to keep carrying guilt in your life when GOD has offered forgiveness through HIS SON.  free, total forgiveness.  GOD is waiting to forgive you no matter what you’ve done in your life. 

GOD forgives instantly, repeatedly and freely.

just a thought from the front porch…

three true facts of forgiveness…

i heard about this little boy in washington d. c. who went up to a park ranger and said, “i want to buy the washington monument.”  the park ranger thought he’d have a little fun and said, “how much have you got?”  the little boy pulls out a dollar and eight-seven cents.  the ranger said, “son, let me say three things.  number one, it’s not for sale.  number two, even if it was for sale you couldn’t afford it.  it’s too expensive.  and number three, if you are an american citizen it already belongs to you.”

those same three facts are true of forgiveness in the life of a CHRISTian.  if you are already a CHRISTian, number one, you couldn’t buy forgiveness from GOD.  and even if you could, you couldn’t pay the price for it.  it’s too expensive.  but if you’re believer, you’re in GOD’s family, it’s already yours.  it’s part of grace.  forgiveness is your greatest need because you’re imperfect.  and it’s also GOD’s greatest gift.  HIS healing gift of grace is the greatest thing GOD gives you. 

how do you get that kind of healing grace?  it’s really pretty simple.  as simple as a, b, c.  admit, believe, commit.  if you want to have every sin forgiven in your life, here it is a,b,c – admit, believe, commit. 

a – admit

i admit i’ve blown it.  i admit i’ve sinned.  i admit GOD is right and i am wrong.  i admit that there have been many times in my life i’ve been god.  i’ve done what i wanted to do.  i didn’t check in with GOD and ask, “what do YOU want me to do?  what have you put me on this planet for?”  i did what i wanted to do.  i just agree with GOD.  i quit trying to make excuses, blame other people, etc. etc.  i just admit it.

b – believe

i believe that GOD wants to forgive me.  that HE wants to forgive me freely and instantly and repeatedly.  i believe in HIS grace.  i believe that JESUS CHRIST died for my sins so that i wouldn’t have to pay for them.  HE paid for them.  i believe that. 

c – commit

i commit my life to GOD.  i commit my sins to HIM.  i commit myself to JESUS CHRIST and say, “GOD, YOU take charge.  i haven’t done a real good job with my life so far so YOU be in charge.  YOU be number one.  YOU call the shots.  YOU be the manager.  YOU drive the car.”  and i commit it to HIM. 

what happens if you do that?  you’ll receive forgiveness. 

just a thought from the front porch…

encouraged by GOD’s provision and care for us …

romans 8.32 (nlt), since GOD did not spare even HIS own SON but gave HIM up for us all won’t GOD who gave us CHRIST also give us everything else. 

let me ask you.  are you willing to take GOD at HIS word? 

GOD says to you, if I would send MY only SON JESUS to planet earth and allow HIM to be crucified on a cross and hang there for six hours to pay the price so that you can be in MY family. don’t you think that I’ll take care of your needs?  don’t ya think.

but do we really believe that. 

i think a lot of the anxiety we have in our lives comes from the fact that we don’t really believe that. 

the closer you get to GOD, the more you get to know HIM, the greater your confidence will be that as a loving FATHER HE’ll meet your needs.  and HE will build a track record with you that will show that HE is always faithful. 

one possible application is to set down with your family and just have a talk about GOD’s gracious provision in your life. 

one lady bought a journal that she called the "blessing book," and she started writing down the times that she had seen GOD answer her prayers and met her needs.

she said, as a family we wanted to be able to read this to our children, recount it to them, to encourage us in our faith of GOD’s provision and GOD’s care for us, to strengthen our faith in HIM.

just a thought from the front porch…

but i believe…

so what is real faith?  that is a good question.  well for one real faith is not just something you believe.

james 2.19 (niv), you believe that there is one GOD.  good!  even the demons believe that – and shudder!

there are a lot of people who have strong beliefs in GOD, the bible, about CHRIST.  they can recite creeds to you and catechisms and talk about doctrines of the trinity, quote bible verses but james says, “big deal!”  just saying i believe in GOD is not enough to get into heaven.  even the devil believes that.

the bible says in proverbs, the fool has said in his heart, there is no GOD.  it’s foolish to be an atheist and the devil is no fool.  the devil believes in GOD.  the devil is a great theologian.  he knows a lot more bible than you do.  he’s been around a whole lot longer.  he knows theology backwards and forwards.  he believes.  his demons believe and shudder.

the greek word for shudder is “to bristle” – their hair stands on end.  it’s the kind of word you’d use reading a steven king novel.  why?  because the devils understand the majesty and awesomeness of GOD.  they believe in GOD and they tremble they shudder..

folks, i believe in hitler but i’m no nazi.  i’m a CHRISTian i believe in JESUS but it’s more than just a head knowledge.

a lot of people are going to miss heaven by 18 inches.  they’ve got it in their heads but not their heart.  they say, “i believe in GOD.”  james says, “big deal.  everybody believes in GOD.”  how do you have a creation without a creator but that’s not enough.

real faith is not just saying “i believe.”  there is so much easy believeism in america.  an article in the orange county register said, “many in orange county believe but don't practice.”  they did a survey and asked people all over orange county and they found a high degree of belief.  “sure i’m a believer.  i’m a christian.”  do you attend church?  “no.”  do you donate your time?  “no.”   do you tithe?  “no.”  james says that’s a phony belief.  you’re just conning yourself.  a lot of people are doing that.

just a thought from the front porch…

struggling in believing GOD cares…

if you’ve ever struggled to believe that GOD cares, you can relate to jacob.  if you’ve ever been a person who’s fought for what GOD wanted to give you, you can relate to jacob. 

many of us, we believe.  we believe that GOD loves us.  and we believe that GOD has a plan for our lives.  and we believe that HIS word is the truth.  we believe those things.  but when it comes to trusting, trusting GOD with my decisions and trusting GOD with my family, trusting GOD with my life we keep falling short.  jacob teaches us how to get past that barrier.  he comes to a crisis point in his life where he’s able to take what he believes and begin to make it real in his family and his life.

let me show you where that crisis began and how it happened.  maybe you can see yourself in the life of jacob.  jacob begins the road home when some significant things start to turn his life in the right direction.  

for one he begins to follow GOD’s direction in his life. 

in genesis 31.13 (niv) he reminds his wives as he is thinking about leaving haran that GOD had said to him, i am the GOD of bethel where you anointed the pillar and you made a vow to me.  now leave this land and go back to your native land and he does it.  he’s going to follow GOD’s direction, not his schemes.  GOD’s direction. 

and notice what GOD said to jacob.  GOD reminds jacob of the vow that he had made to him at bethel. go back to genesis 28 and start with verse 10 and you will read of the time of jacob’s ladder. it wasn’t much of a vow that jacob made there but apparently GOD heard it and GOD took him at where he was and allowed him to grow to where he wanted him to be.  that’s important to remember about the way GOD relates to us.  he begins to allow GOD’s redirection.

then he begins to recognize GOD’s protection. 

genesis 31, jacob hears GOD and he says, “ok, i’m going to go back to my native land.”  but he gets it wrong again.  he doesn’t do it the right way.  he gets out of town the same way as always – he runs away.  he doesn’t tell laban what’s happening.  he doesn’t let anybody know.  he runs.  and laban hears about this and he’s a schemer; he’s not letting anybody scheme him.  you can’t scheme a schemer.  so he runs after him. 

and as he runs after him and they meet, a crisis point comes into jacob’s life.  laban comes and begins to accuse jacob in chapter 31.22 and then in verse 29 (niv) he says, i have the power to harm you but last night the GOD of your fathers said to me, “be careful not to say anything to jacob either good or bad.”  last night GOD came to me and protected you.  it wasn’t your schemes, jacob.  it was GOD.  and maybe for the first time in his life he realized, GOD’s with me.  i’m not in this alone.  he was there last night before laban even got here to protect me. 

just a thought from the front porch…

it takes more than belief to please GOD.

if i don’t live a life with love, nothing i believe will matter.

there’s a myth that being a CHRISTian, being a follower of CHRIST, is just a matter of believing certain truths. that is not true. nothing can be further from the truth. following CHRIST is much more than believing intellectual facts or doctrinal truths. it’s a life of love.

the bible says, 1 corinthians 13.2b (lb), even if i have the gift of faith so i could speak to a mountain and make it move [in other words, a miracle worker], i will still be worth nothing at all without love. it takes more than belief to please GOD.

you say, “but wait a minute! i believe in JESUS!” so what? so does the devil. the devil believes that there’s a GOD. the devil believes that JESUS is the SON of GOD. but you won’t find him in heaven. why? because it takes more than believing in CHRIST to make it to heaven. the issue is not do you believe in HIM. the issue is do you love HIM.

the bible says, if i say i love GOD and hate other people, i'm a liar. the bible says, i can’t say that i'm right with GOD and be out of sorts with other people. relationships with others affect my relationship with GOD. if i don't live a life of love, nothing i believe will matter. that’s pretty profound.

just a thought from the front porch…

faith is acting as if…

do you remember the story of joshua and the children of israel when they came up to the jordan river? it was very similar to moses at the red sea. the whole nation had to pass over the river in order to get into the promised land. it was springtime and the banks of the jordan were overflowing. it was impossible. GOD said to joshua and the leaders of israel, “take the leaders and put them out in front of the people and tell them to walk into the river. after they begin to walk into the river i will dam it up a little way north and the waters will recede and you will be able to walk across on dry ground.”

the leaders began to walk into the river. the water was up to their ankles, then their knees, then their thighs. they were probably thinking, “i'm not going to walk very much further!” but look what happened. the bible says in joshua 3, when the priests put their feet in the water, the jordan river will stop flowing.

they acted as if the water would part and it did! GOD released HIS power. now there was a lag time in their faith because GOD stopped the river up stream so some of that water kept flowing down but they kept walking in faith, they kept walking as if.

now the amazing thing is that GOD wants to share his power with you but you've got to follow the steps. first you admit you have the need, then you believe in faith, then speak in faith and then act in faith. step out in advance, acting as if.

some of you are waiting for GOD to do a miracle in your life and you think that you are waiting on GOD. in reality GOD is waiting on you. HE's waiting on you to take the first step. the power will not be released until you take the first step. it's withheld. it's a deliberate choice: “i don't feel it but i know that it's the right thing to do. i'm going to do it.” you act as if you have the power to do what's right and it will be supplied.

men, monday when you come home from work and you're exhausted and you're tired and want to be left alone. you feel lousy and cruddy and you do not want to face your kids or maybe even your wife. you want to walk in the door and say to everybody “don't bug me!”

instead of doing that, why don't you try this: on the way home, while you're driving home, why don't you take a little pill called isaiah 40.31 (niv), they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength. they shall mount up with wings as eagles. they shall run and not be weary. ... they shall play with the kids and not faint.

before you get out of the car and go into the house say, “GOD, YOU've promised to re‑energize me if i wait on YOU. so i'm going to wait here a minute, take a death breath. i believe in faith that you can re‑energize me. i'm going to say it, i'm going to speak it, i believe it. i'm going to walk in and act as if i've got energy and i'm going to play with those kids. i don't have many hours of the day with them in the first place.”

just a thought from the front porch…

how to appropriate GOD’s power…

so how do you appropriate GOD's power in your life on a consistent basis? well #1. you admit that you don't have it all together. #2. you believe in faith. the key to personal power in our life is faith. not anything else. it's faith. the key to personal power is faith.

mark 9.23 (niv), everything is possible for him who believes. matthew 9.29 (niv), according to your faith it will be done to you. if that is true, and it is, let me give you two vital questions:

1. what are you expecting GOD to do in your life?
2. what are you expecting GOD to do through your life?
   

HE works according to faith. since GOD has unlimited power, we should not limit HIM because of our expectations of HIM. we limit GOD by our own belief. GOD has given us atomic bomb power and we live firecracker lives. there's no problem too big for GOD and there's no request that HE can't handle.

so what am i willing to believe GOD for? if you want to see GOD's power in your life you must believe in faith.

then #3. speak in faith. and this is very important. you must speak in faith. 2 corinthians 4.13 (tev), in the same spirit of faith, we also speak because we believe.

you must verbalize your faith. you must announce what you're intending GOD to do. you must not just think it in your mind, you must announce it. speak it. verbalize it.

that's what a goal is. a goal is a statement of faith. when i set a goal, "i believe GOD can help me do _______________ by _______________ time." goals are simply statements of faith. the size of your goal is determined by the size of your GOD. show me what your goals are in life and i'll tell you what you're believing GOD for.

it's very important that you announce your goals up front. say it in faith.

just a thought from the front porch…