you don’t let GOD down…

the reason why you're so fatigued all the time and so tired all the time is because you’re trying to fight battles that belong to GOD.  they’re GOD’s.  we assume GOD’s role. 

you think, “i will make this thing work.”  and out of sheer willpower we put our head down, our shoulder into it and buck up and say, “just out of my own willpower and energy i will... save this marriage... turn my kids around ... resolve my financial difficulties... find a life mate... make myself a success.”  out of sheer willpower.  you’re striving and fighting! 

time out!  GOD says, “this is not your battle.  It’s mine.  if you belong to me, I’ll fight your battle.” 

when i come to CHRIST and say, “JESUS CHRIST, i want to serve YOU the rest of my life.  i want YOU to be my master and i will be YOUr servant.”  when i put myself in the servant position to the MASTER GOD, the MASTER assumes responsibility for all the needs of the servant. 

if i live in the master’s house, he pays for my room, and board, and insurance, and cares for my medical needs and all the other things because I’m serving him.  when i come to CHRIST and say, “i’m yours,” HE assumes responsibility for my needs.  the battle is not mine anymore; it’s HIS. 

but we don't get this.  we try to fight GOD’s battles all the time.  we go out and work real hard and try real hard and we give it our best shot and inevitably we fail and we’re disappointed in ourselves and we come back with our heads bowed, our eyes droopy, our tail between our legs and we walk into GOD and say, “GOD, i’m so sorry.  i’ve really let you down.  i know that i tried hard and tried to do this and i’ve made a mess of it.  i blew it.  i have really let you down.  i’m sorry, GOD.” 

and GOD says, “wait just a minute!  let me clarify this.  you didn’t let me down because you’re not holding me up!” 

have you ever thought about that?  you don’t let GOD down because you don’t hold HIM up.  GOD holds you up; you don’t hold him up. 

you cannot disappoint GOD.  this is what grace is all about.  you don’t earn GOD’s pleasure, GOD’s approval.  it is a free gift when you trust in HIS SON CHRIST.  you don’t hold GOD up, HE holds you up.  you don’t help you.  HE helps you!  it’s not your battle!

just a thought from the front porch…

the power of easter…

i know it's a cliche but this easter can be the first day of the rest of your life. JESUS CHRIST wants to give you the power to start over and to keep going. that's an outside power source HE wants to give you. i realize that some of you are barely hanging on. some of you your career is going down the tubes, your health is going down the tubes, your marriage is cracking up. you feel like chucking it all. you really don't have too much confidence. it may be because of fatigue – you're just worn out. it may be because of failure. it may be because of fear. i challenge you to let JESUS CHRIST light up your life, let HIM put hope in you.

listen, you really do matter to GOD. HE really does care about you. there's more to life than just getting up, going to work, come home, watch tv, go to bed, get up in the morning, go to work, come home, watch tv, go to bed ... and go to a party on the weekends.

i don't know why you are reading this today. but i do know this, regardless of the fear or the failure or the fatigue or the frustration or the other things that tend to discourage you, GOD has an encouraging word for you today. HE wants to say, "I am with you and I will give you the power to start over and begin a brand new life. not just turn over a new leaf – a brand new life. everything you've ever done wrong could be forgiven, forgotten and start over – just like being born again.

that phrase is used in the bible. some don’t understand that term. but it just means to start over, get a new lease on life. you can have a clear conscious. HE'll not only give you the power to start over, HE will give you the power to keep going. when you feel like hanging it up, throwing in the towel, walking out, HE will give you the power to keep on keeping on. for some of you, the tide in your life is out right now. it may be out but the tide always comes back in. GOD will help you through this.

would you pray a simple prayer in your heart today? you don't have to say it aloud. GOD will hear you. HE knows your heart. HE knows the very thoughts going across your mind. this is between you and GOD. this is the most important decision you'll ever make. would you say, "GOD, i'm not really sure i know YOU or not. but i want to. i want to put my trust in YOU. JESUS CHRIST, i don't understand it all but as much as i know how i ask YOU to come into my life."

you don't have to have all your questions answered to make a simple statement like that. i still have questions. but i'm growing and learning. say, "JESUS CHRIST, as much as i know how, i ask YOU to come into my life. i ask you to forgive all the things i've done wrong. i ask you to help me start over with a clean slate. because YOU are alive today, i ask YOU to give me the power not only to start over but to keep going and to go in the right direction. i want to believe in YOU and trust in YOU. help me to understand it more."

if you prayed that prayer i believe GOD heard you. it's that simple. JESUS made it so simple nobody could say it was too hard to understand. today, if you really meant that in your heart it can be the turning point, a new hope, a new life.

FATHER, thank you for easter. thank you for the difference it makes in our lives. thank you, that the basis for confidence is not all these things the world puts up but it comes from knowing you and knowing that you have a purpose for our lives and that you have a power for our lives too. we pray this in JESUS' name. amen.

just a thought from the front…

do you feel you are a failure?...

fatigue robs you of confidence and so does failure. matthew 26.56 (niv), all the disciples deserted JESUS and fled. these guys felt like a group of losers.

peter denied him. now they're having a pity party. they're second-guessing themselves. they're saying, “what went wrong?” JESUS was supposed to be the messiah and now HE's dead. why me? who cares? what now?

how do you handle failure? listen, if at first you don't succeed ... you're normal! welcome to the human race. life has its setbacks. murphy was an optimist. somebody said, "just about the time i think i'm going to make ends meet, somebody moves the ends."

another one is fear. fear robs you of confidence and that's the greatest one.

john 20.19 (lb), the disciples were meeting locked behind closed doors in fear of the jewish leaders. they were in fear. they had seen what happened to JESUS. and they weren't too excited about what might happen to their own lives.

do you ever play the “what if?” game? what if i fail? what if i never get married? what if i get cancer? what if somebody recognizes me in k-mart? the fear game!

we tend to imagine the worse. have you ever been driving one way and the h.p. makes a u-turn and starts following you? or your daughter comes home late at night from a date with a big grin on her face?

what do you worry about the most? the greatest worry is the fear of death. that's what easter is all about.

people don't want to talk about death. it's the last taboo. invite some people home for coffee and say, “let's talk about death” and watch what happens.

but hebrews 2.15 (cev) says that HE (JESUS) also died to rescue all of us who live each day in fear of dying.

what you're afraid of is the fear of the unknown. you can get to know GOD. that's what easter is all about. you don't have to be afraid of death. JESUS broke the bonds of death.

just a thought from the front porch…

the most common cause of discouragement…

there are many things that are fascinating about the easter story. one is the sudden change in the disciples. one minute they're defeated, the next minute they're dynamic. one minute they're crushed, the next minute they're confident. one minute they're having a pity party, the next minute they're taking on the world. what made the difference?

when you see JESUS CHRIST, when you know HIM personally, you will become a confident person.

john 20.19-20 (tev), it was late that sunday evening, and the disciples were gathered together behind locked doors, because they were afraid of the jewish authorities. then JESUS came and stood among them. "peace be with you," HE said. after saying this, HE showed them HIS hands and HIS side. the disciples were filled with joy at seeing the LORD.

have you ever wondered what is it that robs us of confidence?

well one thing is fatigue. as you’ll see the disciples here were fatigued, they were tired, dead tired.

notice it says, it was late that sunday evening.

it had been a rough week. they had palm sunday, they had the cleansing of the temple, they had the LORD's supper, they had gethsemane, they had the six trials, they had the crucifixion. and they are worn out.

and the most common cause of discouragement is physical and emotional exhaustion. things look worse when you're tired and you don't feel too good about it.

vince lombardi said, "fatigue makes cowards of all of us."

cartoon: psychologist to a client, "did this feeling of being an insignificant, dominated pipsqueak, with no self confidence happen suddenly? or did it develop normally with marriage and parenthood?"

when you get tired, you lose your confidence.

sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is go to sleep. it's amazing how much better things look after you've gotten a good night's sleep.

just a thought from the front porch…