mixed, murky and manipulative motives…

the bible says in 1 john 4.1 (niv), dear friends, do not believe every spirit.  but test the spirits to see whether they are from GOD.  we make decisions on totally human bases and throw out a whole assortment of ouija board methods.  and then we will tag on to that, that’s how GOD is leading my life.  all these weird circumstances happen.  that must be GOD leading my life.

i heard about the college student needing a car.  he didn’t know which car GOD wanted him to purchase.  one night he had a dream.  in his dream everything was yellow.  so when he woke up the next morning, he believed GOD had given him his answer in that dream.  so after going to several used car lots, he found a car that was yellow inside and outside.  everything about the car was yellow.  he bought it without even test driving it.  appropriately it was a lemon.

we do try to know GOD’s will in some crazy ways.  “LORD, let this next traffic light be green and i know i should keep this appointment…  LORD, let my telephone ring by 9 p.m. and i’ll know this is the guy i should date.”  some of you are asking, “can’t GOD speak like that?” 

i believe that GOD can do anything HE wants.  in numbers 22 the bible says that GOD spoke through a donkey one time.  but that doesn’t mean i go to a barnyard every time i want to make a decision.  good decisions are not usually made in these weird fashions because so much of that can be manipulated and controlled by us. 

“he didn’t call by 9:00.  ok, GOD, if he calls by 9:10 it’s still your will for me to go out with him.”  we impose our motive into those weird kind of circumstantial things.  our motives are so mixed and so murky and can be so manipulative.  we say, “it’s GOD’s will for me to go to that college because the academics are so strong.”  but the truth is that’s where our boyfriend/girlfriend has decided to go to school.  we say, “i believe it’s GOD’s will for me to take that job.  i’ll use the extra money to support charity.”  but the truth is we want the extra money and we want the promotion.  we say, “i think it’s GOD’s will for me to do this now.  i have to catch the wave.”  but the truth is we’re bored and we just want extra stimulation in our lives.  some waves should be caught and the truth is no surfer catches every wave.  that’s why we need GOD’s help – to know the difference between waves, to know whether we should do it now or later or at all.  because we have such muddy motives.

proverbs 16.2 (ncv) says, we may think we know what is right, but the LORD is the judge of our motives.  the first decision we can all make that will help all the other decisions in our life is to be willing to live life GOD’s way.

just a thought from the front porch… 

the answer to your crisis…

what’s rocking your boat today?  what’s got you all shook up?  what storm are you sailing through right now?  a financial storm?  a relational storm?  an emotional secret storm inside?  and your heart is aching.  is there a secret storm raging in your life? 

what are the options?  i can be filled with peace or i can be filled with panic.  JESUS CHRIST can calm the restlessness in your heart.

the last verse in this story of the unexpected storm after JESUS had said, “sit down and shut up!” and there was the instant miracle of the storm vanishing it says in matthew 8.27 (niv), the men were amazed and asked, “what kind of man is this?  even the winds and the waves obey him.” the answer is, HE was not a man.  JESUS was GOD. 

GOD came to earth as a man two thousand years ago to show us what GOD is like.  HE was not just a good teacher.  HE was not just a prophet.  all of history was split into a.d. and b.c. when HE came to earth.  what kind of man is this?  HE’s not a man. HE’s GOD and HE will put HIS spirit in your life so that HE will always be close to you and you will always sense HIS care and you’ll know that HE’s in control and you can handle the crises that are inevitably going to come.

you need to put JESUS in your boat. 

what is in your boat?  your boat may be filled with money. that’s not enough security.  you can lose it all.  you boat may be filled with a bunch of friends.  your boat may be filled with dreams and ambitions.  but when the crisis comes, you can lose it all unless you have CHRIST in your boat – in your life.

just a thought from the front porch…

how to face an unexpected crisis…

we have been looking here about some facts about crisis now let’s look at how to face an unexpected crisis.

first of all we need to refocus on GOD’s closeness.  when you’re going through a crisis, in order to not be afraid, you stop and you get your eyes off the problem and onto GOD.

matthew 8.23 (niv),  then JESUS got into the boat and HIS disciples followed HIM.

when the disciples were in the middle of the storm, who was in the boat with them?  JESUS.  if you were in a boat and GOD was in the boat with you, would you be afraid?  no.  they forgot who was there.  they forgot that GOD was in the boat.

i read a story the other day.  charles colson who we lost this past year, was saying that during the nixon administration, he and henry kissinger and richard nixon were in air force one flying somewhere.  they got in a violent storm.  the plane was rocking back and forth.  and kissinger looked over to colson, pointing at nixon and said, “i feel a whole lot better because he’s on the plane.”  that was a false sense of security!  especially during watergate.  that did not guarantee anything.  nixon was not god.  he was not invincible – watergate proved that.  if the plane had gone done, what could nixon do about it?  zip! 

now if kissinger had looked over and saw GOD setting there, then he had a legitimate reason to not be afraid.  there would be no reason to worry.

steve brown is a pastor in florida of the key biscayne presbyterian church and steve hates to fly.  he says he especially hates to fly in the big jumbo jets because you don’t see anything that’s going on.  “you can't see the pilot or the cockpit or anything.  all you see are the stewardesses saying, ‘calm down. don’t worry.’  they don't know anything.  i want to talk to the guy who’s in control.  i actually prefer the little planes over the big ones.  i like the single engine planes.  you’re only one seat from the pilot.  i actually feel more comfortable in little planes because i sit there and watch the pilot, especifically his upper lip.  if no beads of perspiration are there, i know he’s ok.  and if he’s ok, i’m ok.”

that is a perfect illustration of keeping your eyes on the LORD.  HE’s the pilot in life.  if HE’s sleeping in the boat, i don’t have to worry.  if HE’s in my boat and HE’s not concerned, i’m not concerned.

just a thought from the front porch…

acting as if there’s no GOD…

matthew 6.31 (nlt), so don’t worry about these things, saying, “what will we eat? what will we drink? what will we wear?”  these things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly FATHER already knows all your needs. 

GOD says, i know you need those things.  don’t worry like unbelievers. don’t worry like somebody who doesn’t believe, somebody who doesn’t have any faith. 

not only is worry unreasonable, unnatural, unhelpful, and unnecessary.  but worry is un CHRISTian.  HE says nonbelievers have a right to worry.  they ought to.  they’re trying to make it through the world on their own effort.  they’re created by GOD for a purpose but go through life ignoring GOD and that purpose. i’d worry too! 

but the bible says that CHRISTians are different.  we don’t have to worry because we’re trusting a heavenly FATHER who promises to take care of us.  GOD is saying, “you’re MY children but you’re acting like a bunch of orphans.  I want to take care of you.” 

i love the phrase, your heavenly FATHER already knows all your needs yet how often do we act like GOD is totally unaware that the house payment is coming up next week and that the car’s broken down and two of the kids are sick and that taxes are coming around the corner.  we act as if it all depends on us.  JESUS is saying, “don’t act like that.  that’s unCHRISTian.  that’s acting like there’s no such thing as GOD.”

worry really is practical atheism.  it’s acting as if there’s no GOD.  it’s saying, “i believe that GOD’s not really real and HE can’t take of my needs or HE won’t take care of my needs, therefore i’ve got to help myself out of this mess.”  and we begin, “i think that it all depends on ourselves, and we begin to take matters into our own hands and we begin to assume that we’ve got to figure it all out.  summed up in two words it’s playing GOD.  worry is playing GOD.  worry is assuming responsibility that GOD never intended for you to have in the first place.  HE says, “relax and trust me.”

just a thought from the front porch…

misunderstanding what GOD’s like…

worry is unnecessary.  matthew 6.30 (tniv), if that is how GOD clothes the grass of the field which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will HE not much more clothe you – you of little faith?  JESUS said, you don’ need to worry.  it’s unnecessary because GOD has promised to take care of you if you’ll just trust HIM.

when i was a child, whenever i had a need, i would go to my father, i would ask him for money and he would give me the money. i didn’t worry about where the money was coming from.  i didn’t worry about whether my dad had it or not.  i asked him for the money and he supplied.  GOD says, “I’m your heavenly FATHER.  and you don’t have to worry.  I will take care of your needs if you trust ME.”  GOD says, “I will assume responsibility for your needs” and HE cares for us because HE says, “you’re valuable to ME.”

philippians 4.19 (nasb) says, my GOD shall supply all your needs according to HIS riches in glory in CHRIST JESUS.  worry is a misunderstanding of the nature of GOD.  it’s misunderstanding what GOD’s like.  we think, GOD doesn't love me, GOD’s not interested in me, GOD’s not caring about the little things in my life. 

we always get into trouble when we start doubting GOD’s love for us.  that always gets us into trouble.  it’s amazing we can trust GOD for our internal salvation, but then we say, “LORD, YOU let me worry about how i’m going to make a living and my health and my finances and my friends and my family and my marriage and my business and everything else.”  if GOD can be trusted for eternal salvation, he can be trusted in the daily experiences of life. 

i heard a story about a little lady walking down a country road with a heavy knapsack.  a pick up came along and picked her up to give her a ride.  about three miles down the road the man said, “why don’t you take off your knapsack and throw it into the back? i know it’s a heavy load.”  but she said, “oh, no!  it’s enough for you to carry me.  I’ll carry my own load.”

we think that's silly but that’s the way we treat GOD.  we say, “GOD, YOU get me into heaven but for right now, i’ll take care of the car payments and the house payments and everything else. i’ll worry about it.”  worry is unnecessary.  GOD says, “I will take care of you if you’ll trust ME.  I want to help you.” 

JESUS says, “don’t worry.  it’s unreasonable, it doesn’t make any sense.  it’s unnatural, you weren’t made to worry.  it’s unhelpful – it doesn’t make any difference anyway.  worry can’t change the past, it can’t change the future.  and worry is unnecessary.”  God says, “HE’ll help you if you trust HIM.”

just a thought from the front porch…  

what our loneliness usually is…

how do you deal with loneliness?  these are the things that you do.  normally we do the wrong things.  people will try all kinds of things to overcome their loneliness.  some people will try being a workaholic.  they think if they stay busy they’ll overcome their loneliness.  they’ll work and then fall in bed late at night totally fatigued.  they get up in the morning and they’re still lonely.  some people think they’ll cure their loneliness through things, materialism.  they surround their life with beautiful objects – nice clothes, nice cars, nice art objects, a beautiful home,  but you cannot purchase happiness. it doesn’t last.

i could put you on a desert island and tell you that you could have every single thing that you want – anything.  except people.  how long would you be happy?  not very long.  why do you think solitary confinement is the most devastating form of punishment.  we were made for each other.  some people will try to overcome their loneliness by having an affair.  some people get drunk, take drugs, go to bars.  some people do nothing.  they just sit around and have a pity party and say, “poor me!”  loneliness will paralyze you if you let it.

what is it that’s causing loneliness in your life?  maybe it’s a transition.  you’ve been going through so much change in the last few weeks or months or years – a new job, a new location, a new family, something causing the loneliness.  maybe it’s a separation.  JESUS said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.  maybe it’s opposition.  you say, “everybody’s against me. at work they’re stabbing me in the back.  everybody’s conspiring against me.”  maybe it’s rejection.  JESUS said, whoever comes to me, I will never cast out.

a lot of our loneliness is really a spiritual vacuum.  we have a GOD shaped vacuum in our lives and when we try to fill it with anything else besides GOD it’s like filling a round hole with a square peg.  it doesn’t fit!  but when you invite CHRIST into your life and ask HIS SPIRIT to fill you, HE puts HIS presence in you, a presence that will never, never leave you.  some of you may be thinking, “nobody loves me.  nobody cares for me.  nobody even knows i exist.”  i know somebody who does.  HIS name is JESUS CHRIST.

just a thought from the front porch…

how you actually gain control…

when i share my hidden secrets with another person, i find that its empowering.  GOD gives power to us when we humble ourselves.  HE gives grace to the humble.  you get that grace, that power to change.  GOD says i’m going to give you the power now to change.

if i can’t talk about it, it’s out of control.  i don’t care what it is.  if i can’t talk about it, it’s out of control.  if i can’t talk about it because it’s too painful or it’s too embarrassing or its too shameful or i’m too bitter about it what my dad did or my mom did or what i’ve done to somebody else, if i can’t talk about it, it’s out of control.  in fact, if you can’t talk about it it’s controlling you.  you don’t control it, it’s controlling you. 

when you talk about a problem, that’s how you actually gain control of it.  when you begin to talk about it with a spiritual confidant, a friend, a spiritual friend who holds you accountable, an accountability partner, you actually gain control by talking about it.  that’s one of the ways you regain control of your life. 

just a thought from the front porch…

it’s free…

we are looking at the ways that GOD forgives and HE not only forgives me instantly and repeatedly but HE also forgives me freely. 

you say, “free?  that’s too good to be true!  there’s got to be some catch to it.  a price tag for it.  it doesn’t seem fair to go scot free.  i blow it and GOD just forgives me freely.  HE just lets me go scot free.  somebody needs to pay for this.”

and you’re right.  somebody did.  HIS name is JESUS CHRIST.  JESUS CHRIST has already paid for all your sins. 

romans 3:23-24 (cev), all of us have sinned and fallen short of GOD’s glory.  but GOD treats us much better than we deserve, and because of CHRIST JESUS, HE freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins.

what does it mean when GOD forgives us freely? 

well for one it means that you can’t buy your forgiveness.  you can’t pay GOD off through church attendance or tithing or doing good things.  you can’t buy your freedom.  you can’t buy your forgiveness from GOD.  it’s free.

for another, you can’t bargain with GOD.  you can’t say, “if you’ll forgive me i’ll never do it again.”  you may misunderstand the difference between confession and repentance.  confession takes care of the past.  repentance takes care of the future. 

when you come to GOD and you need forgiveness you just confess.  you say, “GOD, you’re right.  it was wrong.  you’re right.  i sinned.  you’re right, i blew it.”  that’s not promising to never do it again.  repentance is what you do when you change for the future.  confession is when you say to GOD, “i agree with you.” 

the word “confess” in greek is homologeo.  “homo” means “same.”  “logeo” means “word”.  it means to speak the same, say the same thing as GOD.  “you’re right, GOD.  that was wrong.”  that’s all it means.  you come to GOD and say, i was wrong.  you don’t bargain with him – “GOD, if you forgive me, i’ll never do it again.”

you also don’t try to bribe GOD.  “GOD if you’ll forgive me, i’ll teach the preschoolers.  i’ll give twenty percent tithes.”  you don’t bribe GOD.  you don’t bargain with GOD.  you don’t try to buy it. 

and you don’t beg.  you don’t say, “oh, please, please, please.  pretty please with sugar on it!” 

like you’ve got to pray fifteen years to get forgiveness over something.  remember GOD is more willing to forgive you than you are willing to ask.  you don’t beg GOD.  you don’t bribe, bargain, you don’t buy. 

just a thought from the front porch…

keep short accounts…

one of the greatest barriers to inner peace without a doubt is guilt.  millions of people are tortured by guilt.  they are stuck in the past.  they are a slave to regrets, a slave to shame, a slave to things they can’t get out of their mind.  they don’t know how to get out of the past so that they can get on with their life in the present and get into the future.  you cannot have peace of mind and guilt at the same time.

noel coward, a well known british playwright and comedian in the 20th century, once played a prank on ten famous men in london. he sent each of these distinguished men the same note which read: “we know what you have done. if you don’t want to be exposed, leave town.” and within six months all ten men had moved out of london.

guilt is a powerful emotion; it holds us captive and excludes us from sharing an intimate relationship with GOD and others. while nothing more than a cruel prank noel coward’s note exposed the guilt each of the recipients carried. fear of exposure caused each of them to move so they could keep their sin hidden. what is the key to unlocking the chains of guilt that hold us captive? guilt and shame become a self-made prison that excludes us from entering into a life of inner peace and joy.

there’s only one antidote that takes care of guilt.  it’s found in matthew 6.12 (niv), forgive us our debts.

there’s only one antidote to guilt and it is forgiveness.  while other people may forgive you for things you did against them, but the only person who can forgive you all the personal sins in your life is GOD.  you need GOD’s forgiveness. 

listen, keep short accounts with GOD.  when you realize you’ve done something wrong, immediately go to HIM about it.  don’t let it pile up.  you might practice what a lot of people call “spiritual breathing.”  breathing out and breathing in spiritually.  when you breathe out you say, “GOD, i confess that i’ve done something wrong.  i realize this is a sin.”  then when you breathe in, “GOD, i receive your forgiveness.  i realize that you are a GOD who loves me and you are a GOD whose willing to forgive me.”

just a thought from the front porch…

a second truth about how GOD forgives us…

there’s second truth about how GOD forgives us.  GOD forgives me, not only instantly but HE forgives me repeatedly. 

a quick survey.  how many of you reading this have committed the same sin more than once?  we all have these areas of perpetual failure in our lives where we keep struggling.  we’re caught in this cycle of defeat.  we keep stumbling.  GOD forgives repeatedly. 

the bible tells us in nehemiah 9.17 (Gwt), YOU are a forgiving GOD, one who is compassionate, merciful, patient, and always ready to forgive.

not just the first time you struggle with sin and commit a sin but always ready to forgive.  in fact, GOD is more eager to forgive you than you or i are to ask HIM for forgiveness.  that’s the kind of GOD that HE is. 

i used to think (and sometimes still think) that GOD gets tired of me coming back to HIM again and again with the same struggle.  “here i am again, LORD, to talk to you about the same thing i talked to you about before – ten minutes ago – confessing the same sin.”  i would think GOD would be up there in heaven, looking down at me saying, “couldn’t you at least get creative about your sin?  it’s the same thing again and again and again.”  the truth is i’m the one, i am the one tired of having to confess the same thing again and again.   GOD never tires of me coming to HIM, never tires of you coming to HIM to talk about the fact that you need HIS forgiveness, the fact that HE is a forgiving GOD and to ask for HIS forgiveness. 

JESUS loves to forgive you more than you or i could ever imagine.  when you ask the bible tells us in hebrew 7.25, that CHRIST is always living to intercede on our behalf.  HE’s always doing that. 

just a thought from the front porch…

there’s this huge lie out there about guilt…

there’s this huge lie out there about guilt.  you may have heard this lie.  you may have thought this lie.  the lie is guilt makes me a better person.  if i just feel a little bit guilty maybe i’ll do the right thing next time.

but it never works.  it just gets you caught in the trap of doing the wrong thing, trying to do the right thing, doing the wrong thing again.  it’s an endless cycle.  it doesn’t make you a better person it just makes you a miserable person feeling trapped the rest of your life. 

the truth is some of you feel guilty about not feeling guilty.  your motto is “i should always feel guilty about something.”  then you’ll feel better about yourself. 

no, you won’t.  you feel worse about yourself. 

the truth is GOD tells us HE wants to forgive us.  and that we need HIS forgiveness to live the kind of life HE wants us to live. 

HE not only wants us to know that we’re forgiven by HIM; HE wants us to feel that we are forgiven by HIM because HE forgives us instantly. 

just a thought from the front porch…

the ways GOD forgives…

some of you say, “there’s something in my life i know is wrong.  i regretted it from the moment i did it.  and i’ve asked GOD over and over and over to forgive me.  every time i think about it i still ask HIM to forgive me.  but i don’t feel forgiven.”

what’s the problem?  what is the problem with that?

the problem is not GOD.  the problem is you don’t understand the ways GOD forgives. 

 so how does GOD forgive?

well for one, GOD forgives me instantly.  HE forgives me instantly, the moment that i ask.  there is no hesitation.  there is no delay.  GOD forgives instantly. 

the bible tells us in isaiah 55.7 (gnt), let the wicked leave their way of life and change their way of thinking.  let them turn to the LORD our GOD.  HE is merciful and quick to forgive.  HE is quick to forgive.  the moment you ask, without delay, GOD forgives. 

we have a hard time understanding this.  as human beings this is the exact opposite of how we often forgive.  we’re often slow to forgive. 

we like to hold it over people’s heads a little bit.  if someone asks us to forgive them we say, “i’ll think about it.”  we wait a little bit to forgive because the truth is we want them to suffer a little bit first before we forgive them.  we want them to beg a little bit.  we want them to grovel.  we want them to suffer.  we want to rub it in just little bit before we forgive them.  we don’t want to let them off that easy. 

but GOD is always quick to forgive.  the moment you and i go to HIM, HE forgives us that instant.  HE never holds it over our head.  HE’s perfect.  that’s how GOD forgives us.  HE never makes us wait. 

1 john 1.9 (gnt), if we confess our sins to GOD HE will keep HIS promise and do what is right.  HE will forgive us our sins and make purify us from all our wrongdoing. 

so how long should a believer feel guilty?  i’d say about fifteen seconds!  that’s about how long it takes for you to realize “i’ve sinned.  i’ve done something that’s hurt not only my heart and the people around me but the heart of GOD.”  take it to GOD, confess it to GOD and release it to GOD. 

just a thought from the front porch…

putting your trust in who’s president or CHRIST?…

think about the fact that every time GOD meets one of your needs, every time HIS abundant provision is before you, it is a revelation of HIS glory.  that should strengthen your faith.

the meals that we eat, the clothes we wear, the car we drive, the relationships we have, the health we enjoy, the home we live in.  they’re all gifts from GOD.

from this phrase in the LORD’s prayer, matthew 6.11 (niv), give us today our daily bread we need to simply recognize that GOD is the one who supplies our needs and then we must declare our daily dependence. 

again, one of the things that creates anxiety and worry in my life is when i start to depend on anything else for my needs other than CHRIST. 

now we are in the middle of the election season and it is so easy for us to be anxious about who is going to be elected.  you are putting your trust in the fact that you are a republican or a democrat instead of being a CHRISTian.  and your dependence is on whom the president is more than who GOD is. i’m going to vote but that man isn’t who i depend on, GOD is.

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…

some reasons why we have problems…

why do we have so many problems in the world?  here are some reasons why we have problems in our lives:

1.  a fallen world.                                                                                     

in a nutshell, adam choked.  adam blew it.  he sinned.  sin entered the world and we live in an imperfect world ever since so because sin is in the world people do things that are wrong and you suffer as the result.  other people cause problems that you didn’t cause.  that’s one of the main causes of problems.

2.  you have an enemy.  his name is satan.                                                  

and satan wants to mess your life up.  he wants to destroy you.  he wants to make you ineffective as a child of GOD.  so you not only have the world working after you, you’ve got the devil after you too.

3.  your own poor decisions.                                                                  

you make a lot of dumb decisions, dumb choices and so do i.  most of the problems i bring on myself. 

if you’ve got your own poor decision making and you’ve got the devil and you’ve got the fallen world it’s no wonder.  that’s enough problems to keep you going the rest of your life but let me give you a fourth.

4.  sometimes problems are nobody’s fault.  sometimes GOD just allows them for a different reason. 

one time JESUS was walking down the street and HIS disciples saw a man who was born blind.  the disciples said, “LORD, this guy was born blind.  who did something wrong?  was it his parents who did wrong, who sinned?  or did he sin?”

and that’s such a contemporary approach to problems.  today when you get a problem you say it was either caused by my parents or by me.  it’s either blame your parents or blame yourself. 

so they said, who caused this problem, my parents or me?  and JESUS said, john 9.3 (niv), neither… this happened so that the works of GOD might be displayed in him.

sometimes you’re going to have problems that aren’t caused by the sin of others, aren’t caused by your own sin and aren’t caused by the devil.  you’re going to have problems because GOD let them in your life so that GOD’s power could be displayed in your life.

just a thought from the front porch… 

angry at GOD…

one of the greatest barrier that keeps you from surrendering your life totally to GOD is resentment.  resentment against GOD.

you may not want to admit this but there’s some things in your life that you’re mad at GOD about.  you still blame HIM for those disappointments.  you’re upset with HIM because life hasn’t turned out the way you wanted it to.  and that underlying resentment keeps you from totally surrendering to GOD.  you’re mad at GOD.  you’re blaming HIM for your unhappiness. 

let’s get real practical.  what is it in your life that you’re still angry at GOD about? 

can a CHRISTian be angry at GOD?  without a doubt!  some of you are angry at the way GOD made you look.  you don’t like your appearance.  “why didn’t GOD make me more beautiful?  why didn’t GOD make me like_______?  then my life would be great.  you don’t like the way you look and you’re still mad at GOD because GOD made you the way you look.

some of you are still resentful at “why didn’t GOD give me different parents?  my dad – my mom ...  they’re looney!” 

some of you are disappointed in your marriage.  it’s not at all what you expected it to be and you’re blaming GOD for it. 

some of you are still resentful about a handicap or a birth defect or a business you’ve started and failed or a marriage that failed or the fact that you’re not married and you’re still single.  what are you carrying resentment at GOD over? 

what are you still angry at GOD about?  that kind of thing is keeping you in turmoil, keeping you at war with GOD and keeping you from experiencing the love and peace that HE wants to pour out in your life.  that unfulfilled dream and you’re mad at GOD about it. 

listen, don’t blame GOD.  just relax and say, “GOD!  YOUr will be done!  YOUr kingdom come.  i accept YOUr plan.  i surrender to YOUr control,” because the war with GOD is keeping you from peace.

sometimes you go out and in all sincerity you pray, you work, you think you’re on the right thing and you go out and do what you think GOD wants you to do and it flat out bombs!  what do you do with that?  don’t worry.  it’s all a part of GOD’s plan and HE’s moving you to where HE wants to take you. 

just a thought from the front porch…

the real reason you’re in turmoil…

“but GOD wants me to be happy!”  have you ever said that?

listen you are not going to be happy unless you do what GOD wants you to do.  the truth is this is the real reason you’re under stress.  this is the real reason you’re in turmoil.  you’re at war with GOD.  anytime you try to play GOD then you’re in opposition to the real GOD.  the bible is very clear about the effect of that. 

the bible says in psalm 37.7 (Gwt), surrender yourself to the LORD and wait patiently for HIM.  that’s the key to peace. 

now what happens if we don’t do it?  romans 8.6 (ncv), if a person’s thinking is controlled by his sinful self, there is death.  but if his thinking is controlled by the SPIRIT, there is life and peace.

how do you get life and peace?  by being controlled by the SPIRIT, by surrendering yourself to the LORD and waiting for HIM. 

obviously in a war with GOD, you’re going to lose.  your arms are too short to box with GOD.  you’re going to lose if you get in a war with GOD.  so whenever you fight GOD and say, “i’m going to do what i want to do instead of what YOU want me to do,” you’re going to have anxiety, you’re going to have stress, you’re going to have depression, you’re going to have worry, you’re going to have everything except peace.  because you’re at war with GOD.

now if you want personal peace the book of job, chapter 22 verse 21 (tlb), tells us how to get it.  stop quarreling with GOD.  if you agree with HIM you will have peace at last and things will go well with you.

GOD says, “I want to bring you peace but you’ve got to accept MY plan and you’ve got to surrender to MY control because I am GOD and you’re not.”

just a thought from the front porch…

just what’s happening right now…

in looking at why many times GOD doesn’t give us an explanation when we ask why, another reason is because we probably wouldn’t understand the explanation even if HE gave it to us.

the reason why is because GOD thinks through eternity.  HE sees everything that’s happened in the past and HE sees everything that’s going to happen in the future and HE knows what’s going on in your life right now. 

and GOD thinks in terms of generations.  we tend to think what’s happened in my life.  and not even my whole life but what’s happening at this very moment. 

i can’t see what happened a year ago or what’s going to happen a year in the future.  i’m only thinking about my pain right now.  GOD is taking it all in the perspective of eternity. 

if GOD tried to explain to you why things happen to you you’re just a cog in the wheel of the huge panorama of history.  so GOD would not be able to explain to you why this happens before this before this and how that thing that happened a hundred years ago is influencing this today and what you’re doing right now is going to influence a hundred years from today.  and on and on.  you probably wouldn’t understand it.

just a thought from the front porch…

what is GOD’s kingdom?...

we are looking at matthew 6 starting in verse 9 (niv) where JESUS said, this, then, is how you should pray: “our FATHER in heaven, hallowed be YOUr name…”  we have looked at the first three phrased and now we are ready for the first part of verse 10 (niv) where HE says, YOUr kingdom come…

now this may be the most misunderstood phrase in this what is known as the LORD’s prayer.  what does it mean, YOUr kingdom come?  what in the world does that mean, what is GOD’s kingdom?

well, GOD’s kingdom is HIS plan for history.  it is the rule and reign of GOD in the world.  it’s all that HE wants to do.  all HIS purposes are accomplished in the kingdom of GOD.

so where is the kingdom of GOD? 

it is wherever JESUS is allowed to be KING. 

since JESUS is KING in heaven right now the kingdom of GOD is in heaven.  one day when CHRIST comes back on earth, the kingdom of GOD will be on earth.  and JESUS says when i’m KING in your heart, the kingdom of GOD is within you.  so the kingdom of GOD is wherever JESUS is allowed to be KING.

actually the second phrase here in verse 10 (niv), YOUr will be done explains the first phrase, YOUr kingdom come.  GOD’s kingdom is wherever GOD’s will is done.  so if GOD’s will is being done in your life, that’s where the kingdom of GOD is.  it’s inside you. 

but before we can look at these two phrases please note, you have to settle one thing.  GOD is GOD and you’re not. 

i know that’s a little simple but we forget it very easily.  GOD is GOD and you’re not.  you cannot pray this prayer and you cannot be at peace until you accept that fact.

if you’re ever going to have peace in your heart in spite of circumstances, in spite of problems, in spite of conflict you’ve got to learn that GOD is GOD and you’re not.  and when you learn that then you’re ready to pray this prayer of surrender.

just a thought from the front porch…

GOD’s children trust HIM…

listen, GOD’s children trust HIM.  that’s what marks one of GOD’s children.  So, how do you need to trust GOD?  i invite you to pray along with me, recognizing GOD for who HE is in your life and asking for GOD’s peace.  just make a place there with you and GOD and just take a moment to stop from everything in life and talk to HIM.

let’s pray…

FATHER in heaven, today i choose to make YOUr name something more than just to talk about.  i choose to trust in YOUr name.  i trust YOU as my SAVIOR.  that’s your name.  i trust YOU as the one who is willing to forgive my sins.  i trust YOU as my LORD.  that’s YOUr name.  one who’s willing to lead and guide my life, who has the power to make me the kind of person YOU created me to be.  i trust YOU as my provider.  i trust YOU as my healer.  i trust YOU as my rock of security.  i trust YOU as my FATHER in heaven.  and i pray that YOUr name, YOUr character, will be recognized as of greatest importance in my life.  may my life be a continual invitation for others to join YOUr family.  i pray this in JESUS’ name.  amen.

just a thought from the front porch…