The Result of Having Mountain Time

Yesterday I talked about the importance of getting away with God occassionally. In Matthew 14 Jesus goes into the mountain alone to pray. We need that alone time. We need the time without distractions pulling us away.
Today I want to talk about how those times with God will benefit your life. When we get away with Him, He will pour into us and prepare us for use. While Jesus was alone in the mountain praying He was able to see the disciples in trouble and knew what they needed. When we get in the mountain, God will allow us to see more clearly what those around us are in need of. We will be able to minister to them while they are in the storm. It was while Peter was alone on the roof of the house praying that God spoke to him about going to Cornelius' house. Some of us are wondering why God is using everyone but us. Let me ask again, how long has it been since you got away with God? Get away with Him this week and watch how He will use you. God bless and have a great day.

When Did You Last Have Mountain Time

Matthew 14:23 says about Jesus, "And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when evening was come, He was there alone." Everybody needs mountain time. What I mean by this is that everybody needs to get alone with God. As believers we are commanded to stay in constant prayer. We are to have daily devotional time with God. We can do this while working around the house or at work. We can do this while cooking or watching the kids. However there are times when we need to be alone with God. We need those times where there is no phone to distract, no kids to pull on our legs wanting something. We need those times alone away from everyone and everything that pulls us away from full attention with God. There are so many distractions around us. I challenge you to do what Jesus did in this passage. Get alone by yourself away from all the chaos around you. Cut the phone off and take your lunch off by yourself. Walk in the woods or by the lake. What ever you do, just get alone and let the Lord speak to you again. I promise it will be of great benefit. Have a great Sunday and God bless.

This is the Day

I want to continue yesterday's thought. Psalms 118:24 says, "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Remember that God is the author of today. He has created it and you for a purpose. Esther's uncle once told her, "your in the Kingdom for such a time as this." Don't get distracted by life's problems or by things that may go wrong today, because not everything will go right. Let today be God's day. Seek His will for it and walk in it. Let Him do His perfect will in you and in your family. Rejoice in today. Rejoice means to experience joy and gladness at a high degree. Let your joy be full today. This is the day, you may not get another. make it count. God bless

What if today was your last

What if today was your last? How would you treat your loved ones? Who would you call? What we fail to remember is that tomorrow is not promised to any of us. The Bible says that our lives are like vapor. It is here today and gone tomorrow. When we fail to put value on each and every day, we will fail to put value on the lives of those around us. It will cause us to mistreat each other and take each other for granted. It will also cause us to take God for granted. The challenge today is to re-evalute your daily approach. To remember that today is all we are promised here and to let our loved ones know what they mean to us. To my wife and children, I deeply love and appreciate you and all that you do to support me. I could not do what I do without my wife. To my extended family and church family, I love each of you and know that I am what I am because of God's grace and because He placed you in my life. Enjoy today and make it count. God bless.

Dreams do come true

I just want to encourage you today and tell you that dreams do come true. I have had the privilege of pastoring Friendship now for almost six years. For almost five years we have been in a building program. We have had many ups and downs during the process. There have been times when I really felt like maybe I wasn't even in the will of God. Yet through it all the Holy Spirit kept me going and would not let me give up. Not me only, but my family and the whole church. We need to remember that when God gives us a dream, He will play it out in His time and not our own. Here we are now, just a matter of days before we move in and have our first service. What seemed like would never happen is right here about to come to pass. Never give up on the dream God has given you. God bless and have a great day.

Don't make it complicated

I was reminded this morning by my son how simple faith is supposed to be. Nathan sat up on my lap this morning to tell me he loved me and then proceeded to sing the end of "Jesus loves me." You know, the part that says,"because the Bible tells me so." I remembered right then how easy and simple it is supposed to be. Sometimes we grown-ups want to make everything hard and complex. If we are not careful it can roll over into our walk with God. When that happens we become frustrated in our faith and our relationship with God suffers. Let's keep it simple. The Bible says to come with child-like faith. A child will believe what you tell them simply because you are their parent and they trust you. That is how it is supposed to be with God. He is our Father and we are to trust Him in all He says and does. God loves you!!! Believe it because the Bible tells you so. God bless and have a great day.

Look to Jesus

I was in prayer this morning and the Lord led me to Hebrews 12:1-2. "let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;" We, as Christians, are running a race. It is not a sprint or short distance race, but a marathon. We must be constantly in training. We must always have the goal in sight. We must not allow things into our lives that will hold us back or slow us down. Sometimes the smallest of things can become weights that will hinder. Look at your life today. Are their things weighing you down, or temptations that seem to be stronger than your faith? Lay them down!! How does one do this? The writer of Hebrews says to "look unto Jesus." We must have our eyes fixed on Him. He must be our passion. He is our great example of holiness and a faithful life. If we are not looking in His direction with fixed eyes we will lose sight of what is important. When was the last time we really looked to Jesus? I'm not talking about going through the day to day routine of what is expected, but really looked to Jesus. Is your passion fresh, and your desire great? Take the time today to look. God bless

Living in the past

As much as I hate to admit it, I am one of those people who come back from vacation and spend the next few weeks thinking about, "this time last week..." I found myself doing it this morning with my oldest son, Nathan. Althought this is innocent in and of itself, it brought my attention to the reality that many people are still "living" in the past. Although they have now moved out of a life of sin and into a relationship with God, they are still struggling with who they used to be. All around them is the memories of their past life, and the enemy will not let them forget who they were. This causes many to live a joyless life and an unfulfilled relationship with Christ. We can not allow the devil to keep us in our past!! The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things become new." In Romans 8:1, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." If you are a born again believer, then let go of yesterday and walk in the newness of life that we have be given in Christ. You are no longer who you used to be. You are a new creature!!! God bless and have a great day.

Thankful for Grace

As I prepare to go to church this morning I just want to say how thankful I am for God's grace. Sometimes we forget how amazing it is that God so loved us that He gave His Son for us. I am definitly not worthy of what He has done for me, not to mention that He would call me to preach His Word. I am thankful that it was not by my works or talents, by because of His great love. In Ephesians 2:1-10, Paul describes to us this great truth. Take time to read this passage today and let it sink in. If we are not careful we will allow the enemy to destract us with who we were or with our current failures. This scripture passage will remind us that our works can't save us, it is God's grace released to us as we believe in Him. Have a great Sunday and God Bless.

Bad Days Come

Every once in a while we all have bad days.  They come out of no where and can take us by suprise.  Without warning a seemingly beautiful blue sky can fill with black clouds and lightning.  Wonderful peaceful breezes can turn into strong damaging gusts of wind.  The question is, "how will we respond to these days?"  Will it affect our faith?  Will we do something, or respond in a way that damages our testimony? 
In Psalms 27, King David, Israel's greatest king, has been hit with a bad day.  His beloved son Absalom has turned rebellious and is trying to steal away the kingdom from him.  Some of those that he thought he could trust had turned their backs on him.  David has to run for his life not knowing who he can trust.  In verse 13 he says "I would have fainted".  David admits that he felt like giving up.  This great man of God, who had enough faith to go against bears, lions, and giants, feels like giving up.  But something would not let him.
"I would have fainted, unless".  What kept David from going over the edge?  What kept him from giving up?  "I would have fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."  David could not give up because he believed to see the promises of God.  He knew who had made him king, and no one could take it from him but God.  He knew the promises God had made and that God would not lie to him.  When things get rough just remember what God has said.  I leave you this morning with Psalms 27:14
"Wait on the LORD:  be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart:  wait, I say, on the LORD."

Hello

Hello everyone. I want to welcome you to my new blog site. I will be making daily posts that I hope will both inspire you and encourage you. Most of the time they will be kind of devotional, but occasionally I will post something from the heart that might be funny, insightful, or motivational. It is my prayer that God will lead us together to a closer walk with Him. You are in my prayers. God Bless