Be Careful The Associations You Make

Walk with the wise and become wise;
associate with fools and get in trouble. (Proverbs 13:20 NLT)

Associations have the power to shape our character! Most of us would SAY that we do not hang out with our enemies, however, the opposite is true in some cases. It is possible to have someone as a friend who is an enemy to our souls. In the above verse and again in Psalms 1, we are told that who we associate with we become like. If I spend most of my time with those who do not have a relationship with Christ, then eventually I will take on the characteristics of the world. However, if I spend time with those who are passionately following Jesus, that too will rub off on me and my passion for Him will grow as well. To be wise I must follow those that are wise, and WHO is wiser than Jesus?! The closer we get to Him the better off we are and the greater the impact we can make on others. Paul said "follow me as I follow Christ." Can others follow your example, or are you being shaped by the culture to much to make a difference? Check your connection to Jesus today and through prayer, ask God to speak to you about your associations......STEP Forward!

Don't Ever Forget!

In Genesis chapter 32, Jacob is dealing with some uncertain times. He has just dealt with a father-in-law who was dishonest and now he is heading back home where he hasnt been for 20 years because his own brother wanted to kill him. He does not know what is ahead of him, whether good or bad. So in verses 9-11 we find him praying and his prayer is centered around what God had before promised him. He reminded God, not that God needs reminding, that it was He who told him to return home with the promise that all would go well. The reality is is that we will all find ourselves in times of uncertainty and all we can do is what Jacob did. Don't ever forget what God has told you. Don't ever forget His promises to you. They will give you peace in the storms of your life. I recently have been dealing with some personal issues, and God has led me back to what He has before said. He will not leave or forsake us. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If you are ever in doubt about whether or not you are on the right path, just recall what God said to you.......STEP Forward!

I Will....No Matter What!

This is the day the Lord has. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalms 118:24

I mentioned the above verse at the end of yesterday's service and felt led to post it here today. Life is not always fair. Sometimes bad things happen even to godly people. Just because we are followers of God doesn't mean we are not going to face difficult times. Things that we don't understand. Bad doctor reports. Bad news from the job front, and so forth. But just because something "bad" happens, doesn't mean that we are forgotten or forsaken. It's just life. God has not changed and He never will. What we go through has the potential to make us greater and stronger. It has the potential to better us for Gods service and to reach others. In the above verse, the psalmist says that God made today. In other words, everyday that I have is a gift from God, and no matter what I face today, I must be determined to rejoice and be glad. I can't let lifes circumstances talk me out of who God is. I can't let bad things convince me that God is bad. When I make the decision to rejoice and be glad no matter what, I become an overcomer. Perhaps life has thrown you a curve lately. I know that it hurts and that it would be easier to sulk, but God is still in control and this is not the end. Who will you trust?the God who gave this day to you as gift or the one who brought the bad news.......STEP Forward!

Dressed For Success

There is a childrens story titled "The Emperors New Wardrobe" that tells the story about an emperor who cared only for how he looked. He was a prideful man. One day he decided to walk in a parade to show off a new wardrobe that his tailors told him only a person of his stature could see. Even though he could not see them, his pride would not allow him to confess which caused him to parade around unclothed! How many are sitting in our churches and are spiritually undressed. We put on Christianity but never put on Christ. In essence we are unclothed. We find a story from Jesus in Matthew 22 about a great feast. When the King comes through the banquet hall he finds a man who doesn't have the right clothes and he is thrown out. I do not want to be found in this condition! If all I do is put on Christianity, then all I'm doing is putting on works and works don't save me. I must, you must, put on Jesus Christ. Putting all of our hope and trust in Him. Don't be to prideful today to confess your issues to Christ. Trust Him and He will cloth you......STEP Forward!

Don't Lose the Joy!

I want to encourage you today not to lose your joy and if you have....GET IT BACK! When we lose our joy in serving Christ everything, and I do mean everything, will begin to suffer. We will lose interest in our relationship with Christ and will eventually begin to compromise. We will lose interest in serving others and will begin to live selfishly. We will begin to think only of ourselves instead of being invested in our spouse and children. Everything will begin to suffer. We must remember that joy is not the same as happy. I once heard someone say that "to be happy I need good stuff to happen, but my joy is simply based on who Christ is." What a powerful truth. I will, and you as well, have days where bad things instead of good take place. I can not allow those days to still my joy! No matter what our days are like, It does not change what Christ did, who Christ is, or what Christ promised! For that reason alone our joy should be "unspeakable and full of glory." If you have found yourself to have lost your joy then do what David did in Psalms 51, repent and ask God to "restore the joy of His salvation."........STEP Forward!

Never Give Up

It is inevitable that bad days will come. That some days, you will be better than others. The reason is is that we are not yet perfect. Though we are to strive everyday to grow closer to God through faith in Christ and fellowship with the Holy Spirit, there are times that our flesh will rise up. I am in no way giving liscense to sin. Romans 6 tells us that we are not to continue in a lifestyle of sin. However he also reminds us in Romans 7 that we still have a struggle with our flesh. In fact he cries out "oh wretched man that I am!" have you ever felt like that? I have. It is a feeling of almost hopelessness. A feeling that you are never going to achieve what you want to become. A feeling that you are a failure. It is in this moment that we must read the rest of what Paul wrote, "who can save me?! Thank God! The answer is Jesus Christ our Lord!" we must remember that we can not do the work ourselves. It is Christ who works in us. It is His grace and forgiveness. The Bible says that He is able to finish what He began in us. Perhaps what we need today is to recommit ourselves to trusting in His grace and not our works........STEP Forward!

Is God Even Paying Attention?

Have you ever asked the above question? Have you ever felt like you were going through tough situations alone and that God must have gotten off a couple exits back? I have, and chances are you have too. We all go through seasons of hard trials. We all have moments where we feel like we may not survive this and perhaps you have even had that moment where you were ready to throw in the towel. Here is what I have personally learned about those moments in life: "When it doesn't look like God is working at all, He is working the most". Just because we can't see or feel Him, does not mean He is not there. In 1 Kings 17:8-16 we find the story of a widow who was living in a time of famine. She and her son only had enough food for one more meal. There was nothing left in the reserves. No more savings, no more coupons. This was IT! She surely felt hopeless and in despair. In one place she even admitted her feelings when she said, "my son and I are going to eat this and then die". HOWEVER! God was working on the other side of the situation. There was a prophet on the way with a word from God that would become her provision through the remainder of the famine. The Bible says that when she decided to trust in God, her barrel never ran empty. Maybe that's where you are today. You are in the place of giving up. I say to you, hold on and put your trust in God. Not in what you see, but in what He has told you......STEP Forward!

What Are We Giving?

I was sitting in service Sunday night listening to the evangelist that is with us this week, and the thought dropped in my spirit "if you are not giving all, you are not giving at all." I have played that over and over in my mind since then. What a powerful concept. I believe that many in our churches, and I am guilty of this, are giving some but not all. Perhaps we may even be giving most of ourselves, but if we are not giving our all, then we are giving nothing. Our example is Jesus. The Bible teaches us that He came and gave His all, His whole life, on the cross so that all who believed in Him, would have life. Jesus gave all. The Bible also teaches us to totally deny ourselves in becoming His disciples. Maybe today you are giving Him your Sunday but not your Monday. Maybe you are giving your time, but not your money. Maybe you are giving your stuff, but not your self. He wants it all. My time, my energy, my stuff, my money, everything that I have and that I am, He wants it. Thats what it means for Him to be Lord. If He is not your Lord, then you are living in rebellion and rebellion is sin. Give Him your all today.......STEP Forward!

Assessing the Damage

Last night a string of storms ripped through the southeast producing tornados that have claimed over 250 lives and in one report, wiped out a small town. Many today are hurting and questioning why this happened. I don't have answers, but I do know that in the midst of all of this, God can shine through. He can comfort the hurting, rebuild the lives of the broken, restore the materials that were lost, and ultimately save the lost. However, He will need us to be the hands and feet in some cases. We must as believers find a way to help out in this time. Some may be able to go down to Georgia, Alabama, or Tennessee. The rest of us, and all of us for that matter, can give something towards the relief efforts. Families are in despair and we need to show them compassion and love. Pray for them yes, but please get involved and act.......STEP FORWARD!

STEP Forward!

If you have been reading my blog the last few days then you have noticed that at the end of each blog I type the words STEP Forward. It comes from Philippians chapter 3 and what Paul tells us about leaving our past behind, and pressing forward. As I mentioned the other day, this has become something special to me that I am, by God's grace, trying to apply to my daily life. It stands for, "Saved from my past, Transformed and Empowered for my present, and Pressing forward to my future in Christ." That is the life I want to live. Saved...Transformed...Empowered...Pressing! Each day is a STEP that has to be taken. A STEP to forget who we were so we can become who He called us to be. A STEP forward in understanding that it is by His power and not our own. A STEP forward in realizing that we are not finished on this journey and that heaven awaits us. We must take a STEP each day or we will go backwards. To not be pressing forward is to retreat. So please....STEP Forward!

Keep Sowing

I pray that everyone had a great Easter weekend. Our service at Friendship was awesome and our community event Sunday evening was off the hook! We saw decisions made for Christ and that's what it is all about. I realize that some of you invited people who did not show,or perhaps came, but did not make a decision. Do not give up on your Hosanna prayers and do not quit sowing seeds of Good News in to their lives. Do not quit inviting them. Do it every week! I want to share a story from Pastor Perry Noble about something that happened at there services this past weekend. Check out how God can move if we give Him the chance.

This year for our Easter services one of my opening illustrations was taken from the movie “Smokey and the Bandit.”  I talked about how in 1977 that I really wanted the Trans Am that was in that movie…and thought that if I could have it then I would never want anything else again.  (The message will be online and on itunes by noon tomorrow.)
Anyway, a family had been inviting a friend of theirs to NewSpring for three years and he finally came to a service last night.  (Don’t EVER give up on people!!!)  He did not pray to receive Christ during the service…HOWEVER…
On the way home he was listening to the radio and “East Bound & Down” by Jerry Reed (The theme song for “Smokey & the Bandit”) came on!  When that happened he pulled his car over on the side of the road and surrendered his life to Christ!

Wow! What a testimony! So there you go, go sow some seeds!.....STEP FORWARD!

Easter 2011

I am gonna take a break from my series of thoughts on "STEP Forward" to share some thoughts about Easter. This is the high holy day for believers in Christ. This one single event changed history, but most importantly has changed countless lives over the past 2000 years. This morning I will be sharing a sermon called "It's True." Though I will be sharing a lot of different things, the most powerful evidence of a risen Christ is a changed life. The story of Paul going from persecuted of the church to persecuted for the church is just on example of what experiencing the resurrection of Jesus can do for one's life. I am a life changed. Perfect, no, not by any means. But what I am, I am by His grace. I have a firm and steady belief today that He is indeed alive forever more. It is the anchor of hope in my life. I pray today that on this celebration of the risen Lord, many will come to the cross and begin a relationship with Jesus Christ.....STEP FORWARD!

Going Forward

Back towards the end of January I was preparing for a message that I would speak at a friends church in Greenwood, SC, and the Lord began to deal with me from the book of Philippians chapter 3. In it, Paul begins to share how that he had accomplished a lot in his life and had a great heritage, but that in coming to Christ he realized that it all meant nothing and that Jesus was the prize. Then he made a powerful statement, "I have not yet reached perfection." Wow! Here was a man who was an apostle, who preached across the Roman empire, who wrote most of the N.T., and he says that he had not yet reached perfection. That statement hooked me. I have gone back to it over and over. He was not giving himself room to sin or live how he wanted, but was reaffirming the fact that He depended on Christ and that Jesus was the prize before him. It started as a message in me for a revival I was scheduled to preach, but it has become a way of life I am trying to live. To realize that Christ is before me and that I am pressing towards the goal of heaven. Along the way I will have fights, struggles, and setbacks, but through it all, with His strength, I can press through it all! My prayer today is that we all...STEP Forward!

I'm Back!

I'm back! It has been close to a year since my last post. To be honest I was burned out in a lot of ways. I found myself coming to the computer and not having anything to say. In fact, it was taking everything I could get to speak on sundays and wednesdays. I was still doing devotions and sermon prep, just wasn't getting anything out of it like I once did. The problem was in me. The last 21 days has revealed a lot to me about me. I have gotten my "edge" back so to say. I saw compromises that I didn't before know I was committing. Things I didn't think were affecting me, were. I am re-learning how important it is to cut out all of the noise in our lives from time to time for the purpose of listening to God. I can not, nor can you, operate without a clear Word from the Lord.
One of the things that I am coming to terms with is my insecurity. This has been a life long struggle for me. As a teen, i was very shy, and even around my friends always felt on the outside. As I came into ministry I was constantly under the heaviness that I wasn't good enough. No matter what I did, it was never enough. The enemy used this to the max and it drained me terribly. During this fast, I have begun the journey out of this. Understanding that indeed I am not good enough, and I can't do enough. It's God's grace. Though I am to be diligent to do His work, and to be obedient to Him, ultimately it is His grace. Somehow I began to trust in my works and not His. I feel like there are a lot of us in the pews. The enemy is draining us because of this. Over the next few days, I am going to go in to more detail. Until then......STEP Forward! (more to come on that statement later)