Identity

Scriptures: The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. (Romans 8:16)

In the movie, “Bourne Identity”, a CIA agent was injured in the head and lost his memory. As a result, when the physical injury was cured, he had no idea who he was and why things were happening to him, especially those threatening his life.

The story took him through a process in which he started with the evidences he had, the information of a bank account, to other leads and clues that eventually helped him discover his true identify and regain some understanding of his past and all the complexity therein.

This is, of course, a fictitious story. But it tells one important truth: Who you are has everything to do with what’s happening to your life. So often we are surprised at what happens to us in life when, in fact, God has told us in the bible why.

Bible tell us that, “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:12-13) This is incredible. Simply because we believe in the name of Jesus, God is willing to give us the right to be His children.

Actually, it’s more than a right. Bible says that we are born of God. That means there’s a relationship of life extension from God to us. When we believe in Jesus, we have a new identity and a new life, just as Paul proclaimed in his letter to Corinthian Christians, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (II Corinthians 5:17)

The legal aspect of this new relationship, the new identity, brings to us claims to our heavenly heritage, “In Him we were also made heirs, having been destined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will,” (Ephesians 1:11) and many blessings in this life.

But this new identity also brought us to the forefront of a spiritual battlefield. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” (John 15:18-19) Our relationship to our Heavenly Father and to our Lord Redeemer, as evidenced by our new identity and testified by the Holy Spirit, is convicting to this world for its rejection of the salvation by our Lord Jesus.

Yes, who we are has everything to do with what’s happening to us, just like what Jason Bourne experienced. But, unlike Jason, we do not have amnesia. We need not go far to search for answers to things in our lives because God has already provided the answers in His Word, Bible, and has sent His Spirit to help assure us of our new identity and understand His plans for us in life.

If we remember who we are, children of God, and walk in His truth, we will know our lives are not probable coincidences, but instead, a divine certainty with His plan and purpose. There’s no surprise to God and, as limited as we are in understanding, we can march into our lives with Him in confidence because we are His beloved children!

Prayer Requests:
1. For those who are struggling with the many hats they have to wear in life

Prayer:
Father, thank You for making us Your children. Please help us never to forget our true and eternal identity and empower us to live in such a dignified manner that matches this identity and give glory to You. We pray in the name of our Lord Jesus, Amen!

ONE MINUTE EACH NIGHT

Received this from a friend and it is true, that this is the scariest election we as Christians have ever faced and from the looks of the polls, many who consider themselves Christians aren't voting Christian values. We all need to be on our knees.

Do you believe we can take God at His word? Call upon His name, then stand back and watch His wonders to behold. This Scripture gives us, as Christians, ownership of this land and the ability to call upon God to heal it. I challenge you to do so. We have never been more desperate than now for God to heal our land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says: If my people, which are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

During WWII, there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every night at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England , its people and peace. This had an amazing effect as bombing stopped. There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America . TheUnited States of America and our citizens need prayer more than ever!!!

If you would like to participate: each evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time (8:00 PM Central, 7:00 PM Mountain, 6:00 PM Pacific), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, for peace in the world, the up-coming election, that the Bible will remain the basis for the laws governing our land and that Christianity will grow in the U.S.

Someone said if people really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have.

Please pass this on to anyone whom you think will want to join us.

Anytime, Anywhere

Scriptures: For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. (Ephesians 2:18)

When Mike Marolt is out of town, he remotely accesses the computer and files in his Aspen, Colorado, office. On a recent overseas trip, Marolt answered e-mails and kept in touch with his clients by using his laptop through a satellite phone hookup. This time, however, he was sitting in a base camp tent at 21,000 feet on the side of Mt. Everest. These days even that doesn’t surprise us because we have become used to the technology that provides access to the rest of the world anytime, anywhere.

We can easily develop a similar lack of amazement toward prayer. Talk to God? “Of course.” We don’t have to wait in line, enter a building, or wear nice clothing. We can pour out our hearts to the Lord anytime, anywhere. It’s easy to lose the wonder of that because it has become so familiar.

Paul always seemed to marvel at the door opened wide into the presence of God. “In Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ,” he wrote. “For through Him we both [Gentiles and Jews] have access by one Spirit to the Father” (Ephesians 2:13, 18).

The door is open for everyone. God welcomes all who come by faith. Through Christ we can enter His presence— anytime, anywhere. Amazing!

Let’s always keep the prayer lines open,

Knowing God is always there;

For we upon His name may call

Anytime and anywhere. —D. De Haan

There is no place or time we cannot pray.

(From Our Daily Bread On-line Daily Devotion, June 25, 2008 – Written by David C. McCasland)

Prayer Requests:
For those who travel often

Prayer:

Dear Lord, please help us remember that You are only a prayer away, that we are never alone, and that You are the best listener for any and everything in our lives, big or small. Thank you for listening to our prayers as though we are the only people calling out to You. Thank You and praise You In the name of our Lord Jesus, Amen!

Back to Basics

Then the Lord addressed Job out of the storm and said:
Who has laid out a channel for the downpour and for the thunderstorm a path
To bring rain to no man’s land, the unpeopled wilderness;
To enrich the waste and desolate ground till the desert blooms with verdure? (Job 38:1, 25-27)

During the summer of 1994, my family and I spent our summer vacation on a road trip of the Southwest. We camped at the Grand Canyon, and visited Mesa Verde, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park. My husband’s younger sister was living in Colorado Springs at the time and before heading north to visit her family, we spent a couple of days with a college friend who lived just north of the New Mexico border in Trinidad, Colorado. During that time, we stayed in a campground just on the New Mexico side, in a town called Raton.

I remember sitting on the porch of our KOA “Kamping Kabin” watching a thunderstorm gather up. Throughout the afternoon, the sky turned incredible shades of aquamarine and pink and orange as the moisture moved through the clouds. As the storm gained momentum, you could see spouts of rain coming down across the miles of landscape like giant colored worms dancing. It was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. I watched that scene, mesmerized, for a good two hours or more.

I’m sure that a climate scientist or good meteorologist could explain all the details of what was happening, but for that short space of time, all I could do was wonder at the mind of a God who could create something so amazing. All the miracles of technology that we see around us every day are somehow trumped by Mother Nature doing what she was created to do.

Some people get upset when things like the weather get in the way of doing the things they want or need to do. Others feel cheated when, for example, a baseball game gets rained out. Could it be that such inconveniences are God’s way of getting us to pay attention, to slow down a little and bring us back to “home base”?

In the book of the prophet Isaiah, the Lord says that His word is like the rain, achieving the end for which [He] sent it (Is. 55:11). Every day – if we take the time to notice – God is calling us through His creation to allow ourselves to be renewed and re-formed into the people He intended us to be from the beginning. With every gasp of wonder, the Lord reclaims us for Himself and reminds us: I, the Lord, am your God…You shall not have other gods besides Me (Ex. 20:2-3).

Prayer Request: That during these days of summer vacation, we will take time to allow ourselves to be refreshed and renewed by our God.

Prayer: O Lord, our God, we thank You for the wonders of nature that You have created. Help us to slow down, to take time to be amazed and awed by all You do. Renew us and refresh us, that we may become like the rain which goes forth from the heavens to fulfill the purpose for which You sent it. We make this prayer through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

The Tachometer

Scriptures: …And He said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of, for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” (Luke 9:56)

Many years ago, when I was still a student, I needed a car. So I went through the newspaper classified ads and a few used car sales publications to come up with list of cars on the market that seemed to match what I wanted. Then, on a Saturday, a friend of mine who used to be an auto mechanic went to see these cars with me.

We checked out a few cars and did not see anything that came close to what I wanted. Finally, there was one that seemed to be in good condition and was priced right. So we went for a test drive. We went to a local residential area where there seemed to be no traffic on the road at all and my friend gave the car a few tests: he stepped on the pedal really hard to see how fast the car speed up and, then, stepped on the brake to see how fast it stopped.

He picked a section of the road where there was no cars parked on either side of the road and drove without his hands on the steering wheel; he turned the steering wheel all the way to both sides and listened carefully to the sounds of the wheels; and he would even stop the car and step onto the front and back bumpers and jump off the bumpers to test the suspension.

He did many other tests on that car. But, of all the tests he did, I was impressed most by his test on how fast the car would speed up. Every time he stepped on the pedal, he would look at the tachometer. He did this several times and I asked him why. He said, “When the engine is new, the shaft in which the pistons move fit the pistons well and left virtually no space between the shaft and the pistons. Thus, when you step on the pedal, the power generated by the engine would push the pistons very effectively. The tachometer will show this effectiveness. When it’s responsive, the tachometer will respond immediately. When the tachometer responds sluggishly, either the shafts or the pistons or both have been worn out somewhat and the performance cannot be that efficient.”

In some ways, I think our life is also just like a tachometer in a car. If we care to observe our life objectively, we should be able to see if we respond to the desirable and undesirable circumstances biblically. God has blessed us with a manual for life, the bible. But, so often, we are just like what Jesus said, we do not know what spirit we are of.

Sometimes we don’t want to examine our own hearts because we don’t want to face the reality that there are undesirable thoughts and wishes not pleasing to God. Sometimes we don’t examine our hearts because we are simply too busy. Sometimes we don’t examine our hearts because we fear it will hurt too much. Whatever the reasons may be, our choices often make us feel trapped, not being able to move anywhere.

God’s plan and purpose for us are to lead us into His riches. He has put all the instructions needed in the book of bible. If only we allow bible to test our hearts and to follow its instructions to remove all stumbling blocks, His promises in the bible will be the reality of our lives that turns our lives into wonderful and powerful testimonies of the joy and love of being a child of God.

Have you checked your tachometer in life recently?

Prayer Requests:
For those who feel trapped in life

Prayer:

Dear Lord, please help us to be sensitive to the condition of our hearts. Help us to submit ourselves to You and Your Word. Examine our hearts and help us to abide by your instructions so we may prosper in the way You have for us. In the name of our Lord Jesus we pray, Amen!

Paco the Faithful

Scripture:
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12)

A couple of days ago I met a man who I have not seen in 30 years. His name is Francisco (Paco for short) and I met him in Spain one summer when I came to Spain as a summer missionary. I was with the leader of an evangelistic campaign in southern Spain back then, and while we were traveling across country to get to the province of Cáceres, we stopped off to visit with a believer who lived in the country. This man had been saved since the 50's and back then there were not evangelical churches. Well today told me a story that moved my heart.

He told me that back in the 50's under Franco's regime, it was illegal to have any type of religious meeting except for the catholic church. Well one Saturday evening, believers from all over meet at Paco's house for fellowship. The next morning at 8 am, the spanish miltary police came knocking at his door telling him that the meeting at his house was illegal because it was not catholic and that he would have to go to the military police station. He also had to get in contact with all the others and tell them to meet him there at the station.

Well to make a long story a little shorter, none of them had to go to jail, but after all was said and done, the military police officer who was the hardest with him in front of everyone, talked to Paco alone and said he did not believe in any of all this and that religion is what the priests are for. That is to say, even back then when it was illegal to any other religion to meet, the same police that threatened to arrest all of the believers did not even care about his own catholic religion.

What spoke to me most about what Paco said was how the Lord took one man and his family and used him all of these years from the time when it was illegal to worship together until now where there is lots and lots of freedom. He said to me today a little later, I am so thankful to the Lord for all of these years and how God has blessed me. My sons are pastors, my daughter has done missionary service and my grandchildren are in evangelical churches.

Request:
That God would raise up more missionaries to reach the thousands of towns that do not have a single witness for Christ.

Prayer:
Dear Lord thank you for using and blessing Paco over all of these years and thank you for encouraging us with his life of faithfulness to you.

Meeting God's Mercy Face to Face

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall know mercy (Mt. 5:7)

This past Tuesday night, I found myself in the emergency room at Huntington Memorial Hospital. I'd been sick on and off since the previous Sunday, but by Tuesday night, I knew something was seriously wrong. I emerged 14 hours later with a handful of prescriptions and a diagnosis of gastroenteritis and a bacterial infection in my intestine.

As unpleasant as the whole ordeal was (the 5 hour wait just to get blood work done was the worst!), the hospital personnel who cared for me truly showed me the face of Christ, especially my husband (who himself had knee surgery only a week ago) and a technician named Jack who took care of hooking up the IV and administering fluids and various meds to get me rehydrated and more comfortable while I waited to go for a CAT scan.

I felt grateful that there were people like him in that position because the broken sea of humanity that came through the ER that night truly needed people like him to show them God's mercy. People like the elderly woman with dementia who came in after me and babbled like a brook. The poor dear had no family with her to answer the myriad of questions you get asked. Yet, the nurse was incredibly kind and patient with her.

Or the fellow down the hall who yelled all night "Help me, help me!" I don't know if he was coming off a bad drug trip or if he had mental problems, or what. Yet, he was treated with tremendous kindness and respect.

The whole experience reminded me of the Gospel scene where Jesus looked out over the vast crowd and had compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd (Mk 6:34). Surely, He was in that emergency room that night, showering His compassion and healing on His ill children through the hands of the doctors and hospital staff. It also was a good reminder that we are to likewise show mercy to those around us who need help, in whatever capacity we are able. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give (Mt. 10:8).

Prayer Request: For all those who are ill and in the hospital today, and in thanksgiving for the kindness of those who took care of me that night.

Prayer: Lord, our God, we give You praise for sending Your only Son to save us and to heal us. Rain down your mercy on all those in the hospitals this day, and continue to bless our world with willing doctors, nurses and others who bring your gift of healing to our suffering world. We make this prayer through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

A Servant of God

Scripture:

"I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. "
(Psalm 77:11)

One of the pastors I have been working with this week is a missionary from Brazil named Luis Paulo da Silva. He has been in the town of Puente Genil for seven years now pastoring a good sized fellowship (60) in addition to being responsible for four other point of ministry.

It is only Tuesday and I have been greatly blessed fellowshipping and ministering with him these last few days. But last night he told me how the Lord began his ministry 30 years ago.

He was only 25 years old and recently married when the Lord called him and his wife to go to Argentina. Their first ministry was in a pueblo (village) called Las Heras. The way I am understanding it, the Lord laid on his heart to have an evangelistic campaign in his village but he did not have any money. There was a small stadium that he wanted to rent and he offered to pay for the stadium after the campaign but of course the owners said no. Two weeks later, he asked them again and they said yes.

Now that he had the stadium he needed some music. The event was in two weeks and two days before hand, a Christian music group from Chile happened to be in the area and Luis spoke to them and they agreed to do everything that was needed.

Annoucements and invitations were handed out that there would be evangelistic and healings meeting and the first night when they began, everything ready, nobody showed up but they began anyways, because the Lord told them to do this. About 30 minutes into the music two men stood came in the back and stood there for a while and then just about the time an invitation was going to be given, after the message, the two men left. Discouraged because the only two people that came, had just left right before the invitation.

Completing the rest of the message the two men returned with a man that could not walk. Luis asked them what they needed and they said that they wanted healing for their family member. Luis and a few others that were with them began praying for this man. After only 5 minutes of prayer, the man yelled with joy as he began walking and jumping around.

That night, as I am told, this man walked all round town showing everyone how God had healed him and the next day the stadium was full and the two evenings there were hundreds who heard the gospel in that town. Today there is still a church in Las Heras. Here is the picture of the members from back then.

God is doing great things and I am grateful to the Lord for giving me the opportunity to be blessed ministering alongside of a servant of the Lord who has given his life to serve the Lord and has seen many miracles in that service.

Request:
That God would lead us to plant the seed of the gospel on good soil in these pueblos in Andalucia.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, there are many, many, many places in the world that have not heard that you have paid the price for their sins. Lead us to tell others and to live a life worthy of what you did for us. In your name. Amen

The Green Reminder

Scriptures: The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; He will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing. (Isaiah 51:3)

A few months ago, one house in our community went into foreclosure. The residents soon moved out. The house was left vacant and the yards were left unattended. The water company and the electricity company both shut off the power and water.

Very soon, the lawn turned brown and the weed came out. The house looks just like a forsaken place. Having seen the desolate condition of the property, the home owner association of this community, for fear of the negative impact of such rundown property may have on other houses in the community, decided to step in. They decided to pay for the water and electricity, only to pay for what’s needed to water and lawn to keep them green.

The effect was amazing. In a matter of a couple of weeks, the lawn turned green. I think they might even ask the gardeners of the community to trim the lawn, too, for the height of the grass on the lawn looked pretty good. The house is still vacant. But it doesn’t look so out of place. The color and the liveliness of the lawn have made the house attractive once more. More than that, it made the whole community appears complete and presentable.

In many ways, I think our lives are the same. They were desolate before we came to know our Lord, empty inside with weeds all over the place. Not only was it not appealing to others, we were not at all satisfied with our own lives. That is, until we met our Lord who changed all these.

We no longer merely exist for He brought liveliness into our life; He cleansed us from all unrighteousness and brought light into our being; love and warmth came with His presence in us and hope became our outlook in life. He’s pouring unfathomable heavenly riches into our life.

If our life is like a house, then He desires more than cleaning, filling and decorating our lives. He desires, more than anything, to bolt our lives down on a firm and unshakeable foundation so that when “The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” (Matthew 7:25)

Rains, flood and storms are all sure things in life. Our question is not whether or not we can avoid them. Our question is what we can do to continue standing firm and to continue radiating with the liveliness and the light and warmth of Christ in spite of all these rains, flood and storms.

God has promised that “He will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the gardens of the Lord.” (Isaiah 51:3) He is faithful and will surely deliver what He promised. All we need to do is to acknowledge our true condition and surrender to Him so He can water, cleanse, trim and bolt our lives firmly in His love and truth. That’s it! Praise the Lord!

Prayer Requests:
For those who feel empty and meaningless in life

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for loving us enough to care for us and to work in our lives to make us better children of You. Please help us to cling to You for cleansing of our acts, thoughts and decisions so our lives may be worthy of the gospel and the calling You have for us. In the name of our Lord Jesus we pray, Amen!

God's Thoughts

Scripture:

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 58:8,9).

How do you know what thoughts are your thoughts versus God's thoughts? One of the great paradoxes of walking with God is discerning the difference between a "natural idea" versus a "God-idea." One of my mentors challenged me one day to make sure that my ideas and the actions I take are directed by God and not from my own reasoning. But being in a marketing profession, there is a constant rub between the "natural" and the "spiritual."

There are four places from which a thought or idea originate: 1) Our natural man, 2) Satan 3) the World, and 3) The Holy Spirit. There are a few ways to discern from which place a thought is coming. If a thought comes into your mind that you know you would never have thought of, and it might be something you would not normally consider doing. This is likely God speaking.

I went participated in a conference when an offering was being taken to make up for a poorly organized event that left the organizers very short on funds. It was clearly a case of poor management. Nevertheless, I prayed. I assumed I would give a token gift. However, the figure that suddenly came into my mind was $1,000. I debated and struggled in my mind. But I obeyed - as I knew that was not my idea. Planting this seed also resulted in our receiving a blessing of a $10,000 raise in my wife's salary less then 30 days after that.

In order to be obedient, we must not make advance decisions about a particular matter. Each of our decisions must be submitted to the Lord for His counsel to us, not just based on our reasoning and when we know God's will it is imperative the we obey.

(adapted from TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman 06-12-2008)

Request:
That God would move in the hearts of those here in Spain who desparately need Christ and that the evangelism team would continue speak boldly for Christ.

Prayer:
Lord, everyday is yours and yet we are always making our plans. Forgive us Lord and remind us Holy Spirit to listen attentively to your voice so we always do your will and please you.

Superiority

Scriptures: Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere Him. For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm. (Psalm 33:8-9)

I heard a story by Pastor Dudley Rutherford about 3 kids boasting of their fathers’ athletic ability. The first one said, “My dad runs so fast that, after he shot an arrow, he could run ahead and catch the flying arrow.” The second one said, “My dad runs so fast that, after he pulled the trigger, he could run ahead and move the target so that, every time he shot, the bullets would hit the bull’s eye.” The third one said, “My dad works in the city government. But he runs so fast that he gets out of work at 4 O’clock, and he gets home at 3:30.”

I don’t know if these kids simply all adored their fathers, or they simply want to feel superior to other kids by exaggerating their fathers’ athletic ability. A funny joke, but said a lot of human nature. We may not do the exactly what they did. But we may feel superior to others and express in different ways.

Being in the Information Technology business for so long, I have come to know a lot of so-called “IT Professional” who, having put in lots of hours and efforts into the system they built and supported, felt that there’s simply no other system like it and that their solution is the only solution.

Such sense of superiority is often expressed at the expense of the respect for others. To some extent, I think people feel the need to express superiority because they do not feel respected. They feel like, if they don’t show how good they are, no one would really notice them and their worth. Then, of course, these expressions of superiority were often results of pride, too.

In either case, I think the problem is actually a symptom of not knowing God and, therefore, not knowing who we really are. Bible says, “For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm.” (Psalm 33:9) This universe and everything in it came to be because of His words. Everything was put in place exactly as He prescribed.

More than that, He is above time, too. Prophet Isaiah told us that the Lord said, “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, my purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” (Isaiah 46:10) Time and space are both in His control and He knows all things in both dimensions. This is our God, our Lord, our Creator, and the Sustainer of all things through eternity. What a privilege to know Him and have Him as our heavenly Father!

I suppose, having a father like Him, we can boast like those kids, too. But, for me, this true knowledge of Him humbles me. Who am I to be blessed with such a wonderful relationship with Him? Who am I to be given such an honorable title as His child? Who am I to be privileged to serve Him and His loved ones? Who am I that He should be mindful of? How wonderful the grace we have received in Jesus!

Our days may still turn gray and stormy sometimes. Our lives may still turn unexpectedly. Our friends may still leave or hurt us. But, it’s OK! For we may lose anything and everything in this world, but, even then, we still have Him, our Lord God, our heavenly Father who will see to it that His purpose will stand, including the ones He has for us!

Prayer Requests:
For those who feel inferior in any way

Prayer:
Aba Father, thank You for the gifts of salvation that made us Your children. Help us to remember who we are in You. Help us to live a life worthy of this sonship, giving testimony to this honorable everlasting family we belong to. In the name of our Lord Jesus we pray, Amen!

One Day at a Time

Scripture:
"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps"
(Proverbs 16:9)

Everyday we try to plan our day so that there are little or no surprises. That is, we make our plans and believing that things are well thought out, we really expect things to go as we plan. But as we all know, things don't always go as we plan and we have to be "flexible" to make changes as they are needed. Yet, how do we really feel about these changes. Sometimes they are very frustrating, other times we think to ourselves, "if I only knew ahead of time, I could have change this or that."

Well this is how things have begun in our ministry here in Spain. As you may recall, I am actually on vacation on a 3 week missions trip to two cities in southern Spain, Ecija and Puente Genil. The "plan" is to hand out 24 thousand of tracts in 10 villages in two weeks. Yet, like I just said, things don't always go the way we plan. Yet, as I rest in the Lord, I may think to myself how different things might be when compared to "my" plans but is is not my ministry by the Lords. He knows what needs to be done and how it needs to be done and where the tracts need to be planted.

As an example, originally I had hoped to be able to stop off in New Jersey and see my son and family, but the airline told me it was going to cost so much more that I decided it would not be worth it. However, my plane was so late that I had to miss the connection to Spain and I stayed over in New Jersey, which meant I had a chance to see my son and my family. The plans I had to make did not include this stop over even though I had originally wanted to. Hallelujah, God heard my heart and answered my prayerful desire. Amen.

Then it took me three days to get over the jetlag. I really did not sleep more then a 3 to 4 hours every night until last night. Knowing this might happen, the missionary here, Johannie, planned easier morning ministries for me, thus giving me time to get aclimated to the time change. What this means is I also have time to visit with old friends. It has been amazing these last two mornings how many people I have had a chance to talk to and how many I have had a chance to introduce to the missionary who is the pastor of the evangelical church here.

My guess is that the rest of this week and probably next week things will also be "changed" from the original plan, but like today's scripture says, we make the plans but God plans the steps. To God be all the Glory.

Request:
For the towns we are going to visit these next two weeks. That God would put the seed of the Word of God in the hearts of those who have "good soil" and that many would be saved.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, you love these villages here in Andalucia and you know how much I want to see them come to Jesus. Move in the hearts of those here and save thousands for you Glory. In Jesus' Name. Amen

Do Not Worry

Scriptures: So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat? Or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:31-33)

Many years ago, a friend of mine from Silicon Valley told me that, every once in a while, he would send out his resume to other companies and request for interviews. He said, “I need to know how marketable I am.” He told me this long before the fall of the “.com” era.

His justification for doing so was that, “You never know what might happen. With companies downsizing and right-sizing like crazy, you simply don’t know what’s going to happen to you next. I do this to sort of testing the water so that, if I get laid off, I know how easily I can find a job and where I can find a job.”

This friend of mine is a Christian, too. I know he loves his family dearly. I don’t know if it was this sense of responsibility to his family or if it was a fear for not being to support his family that prompted him to do so. Maybe it was both. I am not blaming him. I know how that feels for I had been laid off with a moment of notice before, too.

But, Jesus clearly taught that we should not worry. What does that mean? Does it mean that we don’t need to plan for our future? Does it mean that we don’t have to save and can spend whatever we make at will? I don’t think so.

I think we often confuse or, more accurately, mistake worry as the only motivation for planning and thereby equating the two. I think, first of all, worry is not equivalent of planning. Worry may push us to plan. But, it’s not planning. Secondly, worry is a bad cause for planning. Jesus did not want us to worry because worry works out of fear and, when we fear, that means we lose our trust in God and His abilities in sustaining us. When we fear, or worry, we tend to act independent of Him. That’s when we will step into spiritually dangerous areas.

I believe, since God blessed us with the ability to reason and plan, planning is not something forbidden by God. But, we should not plan without the whole council of God. Here in the passage today, Jesus clearly told us to “seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness.” (Matthew 6:33) As we seek His Kingdom and righteousness, we will inevitably learn His will and plan for us in life at which time we will know what is for us and what is not. Then, we can rest assured knowing that God will always deliver what He promised.

I am convinced that planning is our part of efforts to work with God in the ministries He has called us to. With His partnership and leadership, we can participate without fear and worry, knowing that He has called us, He will surely provide everything needed.

How wonderful it is to know that our Lord God is the sovereign God! Bible says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) He was in charge when He delivered us out of the bondage of sin. He is still in charge to see us through this process of sanctification. Praise the Lord!

Prayer Requests:
For those who face career changes due to economical downturns

Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank You for Your promise of watching over us in any and every circumstances. As we continue to face circumstantial changes beyond our control, help us to keep our focus on You, trusting You for every promise You have given us so we may be living witnesses of Your love and faithfulness. In the name of our Lord and Savior we pray, Amen!

Forgiveness

Prescribed by the Great Physician
*****************************
The next time you feel like GOD can't use you, just remember....
Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer..AND
Lazarus was dead!
And Don't forget
Jesus Helped them all!!!!

Now! No more excuses!
God can use you to your full potential.
Besides you aren't the message, you are just the messenger.
And one more thing...Share this with a friend or two..
In the Circle of God's love, God's waiting to use your full potential.


1. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.
2. Dear God, I have a problem, it's Me.
3. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open.
4. Silence is often misinterpreted but never misquoted.
7. Do the math .. count your blessings.
8. Faith is the ability to not panic.
9. If you worry, you didn't pray . If you pray, don't worry.
10. As a child of God, prayer is kind of like calling home everyday.
11. Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape.
12. The most important things in your house are the people..
13 When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants us to be still so He can untangle the knot.
14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.
15 He who dies with the most toys is still dead.

Have a great day!!! The SON is shining and he can certainly use you!

(Thanks to Jeanine for sharing these important thoughts and reminders.)

Prayer Requests:

For those feeling unworthy of serving in God's family

Prayer:

Father, we know we are sinners and are unworthy of Your grace. Thank You for not looking at our insufficiencies and our inabilities and, instead, for looking at our potential in our Lord Jesus. Help us to be bold and courageous in spreading the good news of our Lord Jesus and in living out the full potential of all the gifts You have blessed us. In the precious name of our Lord Jesus we pray, Amen!

I Am

Scriptures: God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, God of your fathers-the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob-has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.’ (Exodus 3:14-15)

One of the things that surprised me, and a pleasant surprise I might add, when I came to this country was to find how people are treated in the restaurant. Every time we go to a restaurant, the waiters or waitress always greet us with sayings like, “Welcome to ….. My name is …. And I will be your server today.”

Then, during the meal, they will surely stop by more than once to see how we are doing. If we dine with our children, they will talk to the children, sometimes even joke with them. Their purpose, of course, is to establish a close personal relationship and to provide a pleasant experience and memory that will bring us back again. Some of these waiters and waitresses still remember our kids. When my wife and I go dining in their restaurants without kids, they will still ask how our kids are doing.

This approach reminds me of God and how He approached Moses through whom He was going to deliver out of the bondage of slavery. From our passage today, we can see that the patterns are similar. God introduced Himself to Moses by starting with His name, a name He said will be remembered from generation to generation.

More than that, God wanted Moses to know that He was not just any god popping out of blue. He was closely related to Moses and his people. He was “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” (Exodus 3:15) This reminds me of a personal encounter I had with one of my cousins after more than a dozen years of separation. I met my cousin in Dallas, Texas, a place I did not expect to meet him for his family lived in Chicago.

I came to realize that he was my cousin because he was actively involved in the youth ministry in our church. But I wasn’t so sure. So I approached him by asking him a few questions about his family to make sure he was who I thought he was. After all his answers, I was sure he was my cousin. But he was confused because he still didn’t know who I was and how I was related. So I told him, “Your great-grandfather is my great-grandfather. Your mother and my father are cousins.” At this, he understood our relationship and was more than thrilled to see a cousin in a strange town where it’s least expected.

In the same way, God introduced Himself to Moses by both giving Moses His name and explaining to Moses His relationship with the Israelite people, a relationship that started long ago, from when their forefathers’ days. He has been their God. He cared for them. He loved them and desired the best for them.

Today, He is still the same God with the same love and compassion for all those children of His and for all those seeking Him. He still desires to establish a close and intimate personal relationship with each and every one of us. More than that, He has revealed Himself to us through the person of Jesus Christ. He has demonstrated His love and commitment to us through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus.

Bible says, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Through all these, He wants to introduce Himself to us again. He wants to extend an invitation to that loving fellowship He has in mind for us. He wants us to know that, as hard and difficult our situations may be, we are not alone. He is with us. He watches over us and desires to deliver us out of our difficulties and into His riches!

Prayer Requests:
For those who are feeling being left out and alone

Prayer:
Our Father God, thank You for always keeping us in mind. Thank You for seeing us in our difficult times and for loving us as we are. Most of all, thank You for the gift of Jesus through whom we may be reconciled to You and become Your children. Help us to remember always You and this wonderful relationship You have initiated with us so we may live to share this great news with everyone around us. In the precious name of our Lord Jesus we pray, Amen!

What's in your heart?

Scripture:
"For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks."
(Matthew 12:34)
"But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart."
(Matthew 15:18)

A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine experienced a very difficult situation with his step-daughter. She has just turned 16 and decided she wanted to go live with her dad. However, they way she did that was not so cool. As it works out his step-daughter's dad was going to Afganistan and the step-daughter wanted to see him before her dad left. Well when she got there and it was time to go home, the step-daughter had her dad text my friend and his wife, which was her mom, telling them she was not going home.

Well to say the least the situation got heated and my friend was unloading one day when we were texting and I needed to stop him so that he would refocus a bit. Well he did not like what I said and basically told me that I was "preaching to the choir" to which I responded, "not any choir I know."

Now at first glimpse it might seem that what I said was hard and uncaring and without a doubt there is much more to this story then I can tell or even know. But is it clear that when things got hard for my friend, out of his mouth flowed what was in his heart and the same is true with me, out of my mouth flowed what was in my heart.

What this all means is that when things get hard for us and our faith is tested, who we really are in our hearts is what slips out. When things are going the way we want things to go, then it is easy to be a good Christian, but in times of testing, the real "us" is revealed. So what should we do about it?

Well if we don't see it during the middle of the hard times, then we should at least look at ourselves after the rough times have past. Not to get down on ourselves so much as to realize where we really our in our walk with Christ. Did we kick and yell and scream or did we submit and pray and wait on the Lord. What ever we did, we can then assess where we are in our lives and then committ ourselves to surrender to the Lord more and not let these hard times bring us down.

Jesus is our Lord and Savior, for reals, not just on Sunday, not just when things go well, not just when people make us happy. The barometer of our relationship with Jesus and our walk in Christ is seen how we respond when things do not go the way we expect or want them too.

Request:
Pray that my friend and his wife have the grace and wisdom to deal with this situation and that the step-daughter be protected from her choices and hear the voice of God to do His will.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, All is yours and we thank you and praise you for caring completely for us. Forgive us when we listen to anything else except you and lead us to be filled with the knowledge of your Will. In the Name of Jesus. Amen

Cleanup

Scriptures: “See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if you whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you.” (Luke 11:35-36)

Over the weekend, I did some long overdue backyard work. I moved some plants to different locations, built a rack for our grapevine, and planted some new flowers. At the end of the work, I was exhausted. So, I went over to some chairs we have in the backyard, thinking I might be able to find some rest and enjoy the work done.

Then, I found these chairs were all dusty with spider webs. So, I had to wash and clean these chairs before I could even sit on them for a rest. I asked myself, “When was the last time you sat on any one of these chairs? Why are they so dirty?” I realized that the reason they were so dirty was because I had not checked on them for so long. So, I told myself to check on them at least once a week so I can be sure I can use them whenever I need to.

I think, in many ways, our spiritual life is the same. There are sins that we thought we have dealt with or that there are things we thought are in good order. But, when things come up, we are surprised to find that we are not as ready as we think.

Sometimes, we keep a regular bible study schedule. We started out with praying for understanding and applying correct study method. We keep our schedule and pray everyday. We stick to the methodology. But, somewhere along the way, our prayers and methodology became routine, and the schedule became habit.

We are still able to come up with new understanding from our analysis. But, somewhere along the way, the excitement of meeting the Lord was lost unknowingly. And, yet, we think we are doing pretty good, never bother to re-examine the true state of spiritual health.

Sometimes a ministry can be doing so well that everything seems to be taken care of systematically, without us having to worry about them. But, so often, when we operate in an Automatic mode, we don’t think about the spirit and the purpose of our ministry and the whole operation can become bureaucratic. This is true of any ministry, even for local churches.

Just like our annual health check, every once in a while, we need to stop, take time out and reflect on our spiritual condition. We need to come before the Word of God to see if there are spots in our daily walk with God that are not in order. We need to come before our Lord and ask for His power to help us to “fan into flame the gift of God” (II Timothy 1:6) so we may serve with passion and urgency.

Jesus said, “See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.” (Luke 11:35) May God help us so we can truly be the light of the world because we are willing to take time out to make sure our spiritual life is in order.

Prayer Requests:
For those seeking close fellowship in and with our Lord Jesus

Prayer:
Our gracious Lord, thank You for the living and the written Word. As we receive these wonderful blessings from You, help us to be committed to an intimate and meaningful relationship with You through meditation and reflection in the truth You have given us for we desire to exalt You in everything we do in life. Thank You for being our Lord and Savior. In the precious name of our Lord Jesus we pray, Amen!