Are You Thirsty?

I was reading John 4:7-30 this morning as I sipped some of the best coffee I have ever made. When I finished the coffee, I drank a glass of water and it also tasted good. Then it dawned on me that my water softner had just been serviced and now has a new filter which accounted for the improved taste. Immediately, the Holy Spirit connected my experience to what the scriptures addressed in the story of Jesus and the woman at the well. Jesus brought up the fact that she had 5 ex-husbands & the current man in her life was a live-in boyfriend! Thus, Jesus invited her to let Him become the 7th man in her life. Now Christians should know that the number 7 means "spiritually complete". Therefore, it's easy for you to understand that Jesus was offering to provide the perfect relationship & completely satisfy the needs in her life, which she so desperately searched for in all the wrong places. And, unlike the water in the well, she needed the water that Jesus was offering.

What kind of water have you been drinking lately? If you're trying to find satisfaction in life through anything or anyone besides Jesus Christ, you'll always walk away thirsty. That's why Jesus said that the water He gives will quench your thirst eternally. Sadly, though Christians have the pure water from Jesus Christ, many times we choose to drink the sewer water! And for many, it's difficult to get the taste of sin (sewer water) out of our mouths. That means whatever that habitual sin is that you have tried to quit a million times, yet keep going back to, must be dropped off at Jesus' feet & left there! But I've come to realize that, for some, it's not that you can't let it go as much as you don't want to let it go...you feel you just can't make it without__________(fill in the blank with your favorite sin)!

So, if you're thirsty for pure water, read your Bible for the water is in the Word. If you want to drink of this water, go to a church where the true Word of God is spoken for drinking comes by listening. The Bible is our source of true refreshment and quenching of our thirst. One last thing about this story, after speaking to Jesus the woman at the well went back to town to tell about her experience. What did she do with her water jar? She left it with Jesus!

Maybe it's time you left the sewer water of your life with Jesus and be comforted by His words, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink!" For the Lord will always guide you; He'll satisfy your needs in this sun-scorched land, and you'll be like a well-watered garden. And moreso, He will fill you until you become an overflowing river of living water that will bless others as you speak of His goodness!

Do You Practice "Fig Leaf" Righteousness?

Have you ever played hide & seek with your children? I remember playing it with my daughter and when it was her turn to hide, I'd count to 10 & say "ready or not, here I come". I always knew where she hid because her little butt always stuck out from behind the object that she thought kept her from my view (in her mind, she probably thought, "Daddy can't see me because I can't see him!"). And, even though I saw her I'd pretend to keep looking so she could run back to the base.

This made me think about how we act towards God today and how it all started with Adam & Eve. When God called out to them, He already knew where they were, but He did it to make them fully aware of their sin (eating the forbidden fruit...disobedience!). Like my daughter, Adam & Eve probably thought that because they couldn't see God, He couldn't see them. And ever since, people have been playing Hide & Seek with God. Some hide in materialism (working several jobs to buy more things, even choosing to work on Sundays rather than attend church), others hide in the pleasures of this world (too busy having a good time to be bothered with God); but it doesn't matter where we try to hide, God sees all & knows all things!

Who we are today is a direct result of this Genesis story. Despite God's warning Adam & Eve sinned and when God came to them they tried to hide by donning fig leaves. Some of us today practice what I call "fig leaf" righteousness because we try to cover ourselves by doing "good works"! In our minds we say, Lord I messed but I fixed it...I'm a good person, not a sinner. But fig leaves were inadequate when Adam & Eve stood before God, just like our good works will be useless at Judgment day! For He knows that we commit our sins in secret and present a false face to the public but on the day of reckoning our deeds will be exposed and we will be judged by Jesus Christ!

Yet, there is reason to hope. Even though Adam & Eve should have been punished by death for their sin, God granted them mercy...an animal died in their stead. Although their sin was exposed & their nakedness was a symbol of it, Adam & Eve didn't have to remain naked, because God covered their sin. And even though we show our guilt by trying to hide from God as well as one another, I want you to remember that Jesus Christ has already died on the cross for our sins; the penalty has already been paid, and just as God covered Adam & Eve, believers today are covered by Jesus' blood and clothed in His righteousness!

So why are you trying to hide from God? Stop fooling yourself...YOU CAN'T!!!!!!!!!

Who's in Control of Your Life?

As I worked in my yard this morning, I watched neighbors pass by (walking dogs, pushing strollers & patiently walking w/their toddlers) and my mind began to dwell on this thought...we come into this world under management; we live our lives under management; and we all die under management! Unfortunately too many people live and die under the same management! What am I talking about? The Bible says we are born in sin and from birth we have a sinful nature. But it also says we don't have to live in sin & we don't have to die in sin!
If you believe that Jesus Christ is your Lord & Savior, you're no longer under old management. It's because of what Jesus did on the cross that you & I have a new nature and have been placed under new management! This is confirmed in chapter 2 of the Book of Ephesians.

Every now & then, do you find yourself traveling down memory lane, and sentimentally thinking those were the "good old days"? Let's face it, those days weren't nearly as good as we want to remember. We walked around blinded by our desires to indulge the lusts of the flesh, busy having fun with the women/men, drinking liquor and/or doing drugs. Oh, and we had to work hard to make that money so we could spend it on our "good times"! When you really think about it, we were sinful beings who were self-consuming, and if left unchecked we were headed to self-destruction (I'm sure you know someone, a friend, relative or acquaintance, whose life was destroyed by that type of continued behavior).

Thank God for His saving Grace for I am a new creation; old things/wants/desires have passed away & new things have come into my life! Now if you don't fully understand that last statement, maybe this analogy will help: When Standard Oil first started refining petroleum it left a black, sticky, stink residue that no one knew what to do with. A chemist found a solution to the problem & turned the residue into paraffin (a white shiny substance used in candles today). Well, like that chemist, God takes the dirty, sticky, stinking parts of our lives & applies His cleansing agent (the blood of Jesus Christ) to remove the dirt. And for those of us who have gone through this process, we have been cleansed/re-created--- in the past we walked in sin, but in the present we are walking in righteousness--- in the past we were dead in sin, but in the present we are alive in Jesus Christ---and in the past we were under old managment (Satan's) but in the present it's the new management of God which is in control of our lives!
Who's in control of your life?

Who's Winning the Fight Between your Ears?

Christians, have you ever felt the burden of your "walk" weighing heavily on your shoulders? You probably thought to yourself, "My life was so much easier when I was out in the world, living carefree, had it 'going on', and not feeling guilty about the choices I make; but, from the time I made a commitment to follow Jesus Christ and to live more holy, I'm finding it more difficult each day to "walk in the light"! Welcome to the "club", every Christian goes through those feelings throughout their Christian walk, especially those who have been called to lead God's people!

You must realize that the biggest battles we Christians face occur between our ears...in the mind! Our mind is the doorway into who we are, thus the mind is the area that is most attacked by the enemy, the DEVIL! II Corinthians 10:5 admonishes us to bring our thoughts into captivity, but understand that it's not our thoughts that causes problems in our lives, it's what we do in response to our thoughts that usually get us into trouble.

The devil knows that once he infiltrates our thoughts, he can then infiltrate our entire being. Think on this...the mind works in two modes, replay (memory) and pre-play (imagination). That's why we often have to deal with the thoughts generated by the things we've allowed into our lives. And, much of what we think about is a direct result of the bad choices we've made!

I Corinthians 2:16 tells us we have the mind of Christ. Now think on these things...What if you lived your life with the mind of Christ; would you view the world & your church differently? What if you made it a point of pleasing God & God alone? You must realize that by bringing your thoughts into captivity, you will stop allowing the enemy to hinder your walk with Christ!

So, are you a person who controls your mind

or

a person who is controlled by your mind?

LOVE is the Word!

Jesus tells us that the greatest commandment is actually an emotion tha we are called to share with the world...LOVE! We are to love the Lord with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind and we must love our neighbors as ourselves. That last part adds a whole new dynamic to this command.

We Christians should be known by society as people who Love, which leads to forgiveness; Love, which forces us to care; Love, which beckons generosity; Love, which won't allow us to sit by & watch others suffer; and Love, that recognizes what Christ did on the cross for us. And we should feel compelled to share that story with everyone we come in contact with. In other words, we are called to reflect the love of Christ to the world in which we live!

Yet I, like many of you, know other Christians who aren't known for showing love towards others. This is a shame because when Christ walked the earth, it was His Love, His Forgiveness, His Caring, & His Compassion which drew people to Him. And as believers in Him, we should be known for the same.

Now is the time for us to stop being distracted by things that don't really matter in our salvation walk and start focusing in on the commandment that Christ told us was the greatest; we need to stand up to shine Jesus' light to show God's love to the world!

Remember, LOVE is the Word!

It's Time for Men to "Come to Order"!

Although this blog speaks specifically to men today, you ladies will surely benefit from reading it also. I was doing yardwork today and came across some dandelions (a weed-like flower) in my grass, even though my lawn is professionally treated to curtail their growth every month. The dollarweeds have disappeared, but the dandelions continue to spring back up...they just don't seem to die! Immediately my thoughts turned to fatherhood. You see, "good fathers" endure the many hardships of marriage & parenting; yes we make mistakes but we continue to persevere and eventually thrive because of our "never give up" attitude. And that's exactly like the dandelion...it's able to take great amounts of abuse, yet it springs up and thrives in the midst of adversity.

Brothers, God ordained and has given men the responsibility for Fathering and we're to do this by specifically leading our households in worshipping the Lord; teaching & training our children, and setting examples of Godliness & Holiness for our families. But even if you don't personally have children, God has called you to set an example for those you know who need a father figure in their lives. However, the devil has set out to destroy what God has ordained, thus he began his attack on us men, corrupting families in the home, in the church and basically doing all he can to sabotage God's plan. If you don't believe it...

• Who is usually missing in the home? Dad!
• Who is often the most difficult for children to communicate with? Dad!
• What is the weakest ministry in most churches? Men's Ministry!
• And in most churches, the ratio of willing workers between men & women is 1 man for every 3 women!

Now based on these facts alone, it appears that the devil has been successful in corrupting the way many of us men live our lives today, so I'm calling out to all men to step up to the plate & reclaim what God has placed in you from the foundation of the world...I challenge you to take on the role of "leader" in your home and in your church! To do this, order must be established or restored to your life:

1)Your relationship with God must take priority over your home/job. Remember, a child is not likely to find a Father in God unless he finds something of God in his father! (they need to see us demonstrate faithfulness to God by reading our Bibles, praying, attending church regularly & showing love/affection to our wives, as well as them.

2) Next to your relationship with God, the family is your highest priority! And the greatest job in our lives is to teach & train up a child in the ways he should go, so that when he grows old, he will not depart from it. So fathers, take care of business at home and tend to your family (manage the household, and lay a great foundation for your children/grandchildren to follow for they are part of your legacy here on earth).

3) Remember, God first, then family, then the job! Maybe you feel as though you have to devote extra time to your job in order to be blessed, so you put everything else on the backburner to earn 'mo money, mo money, mo money'! Well, you can't side-step the ways of God & find blessings w/your own formula for a successful career. Get your priorities straight....work is necessary, but it's not meant to dominate our lives!

Brothers, when we set our priorities in place, we'll find the stage is set for the Lord to bless us, (our wives will begin to submit & our children will begin to obey) but it all begins with us doing the right thing. Only then will God help us to make a real impact on this world we live in!

You can start today by asking God to forgive you of your past mistakes and to help you set your priorities in order for the future!