Spiritual horsepower

One of the biggest trends in the automotive industry during the late 1990s and the first part of this century was the sport utility vehicle, or SUV. Maybe they became popular because we baby boomers didn't want to acknowledge that we had reached middle age or beyond, and we felt better driving some big, beefy vehicle with gnarly tires.

Most of these vehicles were built with four-wheel drive capability, but I've often wondered how many people actually use it. In fact, I would venture a guess that most people who have four-wheel drive capability on their SUVs wouldn't know how to use it if they had to. Essentially, these people have vehicles that were designed for one thing but are used for another.

In the Book of Ephesians, we learn a little bit about our spiritual horsepower: all that God has given to us and all that God has done for us. The problem is that a lot of us are in spiritual cruise control. We are not pursuing God. We are not following after righteousness. We have the four-wheel drive, but we are not moving forward.

We need to put what we have into gear and use it. There are mountains to climb. There is rugged terrain to navigate. There are opportunities for growth, but many of us are kicking back.

The Christian life is like a greased pole: either you are climbing or slipping. How about you? Are you climbing? Are you growing? Are you maturing? Or are you going backward?

It is time for us to use what God has given so we can go out and do some serious spiritual four-wheeling.

One characteristic of the Bible is that whenever it tells us to not do one thing, it gives you another thing to do in its place. This is very important. We are told to not do certain things, but to do other things instead.

For example, in Ephesians 4 we read, "Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need" (verse 28 NKJV). In other words, those who have stolen need to stop stealing and do something productive so they can give to others.

Then, in verse 29 we're told, "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers" (NKJV). Instead of foul things coming out of your mouth, let good things come out.

And 2 Timothy 2:22 tells us to "flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (NKJV). Flee and follow. Run from anything that stimulates lust. Follow anything that makes you want to do what is right.

Psalm 1:1 reminds us, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful . . . " (NKJV). That is what he doesn't do. But in contrast, "his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night" (verse 2 NKJV).

The best way to not go backward is to go forward. The best way to not lose ground is to gain ground. The best defense is a good offense. As we move forward spiritually, we won't do the things God tells us not to do.

This doesn't mean that we won't be tempted by those things. It doesn't mean they won't come knocking at the door of our hearts and imaginations, asking if they can come in. But it does mean that we will have a firmer resolve to resist them, because we are too busy doing the things of God.

As the hymn says, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace."

If you will commit yourself to grow in your love for Jesus Christ and be enamored with Him and dedicated to Him, then you will see this world for what it is.

God tells us what to stay away from for our own good, but He also tells us what to do for our own good as well. Our responsibility as followers of Christ, as those who have a guaranteed hope of heaven, is to do what we can to reach others with the Good News.

May God help us to do just that.

Greg Laurie [Signature]

Jesus in the clouds

Shortly after I forwarded the first picture to a friend, he then emailed this picture to me. Our God is amazing and He's always showing Himself if we just look.

God's hands

This was emailed to me from my uncle. He didn't take it but the guy who did said he was amazed. It was taken somewhere in Alabama.

A Word About Purgatory

2 CORINTHIANS 5:1-9
A great many people believe falsely in purgatory—a miserable place where people supposedly go after death. In order to advance to heaven, a person supposedly must either suffer long enough to make restitution for his or her sins or be prayed out by loved ones still living. The doctrine is an unbiblical lie, because purgatory is a thinly veiled second chance for people to get into heaven.
There is not a single verse with which to defend the false theology of purgatory. In fact, the very idea of a second route to heaven runs counter to God's redemptive plan. Jesus Christ was the substitute for you and me, and His death paid our sin-debt. He obtained our eternal redemption with His blood (Heb. 9:12). If there is a place where people can go to suffer for their own sins—in other words, pay their own penalty—then God sending His Son to die makes no sense.
In John 14:2, Jesus told the disciples that He was going away to prepare a place for His followers. Nowhere in Scripture do we find any mention of a detour into misery where we "earn" a pass into heaven. The Bible says that believers are either at home in the body, or absent from it and present with the Lord. There is simply no in-between stopover.
I respect the right to believe as one chooses. However, I have a responsibility to present biblical truth. Those who reject Christ get no second chance after death. They are eternally separated from God. But whoever receives salvation is completely forgiven of all sin and guaranteed an eternity with Him.

A word from In Touch Ministries

Is Christ your all?

Christ Himself tells us in Matt 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

This should be our focus. Whether we are in the missions field or just working our 9 to 5 jobs. You don't have to travel to some foreign country to be used by God mightily. No matter where the Lord might be placing us that's our mission field. It's important to remember this. Be satisfied where your at and let God use you there. This doesn't mean that He'll keep you there forever but for the time He wants to use you there.

It's also important not to rush God or complain where your at. His timing is most perfect. Think about it He already knows what's going to happen years up the road where as we only see just the tiniest sliver. And don't you think that He has the best things in store for His children. Jesus said in Luke 11:11-13 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? V 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? v 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

The Lord gives good gifts to us His children. So trust in Him He has the best in store for you if you are His child. If your not then you can be. It's not hard. Ask Him into your life. Just talk to Him like you would talk to anyone else. He's listening. Then repent, this means to do a 180 and complete turn around not going back to what you left. Dropping your bad life style, bad friends, bars, clubs, sex what ever the case may be for you. And if you think this is just to hard, don't worry He's with you every step of the way. He'll never leave you. Check out this verse in Psalm 37:23 and 24. The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. v 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand. So even if we may fall He will always be there to help us back up. The Lord knows where not perfect and won't ever be on this earth this is why He sent His only Son to this earth to die a sinners death so that we may be free. Free to have a guiltless life, free to live and worship Him and all his glory. And just know that He's always there running the race with us.

Now this doesn't mean we sin without regard for the apostle Paul says in Romans 6:1 and 2 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? v 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? This again is repentance. Walking away and never looking back. Dying to this sin. If something dies it doesn't come back, it's gone and this is what Paul is saying we do with our sins. This is not imposable as children of God because it's Jesus Christ within us fighting the battle and not us. But for a person living in the world without Christ this is imposable. Choose life, choose Christ.

It's important to quiet out hearts to hear what the Lord may be saying.

A young man had been to Wednesday Night Bible
Study. The Pastor had shared about listening to God and obeying the Lord's voice
The young man couldn't help but wonder, 'Does God still speak to people?'
After service, he went out with some friends for coffee and pie and they discussed the message..

Several different ones talked about how God had led them in different ways.
It was about ten o'clock when the young man started
driving home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, 'God...If you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey.'

As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook his head and said out loud, 'God is that you?' He didn't get a reply and started on toward home....

But again, the thought, buy a gallon of milk. The young man thought about Samuel and how he didn't recognize the voice of God, and how little Samuel ran to Eli.

'Okay, God, in case that is you, I will buy the milk.' It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off toward home. As he passed Seventh Street , he again felt the urge, 'Turn Down that street.' This is crazy he thought, and drove on past the intersection.

Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street .. At the next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh. Half jokingly, he said out loud,

'Okay, God, I will.'

He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in a semi- commercial area of town. It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst of neighborhoods either.
The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark like the people were already in bed.

Again, he sensed something, 'Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street.' The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked like the people were either gone or they were already asleep. He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat.

'Lord, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going
to be mad and I will look stupid.' Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk.

Finally, he opened the door, 'Okay God, if this is you, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for some thing, but if they don't answer right away, I am out of here.'

He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside. A man's voice yelled
out, 'Who is it? What do you want?' Then the door opened before the young man could get away.

The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt... He looked like he just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn't seem too happy to ha ve some stranger standing on his doorstep. 'What is it?'

The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, 'Here, I brought this to you.' The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway.

Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face...

The man began speaking and half crying, 'We were just praying .. We had
some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't have any milk for our baby.. I was just praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk.' His wife in the kitchen yelled out, 'I ask him to send an Angel with some. Are you an Angel?'

The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put in the man's hand. He turned and walked back toward his car and the tears were streaming down his face.

He knew that God still answers prayers.

What the Lord has placed on my heart

Christ Himself tells us in Matt 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. As I was thinking about this and praying "Lord how can I be apart of this great commision". A good friend of mine told me about her testimony on her blog page. The thought came "what a better way then though the internet, surely it goes through out the world and is in ever nation". The internet today can be such a wicked thing but so can alot of other things in our world. So my prayer is that the Lord would use this tool to spread His word. So please take this jouney with me as I will try and update this blog daily to share what's on my heart and what the Lord has shown me. Thank you and God bless you.