MAKE YOUR MOVE!

Last week I wrote about the God-sized hole that is in each of us and how we try to fill that hole with everything except God. Many people will close out the year 2010 with pain, anguish and no hope that things will ever get any better for them. They don’t have or even know how to find the peace and the promise of eternal life that Christians have.

Many of you know that music is a great inspiration to me. Lately, I’ve been listening to the new Third Day CD “MOVE” and I’ve been thinking about one song in particular, that song is “Make Your Move”. This song is about someone who does not know Christ. This person is thinking that there must be something to Christianity because of the faith that we possess and this person knows deep down inside that there has got to be more to life than what he is living.

As a lost “soul,” this person realizes that something is missing and is questioning the God-sized hole in his life, but just doesn’t know how to fill it. In this song he is asking the Christian to “make your move”. Approach me, tell me why your life is different than mine, tell me why I can’t seem to get satisfied, why do you have peace in your life and why are you not questioning the meaning of life? The person continues to say “make your move now, before I change my mind!”

As a Christian it is the responsibility of you and I to make our move now! Tomorrow is not guaranteed, the year 2011 is not guaranteed! It is no longer time to be “politically correct” because people that die without accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior will spend eternity in Hell with Satan and his demons. People are searching, people are hurting and you and I have the answer for them. Let’s finish this year by reaching out in love and telling someone about Jesus Christ.

Casting Crowns said it best in their song, If We’ve Ever Needed You. “If we’ve ever needed You Lord, it’s now, Lord, it’s now. We are desperate for Your hand, We’re reaching out, we’re reaching out”

This world is desperate for the Lord’s hand, the lost people in this world are desperate for salvation, they are desperate for the “peace that transcends all understanding” and they are blindly reaching out. As a Christian, you have the answer that so many are desperately seeking. Why not make your move now?

“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matt 28:16-20 (NIV)


If you are desperately trying to fill your God-sized hole, if you know you are not living your life to the fullest and would like to learn more about receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Savior please read our blog titled New Life in Christ (April 2, 2010).

Third Day song – Make Your Move
Casting Crowns song – If We’ve Ever Needed You
Bible Verse taken from the New International Version
@copyright 2010 LVC Ministries, Inc

An Unlikely Strategy

God is not in the business of doing what we think He should do. Some of the best battles fought and won in the bible are from what would be considered very unlikely strategies from our point of view. This week, we are looking at how God uses unique strategies to defeat our enemies.

We start where we left off last week in Judges 7:15-25 where Gideon was heading back to his army of men to wake them up for the battle against the Midianites. He armed each man with a trumpet, a jar and a torch, and warned the men to watch and follow his lead and to do what he did. So, at the middle watch, or at about 10:00pm, just after the Midianites had changed their guard, Gideon and his men surrounded the Midianite camp and began to blow their trumpets, smash their jars and shout, “For the Lord and for Gideon!” They stood their ground around the Midianite camp with a torch in one hand and a trumpet in the other. As the trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the Midianites to turn on each other with their own swords. The enemy who was left fled and Israelites from different areas pursued them. The Israelites were saved by the hand of their mighty God!

What an unusual strategy God used to save the Israelites! Not only did He use just 300 men, but they were not equipped with swords. What a sight it must have been for these men to stand their ground while the enemy killed themselves with their own swords as Gideon’s army blew their trumpets, smashed their pitchers and waved their torches. I don’t know if Gideon knew what the plan was up front, or if God told him step by step, but it’s no wonder he needed encouragement to fight the enemy! But God knew what would glorify Him the most, and what He used was an unlikely strategy.

This Christmas season, this unlikely strategy God used to save Gideon and the Israelites has brought to mind the strange and unusual plan God chose to save mankind. Who would have thought that God would use a young virgin girl to birth His Son, who came to earth as a helpless baby? Who would have thought that He would be tempted in the ways that all men are tempted, but that He would not sin? And who would have thought that this sinless man would be required to take upon Himself the sins of the world while God turned His back on Him as He carried them? And who would have thought that God’s Son would have to die a horrible death on a cross? I’m sure that wasn’t Mary’s plan for Him. But our ways are not God’s ways. God, in His infinite wisdom, knew that this battle didn’t end at the cross, but it was won as Jesus was raised from the dead after three days! No one would have ever thought that God would save the world this way. But this was the way that God chose to save mankind even before the world was created. Now, if you have always thought that this plan to save the world was way too far-fetched to be true, think again. God uses the unusual, unlikely ways to win His battles against evil. And in order for us to win our battles, we must follow God’s lead as Gideon’s army followed his lead – watching and doing just as he did. Are you following Jesus’ lead? Are you awake and ready to battle? Remember, God’s plan may not be the plan you have in mind. We must follow His lead…

To find out more about receiving Jesus as your personal Savior, please read our blog titled, “New Life in Christ” (April 2, 2010).

@Copyright 2010 LVC Ministries, Inc.

OUR GOD-SIZED HOLE!

Adam and Eve walked and talked with God, they fellowshipped with Him in the garden, they were made perfect because they were in His presence and God was with them. From the moment that Adam and Eve allowed sin to enter into the human race, we humans have been searching, searching, searching for something, anything, that would fill the God-sized hole that is inherent in all humans.

After Adam and Eve blew it for all of us in the garden, God still wanted a relationship with His creation and so He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to be sacrificed as the sacrificial lamb whose blood would cleanse us of our sins. People still needed a sign, they still needed to fill that God-sized hole and so God foretold in Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Immanuel means God with Us! How much more plainer can God get? God has never left us, He has always been with us, but still we search and we search looking for something to fill our God-sized hole.

From the moment that God breathed life into Adam, He has always been with His creation. Many times we may feel like God has abandoned us and is not with us, but if you think about it long and hard enough, you will come to the conclusion that it is really us that has abandoned God. We work so hard to fill that God-sized hole within us that we can’t see the forest for the trees so to speak.

Last week I was watching a Christmas movie and this young teenage girl was transported to a large empty room so that her guardian angel could speak to her. This girl asked the angel if he was God and then she said “I’ve been good, I’ve really, really tried to be good!” As I think back to that I’m amazed at how Satan has turned the world’s thoughts away from God and His plan of salvation and watered it down to just....I’ve been a good person! Instead of turning to God’s Word for answers, people would rather listen to Satan’s “It’s all about me” prideful attitude. But in the end, they still can’t fill the God-sized hole.

There is only one way to salvation and that is through the tiny baby Jesus that God sent to us over two thousand years ago. The world and Satan have tried to fill our God-sized hole with feel good religions, “it’s all about me” attitudes and one popular thing after another. But there is only one way to salvation, only one way to heaven, only one way to fill the God-sized hole that is in all of us and that is through Jesus Christ. “The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." John 3:35-36 (NIV)

As you celebrate this Christmas season, please don’t get caught up in Satan’s lie, it's not about us! In fact there is nothing that we can do. We can’t fill our God-sized holes, only God can! This week as you make the final preparations for your Christmas celebration, don’t get so caught up in the lights and glitter and stress that you forget the gift God gave to us, the gift of salvation through His precious Son Jesus Christ!

Dear Father,
Thank you Lord so much for your Son Jesus Christ! Father, I come to You on behalf of all those who are reading this post and especially for those who have not accepted Your Son as their Savior. Satan makes it so enticing for people to let their pride get in the way of their salvation and to think like the teenage girl in the movie that just being good is enough. It’s not about being good, it’s not about us but it is all about Your Son Jesus. As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, help us to keep in perspective the gift of salvation that you gave to us and not what the world has made Christmas to be.

To find out more about receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Savior please read our blog titled New Life in Christ (April 2, 2010).

All verses from the New International Version
@copyright 2010 LVC Ministries, Inc

An Unlikely Army

Have you ever felt totally outnumbered? It’s as if there is no way you could ever get out of the situation you’re in because you’re in way too far over your head? Sometimes that’s exactly where God wants you.

In Judges 7:1-15, that’s just where Gideon was. He had 32,000 men at his side, and he was going up against the Midian army which was “thick like locusts.” “Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.” (Jdg 7:12b) Imagine only 32,000 men against this army that could not be counted… Now, imagine only 300 men against this huge army. God, in His infinite wisdom, knew that the Israelites would boast that they saved themselves in their own strength if God allowed them to defeat Midian with 32,000 men. So, God whittled down Gideon’s army. First, He told Gideon that if any man was afraid, he should leave. About two-thirds, or 22,000 men confessed that they were afraid and went home, leaving 10,000 of the most courageous men to take on this army that was too large to count. But again, God knew that Gideon’s army was still too large and would boast in themselves. So, once again God whittled down Gideon’s army by checking out how they drank their water. Did they lap it like a dog, or did they kneel? The kneeler’s went home and the dog lappers stayed. The 300 men who lapped their water like a dog was the army that Gideon would use to defeat this army that was too large to count. It would be the “dog lappers” versus the “camel locusts”! Now that’s enough to scare anybody!

And that’s exactly where Gideon was again – afraid. Only he couldn’t go home like the rest of his army. But God knew Gideon’s fears and He knew Gideon needed encouragement in order to attack Midian. So God sent Gideon and his servant into the outpost of the enemy camp to listen to what they were saying. Gideon got up to a tent just as a man was saying how he had a dream that a big round loaf of barley bread tumbled into the Midianite camp and forcefully struck and overturned a tent. Now whether his friend was serious or sarcastic, he responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.” (Jdg 7:14) This was all Gideon needed to hear. He worshiped God for the encouragement he was given and then he went back to his camp to round up his army.

So let’s bring this home and see how it applies in our lives. Are you still feeling outnumbered and over your head? That’s good! That’s where God can get the most glory, and you’ll be less likely to boast and take the glory for yourself. Has God shown Himself to you or given you a promise but you still need encouragement not to fear? Ask God for encouragement. He’ll send someone your way who has just the right word at just the right time. But make sure you’re on the lookout for His encouragement. If you’re not, you just might miss it and then you’ll forget the import response to God’s encouragement, which is worship of God! He is worthy of your worship and your praise!

These verses are all about an army that was so unlikely to succeed. It didn’t have any business trying to defeat the huge army it was up against. But, my friend, this is where God does His best work in us. What is He asking you to do that seems impossible? You may be an army of 1 or of 3 or even 300 doing God’s will. You’re task may be scary and daunting and you may not see a way out. But that is when God will give you the encouragement you need to follow through. And when you have gone through and have come out on the other side, you will worship God and give Him all the glory, because that is what He deserves from His unlikely army.


 
*All Scripture references are from the New International Version.
@Copyright 2010 LVC Ministries, Inc.

An Unlikely Test

I love this story of Gideon because we are so like him. In the last few verses of Judges 6 we find Gideon doubting God. First, he tests God by asking Him to reassure himself that God will truly save Israel by Gideon’s hand as God had promised. So he asked God to leave dew on a wool fleece that he had laid on the ground, but leave no dew on the earth around the fleece so that he would know God would do as He has said. When Gideon squeezed out the fleece the next morning, a bowlful of water came out and the ground around the fleece was dry. Though Gideon said he would believe after the first test, it seems he still needed more assurance from God. So even though he knew that he might possibly be angering God, he asked him to do the opposite and make the ground wet but the fleece dry. Again, God did as he asked. Now Gideon never came right out and said he didn’t believe God, but we can see in his question to God that he has some doubts because he asks, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised—“ Jdg 6:36 If?...If? Don’t we know that God can do anything, and He will do everything He says He will do?

This reminds me of the story in Mark 9:14-32 where a father brought his son to the disciples to have an evil spirit driven out of him, but the disciples were unable to remove the spirit. So the father tells Jesus, “But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” Jesus answered, “If you can? Everything is possible for him who believes.” At that, the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” I think Gideon, like this man, had a case of unbelief. And like this man, Gideon needed to say, “I believe! Help my unbelief!” Are you in a spot like Gideon where God has told you what to do but you keep testing Him? It’s time to step out in faith and believe that God will do what He’s said He will do. It’s also time to stop for a moment and tell God, “I believe! Help my unbelief!”

You know, God knows where each of us are in our walk with Him. He’s not going to condemn us for questioning Him if we truly aren’t sure what He’s asking of us. But when God has given us a word or a promise, shouldn’t we trust Him instead of test Him? God is not a man that He should lie to us. (Num 29:19) He is trustworthy. And if He makes a promise to us, then we know that He will follow through. Let’s trust God that He will do what He says He will do. And when we trust Him, and we see Him follow through, our faith will increase and there will be no room for unbelief and doubts. And there will also be no reason to bring before God any unlikely, unnecessary tests.

Dear Heavenly Father,
You are the One True God and You are trustworthy. Thank you that I can depend on You. Thank You for Your promises. I know that Your word is true. Help me to see any area that I am holding on to unbelief. Lord, I do belief! Help my unbelief! I know that You will do what You’ve said You will do. Thank You for Your faithfulness.
In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

 *All Scripture references are from the New International Version
@Copyright 2010 LVC Ministries, Inc.

TIS THE SEASON!

This is the time of year that children of all ages love. The Christmas season has always been my favorite time of year! When I was young, I could hardly wait for Christmas day when my brothers and I got to see what Santa left. As I got older, I looked forward to “decking the halls” with shiny red, green and silver and then the Christmas Eve and Christmas dinners at various relatives’ houses! I have many fond memories of all of the Christmases past and I’m sure you do too. Christmas is about all of these things and the family traditions should be kept and looked forward to, but before we get so busy with everything Christmas, maybe we should slow down, take a look around and reflect on what Christmas is really all about.

The glitter, the glitz, the gifts are not what Christmas is about. The world has made it about these things. Christmas is about the gift that God gave to the whole world, the gift to us is His Son, Jesus Christ! We must put Jesus back in Christmas and realize that without Him, we wouldn’t even be here to celebrate the Yule Tide season. “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” John 1:3

This is the time of year that we allow ourselves to get stressed out over the unimportant things. As you get ready for the Christmas rush, ask yourself, just how important is running here and there and exhausting yourself? Look at your Christmas “To Do” list and see what is not so important that you can’t mark it off your list in order to free up your valuable time so that you can do the things that really matter. Do your decorations have to be perfect? So what, if your child (or grandchild) puts all the decorations on one branch...it’s the time you spend together that counts. Instead of going further in debt, can you forgo a present or two and just enjoy a visit and a cup of coffee with the intended recipient? Isn’t it more important to spend time with your family and friends, then running from store to store to pick out gifts that have no meaning...gifts that will probably be exchanged or even thrown in a drawer and forgotten about? Isn’t it more important to take the time to do something for someone in need and isn’t it more prudent to teach your children that gifts are not as important as the person?

This year, I still plan to enjoy the decorations in my house. I plan to enjoy the excitement of the little children as they look forward to their visit from Santa and I plan to enjoy all of the traditions that go along with the holiday celebrations. This year, I have made the decision to have a less stressful Christmas! I have been convicted to put the “worldly” things in their place and consciously give more of my time and attention to the true meaning of Christmas. The true meaning of Christmas is celebrating and sharing with others the wonderful gift that God has given us, the gift of Jesus Christ!

“An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:9-11

All verses from the New International Version
@copyright 2010 LVC Ministries, Inc

An Unlikely Leader

How likely are you to be a leader? Are you a natural born leader, a leader only when you have to be, or always a follower? Gideon didn’t start out as a leader, but that’s what God called him to do. He seemed to be a very unlikely leader.

[33] Now all the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples joined forces and crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel. [34] Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him. [35] He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, so that they too went up to meet them. Judges 6:33-35

You can see from these Scriptures that the enemies of God’s people were joining together getting ready to attack. This tells you that the enemy is preparing to invade your territory. Do you ever feel like the enemy has been joining forces, breathing down your neck and getting ready to hit you with full force? How are you assembling forces against evil? How can you combat an enemy that is so strong? Are you asking your family and friends to pray for you? You can win against the enemy through the power of the Holy Spirit.

We can see in verse 34 that the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon. In the natural, Gideon didn’t have the ability to lead others. Remember, he hid when threshing wheat so the enemy wouldn’t find him. He hid from the townsmen by destroying their idol at night. He hid behind his father when the townsmen came to his house to kill him. By natural standards, Gideon was not a leader. But when God called him to lead, He gave him the ability to lead through the power of the Holy Spirit. Once the Spirit was on him, he blew a trumpet to gather the Abiezrites, his fellow clan, to fight with him. He started gathering an army from his own family first, and then from the surrounding areas. So, how are you leading your family? And how has God called you to lead your friends, neighbors or co-workers? If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you have the  Holy Spirit and His power in you.  And you can rest in the fact that God won’t ask you to do anything He doesn’t equip you to do. 

So the big question is, “Why did God pick Gideon to lead others?” He was fearful, young and not at all confident in his abilities. And that’s exactly why God picked him. For Gideon to lead others would give God more glory than if someone were to lead who had natural leadership abilities. This way, people knew it was God who was at work because they knew that Gideon couldn’t lead like that. Perhaps you feel like an unlikely leader. Maybe God has called you to do something that seems impossible. God chose you because it would give Him the most glory. God may be calling you to lead, but He doesn’t expect you to do it on your own. He expects that you will lead others through the power of the Holy Spirit and while you are following Him. Good leaders are also good followers. No, let me restate that…Good leaders are God followers. If you’re not following God, then it’s like the blind leading the blind. Jesus said in Luke 6:39-40, “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.” Our teacher and leader should be Jesus Christ. If it’s not then you’re leading people in the wrong direction and you’ll wind up in a pit sooner or later, and most likely with a few casualties. I found this quote from an unknown source. It said, “A leader has been defined as one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” Leader’s must have a vision and a plan. (Pr 29:18 KJV – “Where there is no vision, the people perish….”) Know where God is leading you, go where God is leading you, and show others where God is leading you. Then you will find that though you might be an unlikely leader, others will be following you to the glory of God!


*All Scripture References are from the New International Version except where noted.
@Copyright 2010 LVC Ministries, Inc.

An Unlikely Overcomer

Have you ever believed you heard from God and then you begin to wonder if it really was God speaking to you? It’s always a good idea to revere God enough that you make sure you’re hearing from Him and you get confirmation that it is Him speaking to you. As we look at Judges 6:17-32, Gideon starts out asking for a sign so he could be sure he was hearing from God. So he asked the Angel of the Lord to wait for him while he went to get an offering. When Gideon returned with the meat and some unleavened bread, the Angel of the Lord asked him to lay them on the rock and pour out the broth. When he did as asked, the Angel of the Lord touched the offering with His staff and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the bread. Then the Angel of the Lord vanished. This scared Gideon because he knew that those who looked upon the face of God would die, and he knew this was God. But the Lord gave Gideon his peace and told him he wouldn’t die. Gideon built an altar at that place and named it “The Lord is Peace”. Gideon knew God’s peace for a short time…until God asked him to do something for Him that was not so easy.

That same night, God asked Gideon to tear down his father’s altar to Baal and the Asherah pole that was next to it. Now Gideon had to face his fears. He knew this was God’s command to him, but what would his father think? And what would the townsmen do when they found their idol torn down? Gideon moved ahead and did what God asked him to do even though he was afraid, and that’s exactly what you and I have to do. We have to obey God no matter what. If we don’t obey God because of fear of what someone else will think, we are putting them in God’s place because we care more about what they think than what God thinks. Then that person has become an idol to us. So what idols do you have that you need to put in their proper place?

God had Gideon build an altar to Him and burn the sacrifice upon the wood from the Asherah pole. And God wants us to give our sacrifice to Him upon the altar we build for Him. What that means is that we put God first and sacrificing those things that keep us from putting Him first. What can you sacrifice, or give up, in order to give God first place in your life?

Morning came and the townsmen found that their idol had been demolished. They did some investigating and found that Gideon was to blame. So they went to his house ready to kill him for tearing down their idol. But Gideon’s father, Joash, took up for Gideon and told the men that if Baal was a real God, then he could contend with Gideon himself. And so they called Gideon “Jerub-Baal”, which means “Let Baal contend with him”. God doesn’t tell us how all of this played out with Gideon’s father, Joash. But I wonder if he told his father the whole story about the Angel of the Lord, because Joash took up for him when the townsmen came. I do know that when you have an experience with God, the people who know you see a change in you. Joash saw his young, fearful son do something that was brave for a change. It appears that he saw a change in Gideon and believed him. When God asks us to do something, He wants us to do it even if we have to do it afraid. You never know when someone may be watching you which will cause their faith to grow as they see you put God first and as they see your obedience even though you may be walking in fear. God wants you to have an awe and respect for Him so that you will overcome your fear, step out in faith and do what He is asking you to do even if you have to do it afraid, just like Gideon, our unlikely overcomer.


@Copyright 2010 LVC Ministries, Inc.

GIVE THANKS!

In just a few short days, we will be celebrating Thanksgiving Day. Some of us will get up before dawn to put the turkey in the oven and some of us will start baking pies and cakes as early as today or tomorrow as we look forward with growing anticipation to what the special day will bring. Thanksgiving is a day that we sit around a table that is loaded down with food. We’re excited because our family and friends will be here soon and yes, we are even looking forward to the afternoon when we can sit in front of the television, watch football and dose in and out of our naps. Later, when we wake up from our naps, the leftovers and pumpkin pie will be beckoning us. Oh how I love this time of the year! How about you?

Finally, when the big day comes and after everyone has arrived, the golden brown turkey will be pulled from the oven and it will take its place as the centerpiece of our tables. We will finally be able to sit down and celebrate! Many people will say a prayer, thanking God for what He has given them throughout the year. Not every household will say a prayer of thanksgiving but most will at least require everyone to name one thing that they are thankful for.

As many of you know, my husband and I were out of church for several years. During this time that we were living in the world, I remember telling my husband how blessed we have been and he stated that he had worked hard for everything that we have. That’s what many people reading this right now are thinking to themselves. “Everything I have, I have worked hard for.” John 1:1-3 tells us that “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” According to this verse, the Bible is telling us that Jesus was with God in the beginning. That everything was created through Him and that without Him there would be nothing, not one thing, nada! In fact, you wouldn’t be here to even work hard and certainly nothing that you have worked so hard for would be here. My husband understands that now, do you? Nothing would be here if it weren’t for Jesus.

I know that you have been blessed with the things that you have, but know and understand that the things you have are not important in the grand scheme of things. Thanksgiving is not important, your stuff is not important and even your family is not important! What is important is Jesus Christ! So, as you sit down to get ready to eat your big Thanksgiving meal, before you take your first bite, know and understand that it’s only because of Jesus Christ that we have anything that we call our own, even our very lives!

It’s not easy to remember that the things we have are given to us by our God that loves us so much. It’s not easy to remember on a day of celebration like Thanksgiving, that everything really is all about God and it is nothing about us. Yes, we should celebrate Thanksgiving because God has given us many wonderful gifts. He has given us the gift of family and friends to enjoy and celebrate with. He has given us the food we will prepare and enjoy. He has given us the television that we will be watching the big game on and He has even given us the comfy couch that we will be napping on. In fact, there is nothing that you have that was not given to you by God, not even this day!

On Thursday we will give thanks, not because of anything that we have done, but because of what Jesus Christ has done for us! He gave life to us and then He gave His life for us!

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.” Psalms 136:1 (NIV)

On behalf of Lisa, Vanessa and myself we hope that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with much love and lots of laughter. Let this be a time to set aside petty differences and focus on the many blessings that God has freely given you!

@copyright 2010 LVC Ministries, Inc

An Unlikely Warrior – Part 2

As we continue on in the story of Gideon we’ll be looking at Judges 6:11-16. We find Gideon threshing wheat in the winepress in order to keep hidden from the enemy. While Gideon was threshing wheat, the angel of the Lord came and spoke to him saying, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” (Judges 6:12 NIV) The King James Version calls him a “mighty man of valor”. Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t think Gideon felt much like a mighty warrior as he hid from the enemy, threshing wheat. But God knew what he would become, and He knows what you will become too! God doesn’t look at all the things we wish we had never done, but He looks at what we will do for Him and He speaks those things over us and to us even before they ever happen. Has God given you a vision for the future? That’s how He sees you. He calls you His mighty warrior even before you’ve done anything mighty or before you’ve been any kind of warrior for Him. And ladies, don’t think that you can’t be a warrior for God. A person of “valor” is someone who is strong and who has influence. We can all be mighty warriors, or mighty men and women of valor when we are strong and have influence towards others for God. How has God called you to be a mighty man or woman of valor for Himself?

Now Gideon questioned that if the Lord was with them, then why was all of this bad stuff happening to them? And he wondered why God had abandoned them and given them over to the enemy? Are you in the midst of trials, feeling like God has abandoned you and allowed the enemy to rush into your life? The Lord answered Gideon in an interesting way. He didn’t say, “I’ve been with you all along”, though He had. He didn’t say, “I’m going to fix that for you right now”, though sometimes He does. He told Gideon to go himself and save the Israelites out of the enemy’s hand. Have you ever found yourself complaining to God about something and He turns right around and tells you to stop complaining and do something about it? That’s what He did with Gideon. And then Gideon came back with excuses. “Oh, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am too young to do what you are asking.” Maybe your excuses are different, but they are excuses none the less. “I’m too young”, “I’m too old”, “I don’t know enough”, “I’m not experienced enough”, “No one will listen to me”, or fill in the blank with your own excuse. But God answered Gideon’s fears and said, “I will be with you”. (Jdg 6:16) You’re right. On your own, you can’t do what God is calling you to do. But with God, you can do anything He calls you to do. If you haven’t figured this out yet, God likes to use those who are weak because it shows His strength and gives Him more glory. We can do things we’ve never imagined because we do them in God’s strength. In 1 Cor 1:27 we see that “…God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” He does this so we can’t boast before Him, and it gives Him the greatest glory.

Remember, God is with you. Rely on Him for your strength. You may feel like an unlikely warrior for God, but that is why God can and will use you! You can do everything through Him who gives you strength! (Phil 4:13)


*All Scripture references are from the New International Version unless specified otherwise.
@Copyright 2010 LVC Ministries, Inc.

OUR GOD IS FAITHFUL!

“The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place. In spite of this, you did not trust in the LORD your God, who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.” Deut 1:29-33. In this first chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses is telling the Israelites “Look people, you witnessed with your own eyes how God went ahead of you searching out places for you to camp. He carried you like a father carries his child He went before you fighting your battles for you and He didn’t leave you in the desert to wander around alone. God was and is always with you! Even though you knew better, you still did what you wanted to do. “So I told you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the LORD's command and in your arrogance you marched up into the hill country” Duet 1:43 And guess what? Because you rebelled when the Lord told you not to go fight the Amorites, they gave you a sound whipping and like a spoiled child, you ran back to the Lord saying “Ok, ok! This time, we promise, we will do it your way. “You came back and wept before the LORD, but he paid no attention to your weeping and turned a deaf ear to you.” Deut 1:45

Does this sound like us today? Maybe instead of the word Israelites, we can just add our individual names? Sure sometimes we catch ourselves moaning and groaning and saying “Woe is me! I’ve got it so bad!” Do we really have it so bad? Look at your life and see where it was really, really bad. I’m not trying to make your problems sound trivial, but I want you to take a moment and reflect back over your life. Granted, many people have had a hard life and I respect that, but I want you to look back and see the many times that God went ahead of you and cleared a path for you. I want you to take a moment and reflect on those times and really think about them....Did you see God in the situation? Have you ever said to yourself “Now that is a God thing!”

If we never take the time to look back, to reflect and to remember all of the times when God has gone before us and watched out for us, then we are in danger of becoming like the Israelites -- forgetting what God has done for us and especially forgetting the God things that we have seen with our own eyes! We think we can do it on our own and then when it goes wrong, we blame God for the situation that we are in or we decide that maybe God really was leading us in the best direction all along and we should have been obedient and followed His will from the beginning.

Since I have been back in church, I have seen God working in my life in so many ways. In the beginning God let me see Him in very small things, but over the years I have seen Him working in my life in very big ways. God gives us the little things to see Him in because He knows that we can handle it. Then as we grow in our faith the things He shows to us becomes bigger and bigger. I have written down all of the God things in my life and I encourage all of you to do that. I know that I will never forget the times that God has shown Himself to me, but it does help me to go back and read about all of those times and each time I read them, my faith grows stronger! By reading about all the God things that I have seen, it helps me to realize that God is bigger than any obstacle that I have to overcome.

I encourage you to take the time to reflect upon the many times that you have seen a God thing in your life (big or little) and write it down. Then when you start feeling sorry for yourself or you start thinking that you can do it alone or you start thinking that God has removed Himself from you, just read (in your own handwriting) the many, many times that God has made His presence known to you! Open your eyes and your heart and see how faithful our God truly is.

@copyright 2010 LVC Ministries, Inc

An Unlikely Warrior - Part 1

I love the stories of the Old Testament! Some people think they don’t apply to them because they happened so long ago. But God has treasures for us throughout every page of His book and they are just as relevant today as they were back then. Last week when I read about Gideon in the book of Judges, Chapter 6, I saw so many truths that I couldn’t wait to blog about it for the next couple of weeks as well!

Let me set the scene for you from Judges 6:1-10…. The Israelites had been disobedient to God and He had given them into the hands of the Midianites for seven year. The Israelites lived by escaping into mountain clefts, caves and strongholds because the Midianites were so oppressive. The Israelites tried to plant their crops but the Midianites with their sheep and cattle, and other enemies from the east, would come in like a swarm of locusts and ravage the land. The Israelites cried out to the Lord for help. So God sent them a prophet to remind them that God had brought them out of Egypt and out of slavery and He could do the same for them. God had told them not to fear and worship the gods of the people in whose land they lived, but they didn’t listen to Him.

So, you’re probably thinking… “What does the war with Midian and the Israelites have to do with me in this day and time? We don’t have wars like that here.” That may be true, but we, as Christians, have an enemy who can be very oppressive. He may even come in and ravage your home and send you into strongholds that you were not meant to live in. We can look at the spiritual parallels between now and then. So, the question is, are you being disobedient to God? Have you given Satan a foothold because of that disobedience? Has Satan run you into a stronghold of addiction, lust, pride, unforgiveness, etc.? The list can go on and on… God gave the Israelites to the enemy for a time because they were disobedient to Him. God disciplines those He loves. And He knows just what it will take to get us to cry out to Him, just like the Israelites cried out to God. God sent a prophet to tell the Israelites to remember Him and how He acted on their behalf in the past. Has God sent someone to you who is reminding you of how God has worked in your life? Or maybe you have a journal from your past that you can read for encouragement. It helps us to remember what God has done in our lives and in the lives of others so that we can have hope for what He’s going to do in our current circumstances.

When the Israelites cried out to God, He reminded them that He had told them not to fear and worship the gods of their enemies, but they did it anyway. Are there some gods of this world that you worship because you fear them? What about the fear of not having enough money, so you stay in a job that God has told you to leave? Or are you worshipping your job by spending too much time there and not enough time with your family? Are you afraid of what other people might think of you, so you worship their opinion? Are you worshipping the god of the economy because you’re afraid it will tank and along with it all of your wealth? Are you worshipping the god of pleasure, afraid that you will miss out on comforts you believe should be yours? Only God is worthy of our worship and our fear, or awe of Him. These other things are fleeting, and don’t matter in the end. God answered the cry of the Israelites and He raised up an unlikely warrior in Gideon. I suspect He can and is already in the process of raising up an unlikely warrior in you… Put away the gods of this world and turn to the only God who can truly change your life. He’s the only God who is worthy of our fear and our worship. Join me next week as we continue our journey into the life of Gideon, an unlikely warrior.

@Copyright 2010 LVM Ministries, Inc.

IN A HUNDRED YEARS!

For years this has been my motto....in a hundred years, what will it matter? In a hundred years, who is going to care? Mostly, I thought this whenever I really didn’t want to do something or whenever I was concerned about what someone might think about me. For some reason, the Lord keeps directing me to the book of Ecclesiastes. Most scholars believe that this book was written by King Solomon. If you remember, King Solomon was the wisest person to ever live. God gave him wisdom (beyond measure) and a peaceful reign to pursue that wisdom. In this book, King Solomon is reflecting back over his life and all of his accomplishments and he concludes that everything man does is useless. He concludes that we chase after this and chase after that, but when we die, all of our toiling is for naught. Now, how depressing can that be?

King Solomon ends the book with the conclusion that man is nothing and everything we do is for nothing. “Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand.” Eccl 5:15 (NIV) King Solomon realizes and so should we that the only treasures that matter is those that we lay up in heaven and those eternal treasures that we leave behind while we are here on earth. The eternal treasures would be spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ and being obedient and following what God is telling you to do. If you are a Christian, God has a job for you to do and it’s not to sit in the pew Sunday, listen to the preacher, go out for lunch and then take a nap. The job that God has for you to do has eternal consequences!

“So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. 12 You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” Isaiah 55:11-12 (NIV). When we are obedient and work for the Lord we will find peace. Words that we speak for the Lord from scripture will never return to Him empty and our toiling for Him will never be in vain. King Solomon, the wisest person that ever lived, is telling us that when we work for ourselves and think of ourselves only that work is and always will be in vain.

“There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow.” Eccl 1:11 (NIV). Take a closer look at your life today, this moment in time....what are you toiling for? Are you toiling for yourself? Or, are you toiling for the Lord? Are you toiling for something that will not be remembered in a hundred years or for something that will reap eternal benefits? So many people today are very concerned what people think about them, but isn’t it better to be concerned with what God thinks? “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matt 10:28 (NIV).

This life is hard enough, we all have to toil but we need to keep it in perspective. When you were saved, you became an ambassador for Christ; you were given a new job to work at. That is the only job that will leave behind your hundred year legacy and that is the only job that will have everlasting consequences.


Dear Father,
Thank you Lord for this life that you have given to me. Lord, I know that I have not lived it very wisely and especially not as an ambassador for You! Father, I am praying to You on behalf of all who read this, that You will keep each of us focused on the job that You have for us to do and not what we think that we have to do. Lord, it doesn’t matter how rich or poor or well-known that we are....in a hundred years it won’t matter.....in a hundred years we will all be forgotten by humankind! Lord, I pray that each person reading this realizes that it is all about You and Your precious Son Jesus....the only work that matters, is the work that we do for You while You graciously grant us life to do it with. I pray this in the name of Jesus....AMEN


@copyright 2010 LVC Ministries, Inc

Second Guessing God

I’ve noticed at least three chances to second guess God this week. God gives us great opportunities to show our faith by giving us a specific task, and instead of running with the eyes of faith to do that task, we start having doubts! I believe God is teaching us a mighty lesson…

We have an enemy who wants us to doubt what God is doing through us.
When God tells us to do something or to say something, He has a reason for it. God will give you something to say that is just the right word at just the right time for just the right person. So what I’ve noticed is that we know we’ve heard from God and we’re ready to be obedient, but while we’re waiting to move on what God would have us do, Satan comes in and puts seeds of doubt in our minds. Lord, we need discernment! When you see that happening, that’s when you need to take those thoughts into captivity. (2 Cor 10:5) That means you cast that thought out and lock it away. Any time it tries to come back into your mind, you make sure to cast it away again, so you won’t ever act on it. When you know you’ve heard from God, tell Satan to take a hike when he comes at you with doubts! He’s not going to get you to turn from what God told you to do because you know how he operates. And even though you may not fully understand why God is asking you to do what He’s asking you to do, you trust Him because His ways are higher than your ways, and His thoughts are higher than your thoughts. (Is 55:8-9) God is sovereign, or in control, and He knows the big picture.

Gideon, from the book of Judges, reminds me of a second-guesser. In Judges 6:12, when God called Gideon to save Israel from the Midianites, God called him a “mighty warrior”. God called him this before he ever did anything mighty. God knew who Gideon would become. Gideon tried using the excuse that he was in the weakest clan, and he himself was the weakest in his father’s house, but God told him again that he was to go save Israel. Now Gideon knew that this was God talking to him because in Judges 6:22 we read, “When Gideon realized it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, ’Ah, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!’” (It was known that if you looked upon the face of God, you would die.) God also told him that He would be with Gideon, so Gideon was obedient at first, and with ten men, he tore down his father’s altar to Baal, and the wooden image beside it. He did this in the dark cover of night, but he did it none the less! It’s after this initial step of obedience that the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon and he gathered men to fight with him against the Midianites.

Then Gideon started second-guessing God. He needed some reassurance. The first time he asked God to wet a fleece with dew and make the ground dry if God was truly going to save Israel by Gideon’s own hand. When Gideon saw that the fleece was wet and the ground was dry the next morning, he asked God again to show him the opposite and make the fleece dry and the ground wet. When he awoke the next day, he saw that God had done what he asked. Gideon had second-guessed God not once, but twice! God was gracious enough to continue to use Gideon for His purposes, and He is gracious to use us when we second-guess Him as well. But the idea here is that we want to stop when we see that we are starting to doubt and second-guess God. Don’t put out the fleece, but instead, when you know that God has spoken to you, trust Him. Gideon knew God had spoken to him, and God will make it clear to you as well. Remember, He will never contradict His word. God has given you the faith to put out all the fiery darts of the enemy when the enemy starts spreading those seeds of doubt. (Eph 6:16) You don’t have to second-guess God, but instead you can choose to move forward in the power and in the Spirit of God as His "mighty warrior" no matter what God asks of you!

*All Scripture reference from the New International Version
@Copyright 2010 LVC Ministries, Inc.

WE CAN NOT FAIL!

My pastor has been preaching from the book of Nehemiah for a few Sunday’s now. One Sunday he asked us how many people have read Nehemiah since he has been preaching on it. Many people raised their hands but I could not. Actually, it never even dawned on me to read it. Did I just place myself as a “pew sitter?” Listening, but not doing? Not applying what I have been learning through the sermons?

A couple of days after that sermon, God really placed on my heart the burden to read the book of Nehemiah. I was only able to get through chapter 2 before God convicted me and gave me a message. This message is for you, it is for me and it is for the church. “They said to me, ‘Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.’" Neh 1:3. It seems to me that our churches and our worship to God have been broken for several years now. We need to find the cracks, repair the walls and get back to the business of worshipping and praising God! Truthfully, you and I have no reason to do anything BUT to praise and worship God. He created us, He sustains us, He sees to our daily needs. He is the author of our salvation and He is the living God who “was and is and is to come!” When Nehemiah heard about the broken walls of Jerusalem he fell down and wept -- “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.” Neh 1:4. How often have we seen the brokenness of the messages coming from our churches? How often have we seen the brokenness of a world in need of the saving grace of Jesus Christ? How often have we as children of God fallen down on our faces and wept and prayed and fasted because of this brokenness? Nehemiah should be an example to us. What part am I playing in this brokenness of the church? What part are you playing? Don’t you think it is time that the church (that includes you and I, we are the church) quit worrying about stepping on toes and preach the saving mercy and grace of the CROSS?

“And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.” Neh 2:8b. Nehemiah asked the King to send him back to Jerusalem with all of the resources he needed to rebuild the walls. Nehemiah states that because God was with him these requests were granted. Anytime you and I are obedient and following the will of God, his hand will always be upon us....upon you and upon me! BUT, let’s not be naive here. You know and I know that whenever we begin to follow the will of God and do His bidding that there will be opposition. If you and I caught on fire for God and began a revival in our churches across this great nation....there would be opposition. “But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. ‘What is this you are doing?’ they asked. ‘Are you rebelling against the king?’" Neh 2:19. Trust me, when you and I begin our church rebuilding project we can expect opposition from the world. “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Cor 1:18

Each of us must begin to prayerfully examine our church to see where we can help rebuild. You and I must also examine ourselves. Our own personal walls! Where are they falling apart? Where is the breach that Satan can use to infiltrate? Where is Satan using “political correctness” against our church to mask the true message of God? Where is Satan using your “busyness” to keep you from a total and complete, worshipful relationship with Jesus Christ?

Please don’t be a “pew sitter.” If we are obedient, if we open our hearts and say yes to Jesus, if we open our eyes to Satan’s tactics...we will not fail! Our churches will be rebuilt and at the same time, our personal lives will be rebuilt. The God of heaven will give us success!

"The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding...” Neh 2:20a


All verses from the New International Version
@copyright 2010 LVC Ministries, Inc

Fill Me, Lord!

I’ve been asking God to fill me with the Holy Spirit, and do you know what I’ve heard from God? “You’ve got to be emptied first.” Mt 12:34 says, “…out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” So, what’s overflowing out of your mouth? Is it encouragement, blessings, love, joy? Or is it anger, bitterness, judgment, critical words and complaining? How do we get emptied of all of the junk inside of us? It’s called “repentance”. Now I know that people don’t want to think about repentance because it sounds old fashioned and we think there’s got to be some other way to empty ourselves, right? But when we repent, or turn away from our sin and turn toward God, we are asking God to take out all of the junk (sin) and clean us up. But we need to look at the reason we keep sinning. I’m convinced that we continue in sin because we never really deal with it. We just know it’s wrong and we ask God to forgive us and then we go on our merry way, feeling a little better for having expressed it to God. But the sin returns because we haven’t dealt with the underlying issue. We need to take time to reflect on the sin and really be convicted about it. If we’re not truly convicted and sorrowful for what we’ve been doing, we’re just going to continue to do it over and over again. Take the time to find verses in the bible that deal with that sin and meditate on them. See how God feels about that sin in particular. And ask the Holy Spirit to convict you.

In Nehemiah chapter 9:1-3, the children of Israel were assembled together and were fasting. Fasting is a great example to follow because God will give you more clarity and insight as you seek Him, whether it’s regarding repentance or some other answer you’re looking for from Him. Then the Israelites separated themselves from all of the foreigners. Now this was actually a time for the people of God to come together, out from the worldly influences, as an assembly and listen to the word of God and reflect on how their lives lined up with God’s word. Do you have a church that you attend regularly to hear the word of God and see how your life lines up? And how is your life lining up with the plumb line of God’s Word? When you find a place that your life is not lining up with the word, take time to stop, confess it to God and repent. Ask God to show you the root of the sin and ask Him to give you a plan of action that will keep you from continuing to engage in that sin. And then apply it to your life. If you fall short of this last step, you won’t change, and that’s what repentance is all about – changing, renewing your mind and turning away from the sin. There’s also something about confessing your sin to someone else. (James 5:16) If you have a secret sin, when you tell someone about it, it removes the power and the hold it has over your life. Entrust yourself to a godly person and confess to them. Find someone you can trust and who won’t judge you because they know they could fall just as easily.

In Nehemiah 9:3, the people stood in place and read the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for 3 hours. Yes, you heard me right, 3 hours! Sometimes we have a hard time reading the word for 30 minutes, much less standing for 3 hours! Then for another 3 hours, “they confessed and worshiped the Lord”. Now I believe part of this time of worship and confession was on their faces because in Ne 9:5 the men said, “Stand up and bless the Lord your God forever and ever!” So don’t feel foolish about bowing down to God. It shows your humbleness toward God and your reverence to Him. And when you are finished repenting, worship the Lord and bless God forever and ever! He is worthy of your praise! Then the Holy Spirit will have plenty of room to come in and fill you up to overflowing so that you can lead a Spirit-filled life!

*All Scripture references are from the New International Version.
@Copyright 2010 LVC Ministries, Inc.

SIN CAN NOT WIN!

Do you believe that? Do you believe that sin can win? Do you honestly believe that Satan can defeat the children of God? When God started calling me back to him in early 2000, He gave me Jeremiah 29:11-14 as my own personal verses from Him. This gave me something to hold on to, to believe in, to trust in and to pray back to God. I could easily quote back to God verse 11 “For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I would quote back to God verses 12 through 14 and usually (actually, quite often), I would butcher those verses....but I understood and internalized what they meant and I prayed them back to God with a sincere heart. Whenever, I saw a plaque or something with Jeremiah 29:11 on it, I always wondered “where are the other verses? Aren’t they just as important?”

Recently, God revealed to me that yes, Jeremiah 29:11 was given to me personally and that the other verses were given to me, so that I could give them to you! “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity...” Jer 29:12-14a. As a Christian, know that when you pray to God....He does listen! If you are still breathing.....know that when you seek God with all your heart, you will find Him. It doesn’t matter if you are saved or not because, “when you seek Me with all of your heart, I will be found by you!” This is a promise! God is so amazing and He loves you so much that when you make one move, just one step toward Him, He will take three, four, five steps (however many it takes) toward you! If you truly seek Him with all of your heart, you will find Him!

Then, there is verse 14. I’ve always thought, “well that doesn’t apply to me because this verse is talking about Israel.” No, that’s not the case. This verse applies to me and it applies to you. What is holding you captive? God is saying in this verse “I am bigger than sin! I am bigger than whatever you are allowing to get between us! Seek me with your whole heart! Pray to me and I will listen to you and I promise that I will free you from the sin that is holding you captive!" What is that sin? Is it busyness? You just don’t have enough time in the day to focus on God? Are you a slave to an addiction that you just can’t quite kick? Are you constantly trying to hold yourself up to the standards of others? Who is it....your spouse, a friend, girlfriend or boyfriend, your best friend, a relative, a co-worker.....how about Hollywood? You are unique, you are special. God knit your bones together in your mothers’ womb and He knew you and numbered your days before you even took your first breath of life! God has a plan for you and that is a promise!

There is no reason for you to struggle any longer; whether you are a Christian or not, you are not in this alone...the God of the universe is on your side! Did you hear me? God IS ON YOUR SIDE and He wants so much to be your God! He wants you to give ALL of your problems to Him. Don’t you want to rest? Don’t you want the peace that only faith in Jesus Christ can give you? “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

Because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, sin can not win! “Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love......” Joel 2:13

To find out more about receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Savior please read our blog titled New Life in Christ (April 2, 2010).

All verses New International Version
@copyright 2010 LVC Ministries, Inc

Waiting On God

Ps 27:14 – “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

Ps 33:20-21 – “We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name.”

It’s hard to wait. In our culture, waiting is not seen as a good thing. We want what we want when we want it, and we want it now! We are not a patient people. We want fast food. We want everything on the fast track. We want everything to go fast forward, and we certainly don’t want to wait on God.

During times of waiting at the doctor’s office or in line, I notice that I try to multi-task so that I can “be productive” because waiting seems to be “a waste of time”. But I don’t think God sees waiting on Him as “a waste of time”. Look at Moses... He had to wait 40 years before he truly started walking in the ministry God had planned for him. He was in training for 40 years in the desert as a shepherd. He was 80 years old before God used him in the leadership role for the Israelites! This tells us that waiting is a fact of life. It also tells us that we are never too old to be in service to God. Your life has not been a waste just because it took you a little longer to start going in God’s direction. Stop looking at “what could have been” and start looking forward to “what will be”. As long as you’re still alive, God has a plan for you.

It was in the year 2000 that God gave me a vision to speak out for Him. That was 11 years ago. I can see that I’m very close to that vision, but I’m still not there yet. God has been training me and changing me these past 11 years for the plan He has for me. And at the same time, He’s been working on Cindy and Vanessa too (the other two “cords” in A Cord of Three). Sometimes God has to wait for the right circumstances. You know, Vanessa and I have been going to the same church for about 20 years. We’ve known each other by name, but we never really connected or talked until this last year. And Cindy and I only met because God put us together in our church’s Mentor & Mentee program. But otherwise, we didn’t run around in the same circles at church and would seemingly have never met. But God has His plan for each of us, and He works through us our entire life to get us where we need to be.

Where do you see yourself waiting on God? Is it a ministry you believe He wants you to start? Or are you waiting on God to answer your prayers? Maybe you’ve been praying for someone’s salvation? Don’t give up! Just as God’s ways are not our ways (Is 55:8-9), God’s timing is not always our timing. Waiting on God shows that you trust Him and His plan for your life. If you move ahead of God or lag behind God, you won’t walk in all the blessings He has for you. As you wait on God, walk in the promise of Isaiah 64:4 and see how God acts on your behalf because you waited on Him.

“Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.”

*All Scripture is from the New International Version unless specified.
@Copyright 2010 LVC Ministries, Inc.

CROSSROADS!

Has there ever been a time in your life that you knew you were standing at a crossroads? You knew that you had a choice to make. You knew that whichever way you chose to turn would have a direct impact on your life and lead you to where you are today? You knew that the choice you made would impact your life for better or for worse. Some of you may be standing there now at that crossroads and you are having to make your choice now. Some of you have already made your choice and you know that you are now paying the consequences for a foolish choice, while some of you made the wise choice and you are reaping the benefits of that choice.

I found myself at such a crossroads several years ago. Some of you may remember from my prior postings that my husband and I got away from going to church. As it is with these types of things in life, one thing led to another and the next thing we knew we were living in the world and not following God. After I had lived in the world and made a mess of things, I found myself standing in the middle of a crossroads. I’ve thought about this often and when I look back at this period of time in my life, I actually see myself standing at a crossroads. I knew that I had a choice to make. Looking to the left, I could only see darkness and sadness; this is the atmosphere that I had chosen to live in for a while. On the right, I could see sunshine, my husband, my family and the life that God had intended for me to live. I don’t know why God allowed me to see myself this way and to show me what led down each road, but I’m glad He did and I’m glad that I chose wisely. This was in the mid 1990’s.

We moved to Fort Worth, Texas in 2002 and from then on, God has really been working in my life. Often, I think back to the friends that I left at the crossroads, the friends that chose the dark road and no matter what I say to them would never convince them that the road they are on is a road of destruction. Satan is very convincing. What road are you on? Do you find yourself at a crossroads? The choice is yours, even if you are a Christian (and I was) you may find yourself living in the world and you know that you need to get off of that road and get back to God. If that is the case, ask God to show you where you are and how to get back on the right path. If you are not a Christian and you know that life has got to be better than what you are living, then please read our blog titled New Life in Christ (April 2, 2010).

“This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls...” Jer 6:16 (NIV)

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity...” Jer 29:13-14 (NIV)

Dear Father,
Today, I come to you on behalf of all those who are standing at a crossroads. They have a choice to make, they can turn to the left where there is only darkness, destruction and captivity waiting for them, or they can choose to turn right toward sunshine, family and You. Father God, I pray that all reading this will choose to ask You where the good way is. That they will choose to walk in that path and that they will choose to believe You when You say that they will find rest for their souls. So many people are hurting and in pain today. Lord, the enemy has made a mockery of all things that are true and just and sacred. There is only one straight and narrow road that leads to Life, but there are many roads that lead to death and destruction. I pray Father that the Holy Spirit will guide everyone reading this entry today to realize they are at a crossroads and that their future depends on the choice that they make today.

@copyright 2010 LVC Ministries, Inc

AMAZING GRACE!

We’ve all heard the song Amazing Grace. It was written by a former slave ship captain who begged God for mercy during a storm when he thought his ship was sinking. Later in his cabin, John Newton realized that God answered his prayer directly and showed mercy to him and all that were on board his ship. John later became a preacher and a songwriter. His church services became so overcrowded that his church had to be enlarged.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

In 2007, Chris Tomlin released his hit song Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone), adding the following verses:

My chains are gone
I’ve been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, Amazing grace.

There are several definitions for the word GRACE but the ones I like best are Mercy, Clemency, a temporary immunity or exemption and reprieve. God sent His only Son to die a horrible death to grant you clemency from an eternity separated from Him. But the problem here is that we humans don’t want to admit that we are not supreme in the universe and we don’t want to give up control. God has a plan for you, but you have to allow Him free reign in your life and then after you have given God control over your life, you must be obedient to follow Him wherever He leads you. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are free; your chains have been broken! You need no longer fear death because Jesus has overcome death for you! Your home is not here on earth, so why should you live like it is?

God’s mercy is unending. We go about our daily business, never even thinking about how the Holy Spirit (who is God) came to live in us when we were saved. If you are like me, usually we are thinking about the three people most important to us: me, myself and I. I’m sure that I unknowingly sin countless times a day, but it is because of God’s unending love and mercy raining down on me like a flood, that I am forgiven. The only thing that keeps me going is His unending love. As a Christian, it is the only thing that keeps you going too.

If you don’t know Jesus as your personal Savior, but you do want to be free and you want your chains broken today, then I am asking you to open up your heart to Him....right now! If Jesus Christ is your personal Savior, then I am asking you to consciously make an effort at all times to fully realize that the Holy Spirit is living inside you and has a wonderful plan for you! It is up to you to be obedient, to listen to His voice and to follow wherever He leads you. If God can so totally change a despicable slave ship captain, lead him to preach the gospel to thousands and to write a song that millions have heard and loved....what can He use you to do? But, you must listen to Him and you must be willing to let Him use you for the great things He has planned for you!

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.” Eph 2:4-9 (NIV)

To find out more about receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Savior please read our blog titled New Life in Christ (April 2, 2010).

@copyright 2010 LVC Ministries, Inc

John Newton (1725-1807) Amazing Grace
The story of John Newton - http://www.anointedlinks.com/amazing_grace.html

YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN

Against my better judgment, I was watching the news the other day and all I could think about was “Lord, what are we going to do?” Every story was depressing and demoralizing. How and when did we allow our country and the world to become like it is right now?

In Ezekiel chapter 34 we read how the shepherds quit taking care of the flocks that God had given to them, instead they began to feed off of their flocks. The shepherds no longer strengthened those who were weak, they no longer healed the sick and they no longer bound up the injured. The shepherds were so busy taking care of themselves, seeing to their needs and making sure that they had the best that life could offer, that they no longer went out in search of the sheep that were lost.

Maybe, just maybe that is why this country has gotten off track. Somehow, the sheep have allowed some shepherds to teach things in the church that is of the world and not of God. When it comes to God, there is no gray area, it’s always follow me and obey my commands, or pay the consequences. The law of physics tells us that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Maybe, right now, today this country (and the world) is reaping the reaction of our past actions.

I know that it is not “politically correct” to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, that is, Jesus is the only way to salvation (Matthew 14:6) but, yes, He is the only way to salvation and apparently many of our churches today have forgotten that. It seems that some parents have forgotten to teach their children that also. Call me old fashioned, but a child’s foundational knowledge of salvation and the Bible must begin at home. So, really, we can’t actually blame it all on the church, we all must take some of the responsibility.

So now what do we do? Matthew 9:37-38 says “Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” (HCSB). As Christians we are told by Jesus to pray to God that He will send out people to witness to those who are lost. Jesus also tells us “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you...” Matt 28:19-20 (NIV). These two verses tell me that not only is there an abundance of people in the world that need to hear about the Gospel, and not only are we supposed to pray to God to send workers out into the field, but we are the workers! We are to go out into the fields and reap the harvest of lost souls for the Kingdom of God and where the church is concerned we must be “like the Bereans” (Acts 17:11) and examine the scriptures with eagerness to see if our shepherds are leading the flock in the direction that the Lord has commanded.

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last...” John 15:16 (NIV).

@copyright 2010 LVC Ministries, Inc

CHASING AFTER THE WIND

The book of Ecclesiastes is written by a person who is close to the end of his life. He is trying to make sense of life as he looks back over it from the beginning to the fast approaching end. While thinking about our lives while we are here on earth, he concludes that God has our path already laid out for us and He is in complete control. “This only have I found: God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes." Eccl 7:29 (NIV).

The word upright when used in this context means that God made mankind righteous. In the Garden of Eden, God walked and talked with Adam and Eve and these two perfect humans had a complete and total relationship with Him. He was in complete control and he had their path laid out in front of them. But, Eve decides that there must be a better way and well.....you know the story.

When I read verse 29 in Ecclesiastes, I knew immediately what the verse meant, because that is exactly what I do all of the time. God has told me what my purpose is and He has shown Himself to me on so many occasions in order to increase my faith in Him so that I would KNOW that He has the perfect plan for me.....but what do I do? I go chasing after a scheme! I think “well, maybe, I should really be doing this, instead of that!” Am I the only person that does this, or are you also guilty? Am I the only one that thinks that I can choose a better path to follow than the one that God has set before me? Time and time and time again I think that I know what is best for me when all I really should do is just let go and give God complete control. Wouldn’t life be so much easier if we just accepted the simple fact that God really is in control and that God really does have the perfect plan for each of us?

How about if you and I start a journey together and from this moment forward we turn control of our lives over to God? We promise to set aside some quiet daily time reading the Bible and praying and asking God to give us the strength that we need to trust Him with everything in our lives. When I say pray, I don’t mean our daily SOS prayers that we send up to God, I mean spend time in our prayer closets pouring out our hearts to God and actually listening quietly for Him to answer us! When we sincerely do this and truly listen, He will respond and then it is up to us to become obedient and to follow where ever He leads. If you feel like your life is going nowhere fast....trust God and be obedient to His calling on your life....don’t go chasing after schemes.

The writer of Ecclesiastes ends the book with this passage “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. Eccl 12:13-14 (KJV).

According to verses 13 and 14, we only have two jobs and those are to fear God and keep His commandments. How hard can that be? Well, actually if you’re like me, it’s pretty hard. Whenever we wander from the path that God has set for us in order to pursue our own schemes, we might as well be “chasing after the wind”. The time is now, open your eyes and realize that you have been given a wonderful gift. God has the perfect plan for you and in all things God is in control. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” James 4:8-10 (NIV)

@copyright 2010 LVC Ministries, Inc.

Broken Walls - Part 3

The book of Nehemiah is so rich with applications to our own lives that I couldn’t help but continue to glean from its wisdom for one more week.

In Nehemiah 4, the people had “a mind to work”, and had connected the wall and built it up halfway. They had some victory, but they were still only halfway there. This is when the enemy became very angry and conspired to attack Jerusalem and create confusion. Take this as a lesson for yourself… The enemy doesn’t want you to succeed and he will ramp up his attack and try to create confusion. This is when you’ve really got to get serious and be on the lookout for the enemy. The enemy sent word that they were going to beef up their attacks and kill the Israelites in order to stop the rebuilding of Jerusalem. The workers felt like their strength was failing and the enemy was causing the people to fear. This is an important time for the Israelites. Would they stop halfway in discouragement and fear, or would they continue on and finish in victory? Are you halfway through to the finish line? Are you discouraged and fearful? You can finish in victory!

Don’t give up and don’t fear the enemy! You can make it to victory if you keep with the plan God gave you! God will show that He is able to defeat the enemy. The Israelites spoke out, “Our God will fight for us.” Nehemiah 5:20b (NKJV), and you should speak that out too. The Israelites worked on constructing the wall with one hand while they held a weapon in the other hand. “Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon. Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built.” Nehemiah 5:17-18 (NKJV) In a spiritual war like we are in, we don’t fight as the world fights, we use spiritual warfare.

To fight off our spiritual enemies, we carry the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph. 6:17). When we speak the word of God, it sends the enemy running. So it’s your job to create your own arsenal by memorizing Scripture that you can use to refute the enemy when you are attacked. Don’t agree with the enemy, but tell him the truth from the word of God. The enemy is a liar and will try to make you afraid saying that you won’t be able to do what God has called you to do.

For Nehemiah and the people, the wall was rebuilt in only 52 days. When the enemy found out that the Israelites were successful in completing the walls, they were very disheartened because they perceived that the work was done by God (Nehemiah 7:16) Let’s let God do the work of rebuilding the crumbling walls in our lives and dishearten our enemy! We don’t have to fear the enemy or be discouraged because we have a God that is stronger than the enemy. Keep fighting the good fight of faith and you too will succeed because your God fights for you! Before you know it, your walls will be standing tall and strong, and the enemy will be disheartened and defeated!


@Copyright 2010 – LVC Ministries, Inc.

WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?

“Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?" 28 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." 29 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ.” Mark 8:27-29

In the above verse, the disciples spent 24/7 with Jesus for 3 years and they believed that Jesus was the Christ. In John 8:58, Jesus states emphatically that he is God. "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" Other instances of eye witness accounts concerning the deity of Jesus Christ are:

1. The Roman centurions who nailed Him to the cross. “When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!" Matt 27:54

2. The fallen angels that He created, who served Him and actually saw Him sitting on His throne in Heaven before their rebellion and expulsion. “Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, "You are the Son of God!" But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Christ.” Luke 4:41

3. God Himself along with the incarnation of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." Luke 3:21-22

Not only does the New Testament proclaim the divinity of Jesus Christ, but the Old Testament is full of prophecies about Him. The Old Testament prophets foretold of His birth, his death and his resurrection thousands of years before they occurred.

Who do you say that I am? When I was a child growing up, whenever I was asked this question, I would automatically say...Jesus is the Son of God. Later, as I grew into adulthood and completely got away from church, I would still tell you that Jesus is the Son of God. When God in His infinite grace chose to call me into a total relationship with Him, I came face to face with Jesus. My sins were laid bare before me and all I could do was fall on my face and repent of those sins to God. I realized with a breaking heart that Jesus was much more than just the Son of God. I realized that my life was nothing without Him in the center of it. Over the past 10 years or so, I have come to realize more and more exactly who Jesus is.

Who do you say that I am? That is a question that only you can answer for yourself.

*If you don’t know who Jesus Christ is or what salvation means, I urge you to read our blog entry titled “New Life in Christ.”




ALL VERSES FROM THE NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION

@copyright 2010 LVC Ministries, Inc.

Broken Walls - Part 2

Last week I mentioned that there are some areas of my life that feel a little out of control. Now I’ve decided that it’s really not wise for me to voice that, because I don’t want to give Satan a foothold and be in agreement with him. Instead, I’ve decided to ask God to take control and rebuild my crumbling walls of self-control. (Remember Proverbs 25:28 (NIV), “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.”)

We saw in Nehemiah 1 that Nehemiah prayed, fasted and confessed his sins because the broken walls of Jerusalem reflected badly on God. In a similar way, our broken and crumbling walls of self-control reflect badly on God. As Nehemiah prayed, God gave him a detailed plan of how to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Like Nehemiah, we can receive clarity from God as we pray, and yes, even fast if that’s what God calls us to, in order to hear from Him. When God gives you a plan, He will help you work through it as you rely on Him.

Our walls won’t be rebuilt on hopes and dreams -- it’s going to require some hard work. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. So, does this qualify you as being insane? Are you doing the same things but hoping for different results? You’re going to have to change what you’re doing. Remember that God is not responsible to bless your mess. Find out what He’s calling you to do in order to rebuild your broken walls. When He calls you to do it, He’ll help you through it.

After Nehemiah got the “OK” to rebuild the walls, he took the time to view the walls personally. So have you taken a good look at your broken walls? Perhaps by looking closely you can gain some insight into what caused the wall to crumble in the first place. For the Israelites, it was disobedience. Is there an area of disobedience that you need to bring into submission to Christ?

As you work on rebuilding your broken walls, be aware that the enemy will attack. The enemy attacked Nehemiah and the Israelites, and he will attack you. Be prepared.

1 Peter 5:8 (NIV) – "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

Nehemiah set up watchmen to keep an eye out for the enemy and so should you. You can do this by asking the Holy Spirit to give you discernment and make you aware of the enemy’s schemes. You can also ask your Christian family and friends to be watchmen for you by praying on your behalf. Ask God to cover you with a hedge of protection, knowing that if the enemy does attack, then God is allowing it for a very good reason, even if you don’t understand what that reason is. God is only going to allow those things that are for your good and that will make you stronger. But God’s ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9). You may just have to wait until you’re in heaven to ask why He has allowed some of the things that He’s allowed in your life.

Nehemiah 4:6 (NIV) – “…and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.”

As you have a “mind to work” on rebuilding your broken walls you will see milestones to success as what was once crumbling walls begin to be joined together, strengthened and built up higher and higher into a mighty fortress that will be used greatly by God!

@Copyright 2010 LVC Ministries, Inc.