Never

  In our politically correct world today there is an idea that we should always major on the positive and never the negative. Weshould always stress the do's and not the don't, and should never say never. Therefore, in this post you will read some truths that are politically incorrect.
    Never be so good that you are bad. Beware of self righteousness. "There is none righteous no not one." Romans 3:10. Never seek to be so zealous for God that in the process you trust your own righteousness rather the righteousness that God has provided for you in Christ. Romans 10:2-4.
   Never be so good looking that you are ugly. Jesus said to the religious people of his day, "You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean," Matthew 23:27. If you focus only on the outward , you will neglect the most important thing. God expects you to be good on the inside. "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7. If you are beautiful on the outside and ugly on the inside, you will soon becomes ugly all the way around. If you are beautiful on the inside, you will radiate beauty in all things.
   Never seek to be so wealthy that you become poor. "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matthew 16:26

   Never work so hard for the here and now that you forget about the here after. "Every one of us shall give account of himself to God." Romans 14:12 ". Paul said, "For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? or am I striving to please men? if I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ." Galatians 1:10  Never be so tied up in knots worrying about today that you forgot that you have a Heavenly Father Who watches over you. "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34. "Do not be like them  (those who do not have a personal relationship with God), for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." Matthew 6:8.
 

A Lesson From Henry Blackaby

     The writer of Hebrews reminds us that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Whenever God reveals something, He expects us to belive Him and adjust our lives accordingly. What does this mean? It means we trust Him implicitly for all of our nees because He says He will provide (Philippians 4:19). It means we approach crises with the assurance that God will bring good from them (Romans 8:28). It means we overcome anxiety during stressful situations because God instructs us to bring our requests to Him (Philippians 4:6). It means we never worry that we are alone because God has promised never to leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). It means that , despite what happens in our lives, we will never doubt God's love becuase He has told us that it is an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3).

Dwelling in the Secret Place of the Most High

Psalm 91
King James Version (KJV)
1He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Psalm 91

New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 91
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Whatever version of the Bible we may use to read Psalm 91, it is important to know that in the original Hebrew the psalmist uses four names for God in these two verses. The four names for God have much to teach us about our secret place where we find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
   The psalmist uses the name Elyon, the Lord who possesses heaven and earth. The possessor of all things, this is the God who is our shelter, our refuge, our fortress.
   He uses the name Shaddai, the Almighty, the Provider. The One who meets all of our needs.
   He speaks of Jehovah or Yahweh, the One who is in covenant relationship with His people. The One Who initiated and maintains covenant relationship with His people. This speaks of promise. Jehovah is the Promise Keeping God.
   The fourth name used for God in these  verses is Elohim. This name for God is used twenty-seven hundred times in the Bible. It is first used to speak of the God of creation. Elohim spoke and created something out of nothing.  The name Elhoim speaks of  power. He is the All Powerful God.
   Elyon, Shaddai, Jehovah, Elohim this is the God in whom we dwell. He is our secret place. He is the One in whom we abide, take refuge, find shelter and  provision. He is the One in Whom we shall find rest as we trust in Him.

Psalm Twenty-Three

    Christians and non-Christians alike know or know about Psalm 23, probably because all or part of it has been read at funerals. However, for the Christian it should never be thought of as only a psalm of comfort for funerals. It is a psalm of comfort for life.  It is a psalm that describes all that the Good Shepherd is to His sheep. He is our Provider, Protector, Companion and Guide.

   'The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures (Provider).

He leadeth beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name sake (Provider, Companion and Guide).

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for Thou art with me (Companion);

Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me (Protector and Provider).

Thou preparedest a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Thou anointest my head with  oil. My cup runneth over. (Companion, Provider and Protector).

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Provider, Protector, Companion and Guide).'

The Twenty-Third Psalm is a psalm about living as well as dying. How much richer would our lives be if we as Christians would remember and mediate on that fact!

Whatever We Do in Word or Deed

       In Colossians 3:17 and 3:23-25, Paul reminds Christians that all of life and living must be for Christ. Because He shed His blood on the cross to pay for our sins and open the way for a right relationship with God by grace through faith in Him, we are His. Therefore, we must seek to demonstrate this truth as we go about our daily lives. People should be able to see the centrality of Christ, as we go about our daily lives, relating to others, dealing with whatever task, facing whatever problem, and experiencing the good and the bad.
     In Colossians 4:2-6, Paul instructs us how to carry out the mandate of being a daily witness for Christ. In verse 2, he exhorts us to 'continue in prayer'. The Greek meaning here is 'to devote yourselves to prayer'. Prayer was central to Paul's life and ministry and should be to ours. His life and ministry were not his own and neither was his strategy for living them out. Therefore, he devoted himself to prayer and so should we. In this same verse he tells us to watch or stay alert. In the Greek this means 'to refrain from sleep'. It underscores the importance of perserving in prayer. We are to perserve in prayer with thanksgiving. If we pray with thanksgiving, we must recollect God's past faithfulness to us. This will encourage us to count on His continued faithfulness in the present and future, causing our anxieties and fears to melt away. In verse 3, he asks the Colossians to pray that God would open a door of opportunity for him to share Christ. We should pray that God would do the same for us. In verses 5-6, he urged Christians to live out the practical application of the Scriptures so that those who are not Christians may see and hear the embodiment of Christianity that is both winsome and gracious.

Lessons I Learned About Prayer

   This post was taken from The Encourager,a newsletter by Dr. Joe McKeever. It was sent to me by Reverend Orville McMahan. It blessed me and I thought that it might bless you. Please consider the Dr. McKeever's Lessons I Learned About Prayer.

    1. The only real mistake we can make in prayer is in not praying.
If we pray earnestly, almost anything we do is better than not praying. After all, no father rejects the child's plea because she did not use the right words or form. He welcomes his child into his arms. Someone has said, "Nothing never happens when we pray."

2. No matter how much you pray, you will never be completely satisfied with your prayer life.

You will always feel the goal is out there beyond you somewhere. We must work against perfectionism, that mental disease that convinces us because we're not doing something perfectly, that we should stop it altogether. No matter how ineffective you think your prayers are, believe that they matter to God and keep on praying.
3. The Holy Spirit helps us in our prayer.
Romans 8:26 assures us "He helps us in our weakness because we do not know how to pray." The Greek word translated "helps" is a compound Greek verb "synantilambanomai." The "syn" means "together, with us." The "anti" means "opposite to, in front of." And the "lambanomai" is a form of the verb "to lift." Together they tell us the Holy Spirit gets on the other end of our task, opposite to us, and together with us lifts the burden. He does not do this in our place, but works with us.
4. Keep on praying.
Persistence in prayer is taught so many times in Scripture. My favorite is blind Bartimaeus in Luke 18. Let nothing stop you from praying. Not your own inadequacy (of which there is much), your own needs (which can be overwhelming), not your fears (which never tire of assaulting you), and most definitely not other people (discouragement is all around us). Just keep at it.

5. Our emotions and feelings are irrelevant to effective praying.

We need to rescue our prayer life from bondage to our emotions. You know, "I don't feel like my prayers go beyond the ceiling," or "I don't feel like praying today." When you turn to the Father in prayer, how you feel has nothing to do with anything. Pray anyway.

6. Heaven places the same value on our prayers that we do.

If it matters to us, it matters to our Heavenly Father. The widow's mite did not mean much to anyone else in the Temple that day, but because it mattered a great deal to her, it was precious to the Father. This principle holds true for our prayers, our offerings, and anything else we give to the Lord: when it arrives in Heaven, it carries the same value there we placed on it here.

7. Throw away your clock.
Jesus said it's the heathen who think they will be heard for their much speaking. The goal in our prayer time is to be real, to touch Heaven, and not to log so much time. Think how insulted your sweetheart would be if you brought along a clock on your next visit, and you kept looking at it to see how much time had gone by so you could feel good about the investment you were making in the relationship. How much time you spend in prayer has little to do with anything. This assumes, of course, that you are spending some quality time with Him each day in prayer.
8. There is a mystery involved whenever we come into the presence of God.

We are kneeling before the Almighty Sovereign God, Lord of the universe. Be quiet. Be still. Get alone with Him. Humble yourself. Wait on Him. Respect Him as having sense and quit insulting Him with your pet memorized phrases. Tell Him the truth, what you've been up to and what you're thinking now. Tell Him what blesses you about Him, and what areas of your life you need particular help with.

Jesus said He already knows our needs before we ask, but He likes to see if we have figured things out, too. So, go ahead and make your requests to Him. Whatever answer comes, accept that as His will, at least for the time being. And keep on praying.
9. Always keep paper and pen handy when you are praying.

My experience is that when you come into the Father's presence in prayer, He will frequently call your attention to something He wants you to know or do. He may tell you someone to see, something to do, someone to call, something to forgive, a verse to look up, a text to remember, a debt to pay, or a neighbor to help. Write it down. Then, go back to your prayer. Expect to receive from Him every time you turn to Him in prayer.

When I was a kid on the Alabama farm, times were hard and surprises were rare. But we were always glad when our uncle Johnny Chadwick drove up from Birmingham. He was a police officer with the city and was forever meeting interesting people, getting challenging ideas, and having things given to him. He would bring up day-old cakes and pies from bakeries. He once brought me an old used bicycle, the first I'd ever owned. Once he arrived with a truckload of calves which it became my assignment to feed before and after school. He never came empty-handed. We were always eager to meet Uncle Johnny.
How much more when we come to pray, entering into the very presence of the loving Heavenly Father, should we be eager and expectant about what is about to happen.
Dr. Joe McKeever
http://www.joemckeever.com/

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Will You Choose Faith in God Over Faith in an Outcome?

    The reading of an article this week confronted me with the question, 'Will we choose faith in God over faith in an outcome?' The question was like an arrow to my heart. I am a product of my society. I want instant results. I want prayers answered immediately and as much as I'd like to believe otherwise, oftentimes I am not as submitted to God as I ought to be. I become too easily frustrated and discouraged with circumstances, people and inability to see any changes when I've prayed and trusted God to work out His will. The article forced me to admit this to myself.
   God's word clearly assures us that He loves us and wants the very best for us. God promises to complete the good work He has begun in us and to meet our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6 and 4:19). Jeremiah 29:11 presents the truth that God has a plan for us, a plan for our welfare and not calamity, a plan to give us a future and a hope. Romans 8:28-29 says that God will work all things together for our good and His glory and in the process that He will conform us to the image of His Dear Son.
  Of times I forget about God and His purposes and promises and focus on my desires, frustrations and discouragements. I fail to see that God wants me to trust in Him and not in an outcome. Choosing to trust in Him instead of in an outcome reveals that I really am submitted to Him and His purposes. It reveals that I trust His character, His Word and His plan for me and others.
  Author of the article, Joanna Weaver wrote that 'the importance of our answer to the question, 'Will we choose faith in God over faith in an outcome?' cannot be overstated, because the depth of our relationship with God depends on its answer. Until we allow God to be God, we act as if He is our servant and are sure to be disappointed with the consequences of such delusion. If we fail to surrender our agendas, wish lists, and master plans to Him, we'll never see Christ as He truly is---or personally experience Him as our resurrection and life.'
  Therefore, if we want to know Christ as He really is, we must let God be God and bow to His Wisdom, Power and Sovereignty. Will you choose faith in God over faith in an outcome?