Daily Devotional

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

Keep on!

 

Finishing is better than starting, and remember that nothing is certain in this life. Accept the way God does things. Be ready for service and waiting for His return. Then He will reward you by putting on an apron to serve you as you sit and eat at His banquet!

 

Remember that life is not measured by how much you own. To live your life storing up earthly wealth and not having a rich relationship with God is a wasted life. Life is more than earthly things – so seek a relationship with God and He will give you everything you need. He will bless you with the key to true knowledge when you apply the word of God to your life. So look at your life and ask yourself what is your greatest treasure, because wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

 

For the Son of Man will come when we least expect it, and what a horrible day it will be when He says to people, “What have I done to make you tired of me? I did everything I could to teach you about my faithfulness. I have the power to throw you into hell. Yes, I am the one to fear.”

Are We Losing the West? Part 28

Posted by & filed under Franks Blog.

WHAT CAN WE DO? Part 7

 

John 8:32 “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

 

We (the church) need to shake the system. Looking back over the history of my own country (USA) we see how God’s people helped to bring about some of the greatest reform movements in American history such as abolition of slavery and guaranteeing of civil rights.

 
One of the problems we face in the west is that our evangelical faith became separated from public affairs. This in turn allowed the social gospel led by liberal Christians to take over, as we retreated into the four walls of our churches believing that the world was going to burn up and we would be removed.

 
I would say from 1980 on there has been a renewed interest among God’s people to see change taking place in our societies and cultures. Back in the 80’s I was speaking often in South America, mainly in Brazil about the need to see a change in our culture, but my theology, at the time, would allow me to go only so far because I still hung on to the thought that I would be taken out and everything was going to burn up anyway, so why bother changing the culture; just let us rescue as many as possible.

 
I still believe that we should rescue as many as possible, but through a transformation taking place in my own mind, going back to the cultural mandate that the Lord gave, I realize that God was working not only towards the redemption of man, but also the redemption of the earth. I slowly began to realize that God is concerned about the world that we live in. I always had that thought in the back of my mind, but figured God would put all things right when He comes to judge and rule. But what got me to thinking is that if I am to work as my Father is working then I need to be working towards redemption both of man and the earth.

 
To understand redemption we need to understand what was lost when man fell and sin entered into God’s good creation. What did we lose? Man lost his soul, he lost his body and he lost dominion of the earth. So we are to work towards conversion, the saving of the soul. This is why we are commanded to go and preach the Gospel to all. At the resurrection we will have the redemption of the body and at the second coming of Christ we will have the redemption of the earth. But we do not go into our little shells and hide, rather we are to be working towards these goals which will be completed at the return of Christ.

 
So what do we do? We already saw that we need to pray. Along with prayer is TRUTH. It was truth that launched American anti-slavery. The truth was simple. Slavery was sin.

 

 Truth has power to move people. This is one of the reasons why the Name of Jesus is so hated, because He is the truth. We need to be able to articulate the truth in an understandable way in the circle where God has placed us to be an influence.

 
What is the truth about abortions, women’s rights, family, marriage issues, etc. Part of my reading of Scripture is reading through Leviticus. In Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 respectively we read: “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable. If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.”

 

In a Salon article written by Adam Hamilton he states that these prohibitions are about the story of Sodom (Genesis 19) that are not loving, committed relationships and are outside the bounds of marriage. So the argument goes that if the relationship between the two consenting people is ‘loving and committed’ then there is no prohibition. Satan is very good in twisting Scripture, but to know the truth we need to know God’s Word. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” (Colossians 3:16)

 

We will find that the forces working against us will be strong and well-defended. We will see that most people do not want the truth. If the truth is to set a society free to live the way we were created to live then it will only be through the crucible of suffering. If the One who is the truth went to the cross then we will find as well that freedom will only come by way of the same cross.

 

We have what is known as the ‘fallenness of humanity’ and people will act from their own selfish interests. This is why the human heart must be changed, and that can only be brought about by the Gospel. Change in a society starts with a change in the human heart. The truth will set you free.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daily Devotional

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

How can this generation be described?

 

Everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil. They are the very ones who call good evil and evil good. They hate justice and twist all that is right. The leaders who come from this generation make decisions based on lies. After all that they have done – do they really expect God to answer when they call? They have had every opportunity to know the truth, but they want the lies to guide them.

 

Yet there are some who claim to depend on the Lord. God will bless those who do not turn to the wisdom of this foolish generation, rather they except God’s plan for their lives. Remember that God’s wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it. So pay attention to what you hear,and more understanding will be given.

 

Talk is cheap, so let your words be few, and remember that too many words can make you a fool. So keep your ears open and keep all the promises you make. It is a good thing to accept your lot in life, and the good health to enjoy it. God keeps these people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past. Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Dreaming about nice things is meaningless.

 

Tell everyone everything God has done for you.

Daily Devotional

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

Jesus said, “It breaks My heart that My children call me their Lord, and yet they don’t do what I say?”

 

Jesus said, “That when you listen to the word of God, and do what it says, you will be blessed. If you are poor, and hungry I will provide. When you cry out to Me, I will answer. When people hate and curse you, pray for them and I will give you peace. When people take things away from you, don’t try to get them back; I want them to see that I will give you even more than they took. Give to those who are in need, but remember that the amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

 

So why do people come to just listen to the word of God, and not do what it says? They think by listening that it will give them peace, that it will heal their hurts, and give them hope. But, people need to hear and then experience the word of God. To experience the word of God requires obedience. When a person just listens to the word of God, they are like a builder who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods of life come against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins. Therefore, the Lord says, “If you would do what My word says, you will find these words comforting.”

Daily Devotional

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

Sin is eager to control you, and it always starts the same way, by questioning the word of God, “Did God really say that.” Once you start questioning the truth, you open yourself up for sinful desires. People who are controlled by sin will want more and more, and then begin to take. These people will know that they have sinned and will start justifing themselves by trying to get others involved. The result is, since they have no truth they will become bound, afraid and have no peace.

 

People who are afraid and have no peace will try to substitute it with pleasures of the so-called “good things” in life. They will seek pleasure and think they have gained great knowlege. They will think that this great knowledge will give them meaning in their life. They will buy into the lie, that if I have all the good things in life, then I will have everything I could desire!

 

What is the result of this life? They will never be satisfied, and never be content. They refuse to accept that life merely repeats itself, and that they should learn from people who were here before them. At the end of their life, if they have sought after earthly and worldly things, they will say it was all so meaningless-like chasing the wind. They will come to the conclusion that to have pleasure as my life’s goal is worthless. Everyone will die, and then what will you have and get?

 

To those who cling to the truth they will find great pleasure in hard work. They will be satisfied with the food and drink they have. They will enjoy the peace of God in their lives, and realize that everything in their life is from the hand of God. For God will give them wisdom on how to use their knowledge and possessions, and give them joy because they please Him.

 

So don’t just say I am secure with God; prove it by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to wholeheartedly worship God.

Daily Devotional

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

Take a risk!

 

When there is moral rot within a nation, that nation topples easily. When a nation rejects the word of God, it will allow wickedness to run freely. It will have leaders that lead people down evil paths. Remember, the heart reflects the real person, and out of the heart the mouth speaks. So listen carefully to what is being said today.

 

This type of a nation will not stand with Israel for very long. They need to remember what God says, “As you have done to Israel, so it will be done to you. If you desert her I will desert you!” So be wise by opening your eyes to what is happining, and know that danger is coming; know what God would have you to do.

 

To change a nation with this type of leadership will require people to take risks and stand up for the truth. Any nation that has wise leadership will be stable, people will once again rejoice and God’s children will floursh.

 

God asks those who questions Him about this? “Who are you that you would question My wisdom with such ignorance? Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth. What answers do you have for the problems you face today?” Those who trust their own understanding are fools, and have become deceived by their pride.

 

Lord, I am nothing. On my own I can never find the answers to Your questions? Man talks like he knows so much and yet he knows nothing apart from You!

 

Daily Devotional

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

When God’s children give in to the wicked justice will be twisted. The righteous will be treated like dirt. Honest judges will be hated, as well as people who tell the truth! There will be a famine of knowing the word of God. People will consider themselves too smart to want to think that there is a God who will judge them. Their words are smooth as they try to hide their wicked heart. They will pretend to be kind, but their hearts are full of evil. They will push away any thought of coming judgment, and people will not care about the ruin of their nation.

 

God’s children need to stop and consider! Be on guard! Stay alert! Watch for His return! Don’t let him find you sleeping when He arrives. Keep on watching and praying, for our spirit is willing, but our body is weak. We need to come back to the Lord and live!

 

For the day the Lord returns will be a dark and hopeless day; without a ray of joy or hope. He is watching this sinful nation. The wicked’s hatred may be concealed by trickery, but He will expose their wickedness.

 

So pay attention to what God is saying over and over again, but His children do not recognize it when they would rather give in to wickedness. I keep saying, “I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living. So, come back to Me and live!”

Are We Losing the West? Part 27

Posted by & filed under Franks Blog.

WHAT CAN WE DO?  Part 6

 

Daniel 9:2-3 “In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.”

 

In our previous chapter we learned how God told us to pray and seek His face, but what does that mean in reality? Perhaps this is where Daniel can help us. We see that as Daniel was seeking God he saw that God had intended that the Israelites would spend 70 years in captivity.  It was now 70 years, but they were still in captivity and so Daniel turned to prayer to see God’s will being done. Jesus told His disciples that they should pray for His kingdom come and His will be done here on earth as it is in heaven. This is why it is important for us to understand, from Scripture, just what does God want to do (how is He working) so that we can work and pray towards that end.

 

We read in Habakkuk 2:14 “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” Just like God said that the Children of Israel will be held in captivity for 70 years, so He also says that the “earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”

 

So like Daniel, we work and intercede towards that goal. God placed Daniel in a very important place where he could influence those who were making decisions that would affect the lives of many. Like Daniel we all have our places of influence and we too need to be faithful in our working and praying for God’s purpose to be carried out. 

 

It is important to see what the problem that we face really is. We are fighting many battles: broken marriage/family, abortions, gay marriage rights, progressive ideas (result of man’s reasoning over the centuries); all that run contrary to the Word of God. Over these past weeklies we have seen that the underlining battle is, whether man’s reasoning based on human experience supersedes the knowledge from the Holy One. Man has become god and through the centuries and especially the 20th century we have learned that man makes a very ‘bad god.’

 

We know that the world will not change until people change. This is why humanitarian works and evangelism go together like a hand and glove. We have had many humanitarian endeavors without seeing the heart of man change and the endeavors have come to nothing. This is why I say that one of the greatest humanitarian efforts is to see the Gospel go out because it is “the news I’m most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else!” (Romans 1:16 The Message translation)

 

Just like God placed Daniel and his three friends in a place where He could use them, to bring about change, so He does with each one of us. This is why our work matters to God and it should matter to us as well. Those around us are the circle of people that God wants us to influence.

 

Daniel and his three friends were determined to live for God in that foreign, pagan environment. Because of their testimony and lives we find this statement from the known ruler then of the world Nebuchadnezzar:  “Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.” Daniel 3:29

 

Rather drastic, to say the least, but the word went out all over the known world that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s God was God. The Church (the Body of Christ: those who have been born again and have the same Spirit and Father) have a tremendous responsibility today. We have the truth, we have the answers for today’s problems, and we cannot remain silent.

 

Paul said: “I believe therefore I speak,” so it must be with us as well. 

 

 

 

 

Daily Devotional

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

Fear!

 

The Bible says in Mark that the disciples walked with Jesus and were filled with awe, but the people who walked behind Jesus were filled with fear.

 

Interesting, that the closer my walk is with Jesus the more I am in awe, instead of fear. Both types of people have the same issues in life: bills to be paid, an uncertain future, a place to live, health, family, their country. So how does my walk with Jesus affect my view on life? The further back I am – the less I can hear what Jesus is saying. Therefore, because they cannot hear they will not experience the power of God. The Bible says that faith comes by hearing, therefore hearing is a very important part of overcoming my fears.

 

To have faith in God, I must hear Him speak. Then when He speaks to me and says for me to tell this mountain to move, I can say to this mountain, “May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,” and it will happen. But I must really believe what God told me will happen and have no doubt in my heart. Then when I pray in faith over what God said – I need to act as if I have already received it, and it will be mine!

 

A little further in Mark we see that the disciples could not drive out a demon in a little boy. The father comes to Jesus only after he has found out that the disciples cannot help him, and says, “Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” Jesus asked him, “If I can?” Doesn’t this sound like people today whose walk is so far behind Jesus that their first reaction is seek help from man. When they realize that man cannot help them they finally go to Jesus and say, “If you can help me……”

 

Lord, when I know You personally, and listen to You, then I will understand that everything is possible with You. Therefore, Lord, I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!

Daily Devotional

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

 How does this happen? It begins by rejecting or refusing to know the Bible, God’s Word. This results in being lead astray, and then wrongly justifying the actions taken by saying the word of God is not relevant today, and just too hard to understand and apply. People are quick then to believe the lies told to them by progressive thinkers of today; therefore, they will become deceived.

 

A deceived person only sees things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s. They do not understand that evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride will ruin their life.

 

Christians must understand that God’s word will work deep within, exposing every hidden motive. When they are in His word they understand that when they are tested through trials and tribulation they will come out as pure as gold. They will know that The Lord controls their destiny. They will trust that when they make plans, God’s purpose will prevail. They will rest in the fact that He will direct their steps, and they will have peace; because they will not try to understand everything along the way; for they know that their Lord will handle the matter.

 

When His children treasure the bible they will be able to trust Him to do whatever he has planned for their life.