Blessed Hope

Posted by & filed under Franks Blog.

Psalms 31:24 “Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord.”

 

In this spiritual warfare God is calling us to be “strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” and we have been asking ourselves the question: What does this mean and how can we put this truth into action?

 

We can be strong in the Lord by knowing what is waiting for us – known as the “blessed hope.” We realize that this life is passing away; we are on a journey and the real thing is yet to come. This life is only the shadow of the reality to come.

 

The patriarchs of old are examples for us. Abraham went out not knowing where he was going, but he knew Who he was going with. And like Moses, they were seeking a city whose builder and maker is God. In other words, they had their eye on the glory to come.

 

1 John 3:2-3 tells us: “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”

 

Hope is a powerful emotion and we have something to have hope in. It is this “blessed hope” that keeps us strong in the Lord and also wanting to live a life of purity, to be more like Jesus. We will see Jesus face to face when we stand before Him. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8

 

To be able to put this into practice is to realize that when we became born-again a seed was planted in us for a new life. To see this new life grow we must feed it and this is where the Word of the Lord comes in. We must maintain our physical body and so it is with our spiritual life. Just like we should eat healthy foods, not junk food, we want to feed our spirit on the Word of God and not the junk that we see and hear and are bombarded with every day.

 

We know from John 6:53-60 that Jesus is our food and we also know from John 1 that He is the Word and this is what we must spend time with. Moses say that we should live on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. The Bible gives us knowledge and true understanding that builds us up and makes us strong in the Lord and the power of His might.

 

Timothy was to remain strong by remembering the things that he was taught by Paul and others. This too is something that we must have and remember. We forget too easily, especially when things are not going our way.

 

The situation was pretty bad for Nehemiah and his team as they were building the wall around Jerusalem. In some ways it was a super-human undertaking with many obstacles and enemies trying to stop them. What did Nehemiah do? “And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, ‘Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.’” Nehemiah 4:14

 

Like us, they had a rich inheritance that they could look back to: Moses leading the children of Israel out of Egypt; Joshua and the battles fought in taking over the Promised land; King David and the victories that came about because God was with him. So Nehemiah says: “Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”

 

With Nehemiah talking to the builders of the wall, and Paul speaking to Timothy, and to us as well – we are be challenged to always remember the Lord. He is the King of kings and this battle is between God and Satan, and God will win!

 

Part of remembering is the power of prayer. Prayer is not just petitions to God, it is our communication with the living God. When I am driving in the car I do not like to listen to the radio, but instead I choose to communicate with God. What a privilege we have!

 

Didn’t Jesus offer us an invitation in Revelation 3:20? “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” This is not an evangelistic message, but reminding us to have communion with the living God.

 

The greatest saints have always been men of prayer, spending a lot of time in prayer.

Students of God’s Word

Posted by & filed under Franks Blog.

Jeremiah 4:22 “For My people are foolish, they have not known Me. They are silly children, and they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.”

 

In chapter 4 the prophet brings out a charge that God has against His people. He says: “There is no truth or mercy (faithfulness) or knowledge of God in the land.” This is interesting when we consider what follows next in this passage – when there is no truth or mercy (faithfulness) or knowledge of God.

 

When these attributes of truth, mercy and having a knowledge of God are absent we see that it brings into our culture all types of evil. Going through this chapter we see a number of things coming out: swearing, lying, killing, stealing, adultery, blood being shed in the land; and the land is mourning because of it. We find that the priest as well as the prophet have no real word from God, and so not only the priest and prophet stumble but also the people. The bottom line is in verse 6: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”

 

We read that they have forgotten the law of God. When I think of our own culture of how there is such a desire to get rid of the 10 Commandments – the law of God – from any public institution we see the results of this today: there is no truth or mercy (faithfulness) being shown. Or like Isaiah said: “And the right is turned back, and righteousness is far away: for good faith is not to be seen in the public places, and upright behavior may not come into the town.” (Isaiah 59:14 BBE)

 

Because of this lack of knowledge, we find that we tend to gravitate more towards idols (anything that replaces God) and therefore find ourselves more enslaved. In other words, we find that we are losing our freedom. When I look at my own country I find that this is a completely different country than what I knew as a young man.

 

Here in the USA and in the Western countries we hear a lot about this ‘cultural war’ that we are in. But what does this mean? It seems to come down to the conflict between traditionalism/conservative values, and progressive/liberal values.  But when we mention these two values: conservative versus progressive, what do we mean, or what values are these? Probably the best definition would be ‘the values that express the attitude of social groups as a whole.’ But both those who hold conservative values and those who hold progressive values, I believe, want the same thing, and that is freedom, a chance for prosperity with as little suffering as possible, healthy children, crime free streets (think of Chicago!) etc. But, the question is and this is where the war or conflict comes in: What is the best way to achieve these things?

 

Progressives believe in the government to achieve these goals of equal opportunity, equal outcome, alleviating needs or social ills and for the government to solve these problems. On the contrary, the conservatives believe in personal responsibility, a limited government, free markets and individual liberty. I know that this is a very simple explanation for the difference in these two points of view, but this is where the cultural war comes in.

 

I would like to add that looking at this from a biblical background that the real battle is between God and Satan, or good vs evil. This scenario is being played out in what we call the cultural war and we are in it.

 

A charge that God had against the children of Israel was that they had no knowledge of God like Jeremiah said: “For My people are foolish, they have not known Me. They are silly children, and they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.”

 

So how do we get a knowledge of God? It is through God’s Word and when we put it into practice we begin to experience the presence of God. In a day of deceit, lies, etc. we need the truth. But what is truth? Jesus said “I am the Truth!” But we also see in John that Jesus Christ is known as the Word of God.

 

We have the Word of God, the Holy Bible in our hands, or on our book shelf just gathering dust. The Bible is the ultimate Truth and everything (values) must be validated by God’s truth.

 

Paul told a young man: “Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another — showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way.  Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (from THE MESSAGE)

 

LET US BE STUDENTS OF HIS WORD!

Those Who Suffer – Beware of Judging

Posted by & filed under Carols Blog.

As we learn in the beginning of the book of Job, the devil roams the earth looking for whom he can devour, or at least torment (as he most enjoys doing with God’s people).

 

As we learn in the book of Job, it is important to God that we not judge incorrectly when someone is suffering in some way, nor speak incorrectly of God to the one suffering (as Job’s 3 friends did).

 

Job’s three friends saw Job’s suffering as God’s judgment on Job’s ‘secret’ sin/sins. Yet, Job himself knew otherwise because Job’s heart did not condemn him. God Himself said of Job: “There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” Job was so obedient in repentance that he even sacrificed for his kids after they had partied together in case any of them sinned by getting drunk or doing what they should not do.

 

We can not know why someone else is suffering, not like God knows. In fact, it’s not for us ‘to know.’ We know our own suffering, and maybe even why – as it’s been revealed to us by God. We can only comfort, help and pray for those suffering – in the way the Holy Spirit leads us. Really, what else do we have to truly comfort others with?

 

“God comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” (2 Corinthians 1:4)

 

“God is the Father of compassion and the God of ALL comfort.” (2 Corinthians 1:3)

 

Reading through all the conversations between Job and these three friends (28 chapters of it – not including Job’s fourth friend who waits to speak), not only did Job suffer from what God allowed Satan to do to Job, but also suffering the persecution of his three friends who saw Job’s suffering due to some ‘secret’ sin in Job’s life that had all caught up to him. They saw Job’s good deeds and piety, so what else could it be (they reasoned to themselves) than some ‘secret’ sin that God was judging him for! Right?

 

Job’s fourth friend, Elihu, also the youngest of the four friends, doesn’t enter in to any of the conversations for days between Job and the other three. He sits patiently and listens until the truth is burning inside him, and then he speaks. But he doesn’t see Job’s suffering the way the other three see it. In fact, he doesn’t understand why this has happened to Job either, just like Job doesn’t understand. Elihu makes no judgment. He simply worships God for who He is. There’s something ‘healing’ (promising) about praising God for who He is, and ‘comforting’ (hopeful) as we remind ourselves of all His wonderful ways since the beginning of time.

 

I find it interesting that at the end when God rebukes the three older friends, He does not include Elihu. At the end the Lord says to Eliphaz: “I am angry with you and your two friends because you have not spoken the truth about Me, as My servant Job has.” Then the Lord tells the three men to repent and sacrifice burnt offerings for themselves. And God goes on to say, “My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken the truth about Me, as My servant Job has.”

 

If you have ever read the book of Job you know why Job suffered the loss of everything that belonged to him, even his children all at once. What a blow! Then if that weren’t enough, God allowed Satan to afflict Job with painful sores. This was all that Job could take, and God knew it like He knows the limit of suffering that we each can bear and will provide relief.

 

The devil needs God’s permission to go after one of God’s servants. But why on earth (or in heaven) would God allow Satan to do all that to one of God’s servants that God calls righteous, upright and blameless? Was it only to show up Satan in what he claimed; that Job would deny God if God were to remove the hedge of protection around Job and his family? Job’s wife did, but Job could not. And, it had to make Satan angry to hear Job remain faithful to God like he did!

 

How often we hear that until we walk in someone else’s shoes we can’t understand what they’re going through. But I believe, that NO ONE else but Jesus Christ can walk in someone else’s shoes. This is why our Lord calls us to “walk with Him.”

 

When I’m in the presence of a suffering loved one who can’t understand why God would let him/her suffer so long and so painfully, I better not assume their suffering is God’s judgment on their sin. When a suffering soul speaks out against God, even accusing Him of evil conduct or not caring, I don’t need to come to God’s defense feeling offended by their outbursts of anger and fear. That’s between them and the Lord. I simply need to pray for them.

 

When we stand before God on judgment day God will see us in only one of two ways: known by Jesus Christ, or not known. If we are not known – then we stand on our own without Christ – judged and condemned, even if the only sin we ever committed was a lie. Otherwise, we stand with Christ Jesus as our Redeemer, welcomed in to His Kingdom.

 

God works in our lives to bring us into His ‘intimate’ fellowship that He longs to have each day with each us. Like Job said, “My ears had heard of You but now my eyes have seen You!” Job was a religious man before all his suffering. But after God brought relief to Job, blessing him far more than before – Job and God were very intimate. We pray and help – as we wait to see or hear the outcome of that person’s very own testimony.

 

What was Job’s testimony? This is my favorite part:

 

“I know that You can do all things; no purpose of Yours can be thwarted… Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know… My ears had heard of You but now my eyes have seen You… Therefore, I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:1-6)

 

When we belong to the Lord, suffering for any amount of time can only have a good work in us, if we will keep His truth before us, and remember how intensely loved we are by God.

 

Like Elihu stated with great confidence: “God is exalted in His power. Who is a teacher like Him? Remember to extol His work, which people have praised in song. All humanity has seen it! How great is God – beyond our understanding!” Job 36:22-26

 

 

Proverbs 31 Woman – Chapter 25 – Wisdom is Proved

Posted by & filed under Carols Blog.

The Scriptures were written through God’s appointed Spirit-filled men. (2 Timothy 3:16) So, when there appears to be a mistake or contradiction in God’s Word we should not stand in judgment over God’s Word but rather ask the Holy Spirit of God’s Word to guide us into His wisdom for the understanding we need. We don’t change God’s Word. God’s Word changes us.

 

Jesus is quoted by Matthew: “Wisdom is proved right by her actions.” Matthew 11:19

 

Jesus is quoted by Luke: “Wisdom is proved right by all her children.” Luke 7:35

 

Jesus refers to ‘wisdom’ in the feminine form both times. But all throughout the Bible ‘leadership’ or ‘headship’ is masculine based. I believe it is important for us to understand why. God created man first and told him what to do. Men are to lead their wives and family. Men are to lead in the work of the Gospel. Men are to lead in their nation and world. And, they need a woman of faith and godly wisdom by their side.

 

Satan hasn’t stopped talking and deceiving people since he succeeded in the Garden of Eden. He has used the same kind of lies and deceptions on men, women and children in every generation since to turn people away from the truth and wisdom of God.

 

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For through me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.” Proverbs 9:10-13

 

I don’t know about you but I see lots of suffering these days. I don’t mean the kind of suffering that godly men and women experience when they are persecuted for being God-fearing Bible believing servants of the Lord. I mean the kind of suffering all over the world that comes because God’s love and laws are not honored and upheld.

 

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” James 3:13-16

 

The Holy Spirit had Matthew write “actions” and Luke write “children” to show a connection with the two. Our children learn from our actions more than from our words. Our children (and people in the world) need to see the results of true wisdom from God because we’ve seen far too many bad and worthless results from worldly wisdom.

 

Godly wisdom knows the good to do and how to do it, and when it is to be done. Godly wisdom knows how to rightly use knowledge, skills, wealth and power. The goal of pure wisdom is for the will of God to be done, starting with God’s will for me and my family.

 

Women of God, daughters of Eve – before we can speak with true wisdom and give faithful instruction to others we need to make any and all necessary adjustments in our own belief system and lifestyle.  Your work and ministries will not matter at all if you have listened to the wrong voices and acted out in that way.

 

The Proverbs 31 Woman proves that her wisdom is pure by her right actions. The results prove that her wisdom is true for all.

 

If we look at the world today we’d have to admit that we have not been very successful in “turning the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous.” (Luke 1:17) The church of Jesus Christ needs to turn from our own wicked ways – so the Lord can heal our marriages and families.

 

“Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.” 2 John verse 8

 

What happens to us when we learn to do what we don’t want to do that we should do? We learn the wisdom of God and receive His joy and praise. Too often, we act like little children when we neglect doing what we need to do for our physical and spiritual health, when we fight (rebel) against doing what we need to do for our good future, and when we resist the Holy Spirit in doing what we should do for the Lord. Why – when we should be mature teachers and leaders – are we still thinking and acting like children or even babies before our heavenly Father?

 

“For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises everyone He receives as a son. Endure suffering therefore; God is treating you as His beloved children. For what son is not discipline by his father?” Hebrews 12:6-7

 

God’s wisdom is proved right by God’s people; by their righteous behavior, actions, lifestyle, family unity and work.

 

Revelation 19:7-8 “Let us rejoice and celebrate and give HIM the GLORY. For the marriage of the LAMB has come, and His bride has made herself ready. She was given clothing of fine linen bright and pure. For the fine linen she wears is the righteous acts of the saints.”

 

Rest in a Weary World

Posted by & filed under Franks Blog.

When we think of Adam’s sin, what comes to mind? Is it that he too ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that the Lord forbid them to eat from? Or, is it that Adam asserted his own will instead of God’s will? I think it is the latter.

 

We read in Scripture that at one time there was only God’s will and because of only one will there was peace, harmony, etc. We read In Isaiah 14 about a being called Lucifer, who said: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.”

 

From that time on there has been war and conflict taking place in the world and now since Adam and Eve did their own thing and not the will of God we find that every child that is born is born with their own will that conflicts with God’s will.

 

We know that a conflict is a clash between two wills and with billions of wills today on planet earth it is amazing to me that we have had as much peace as we have. We know that a day is coming when “the LORD shall be King over all the earth; in that day shall there be one LORD, and His name one.” We are to pray “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10

 

That will be a great day when no one can dispute Jehovah’s rule. There will not be any favoritism or double standard, no difference in law, or will, or rule, but all will be in harmony, unity and agreement. This is what Christ’s Millennial Rule will be and the peace that it will bring. So we pray for His kingdom to come and for His will to be done. The two go together.

 

The reason we have no peace or rest in the world today, as well as in many families, etc. is because there is more than one will. More than one will by necessity brings conflict and confusion. We sometimes hear of “Dual Control,” but it is a delusion and something that exists in words, not reality.

 

The one thing that we all long for is peace and rest and the secret for this is ONE WILL, God’s will. As long as there are two wills there can be no peace, but when our will is subject to God’s will we find peace and rest. We see the example of the Lord Jesus Christ when He walked the earth as a man and the rest and peace that He exhibited. How He found rest in the midst of rejection; found rest in the midst of John the Baptist’s doubts; how He found rest when the people of that generation rejected Him, or how He found rest when the cities that saw His greatest works still did not believe.

 

“At that time Jesus answered and said, ‘I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.’ At that time He turns to His weary disciples and says: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Come to me is the invitation; let His will be done is the request, and the result is rest for our souls. Do we want rest, peace and tranquility? If so then we find it in doing the will of God.

 

We pray for unity in the church (the Body of Christ), but if each member in the body is doing the will of God then unity is the outcome and the consequence of that is: that the world may believe. That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. John 17:21

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Will NOT Apologize!

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

10 things I will not apologize for:

1. Being a white male, for this is how God made me.
2. Living in America, for this is where God placed me.
3. That the standard for my life is the word of God (the Bible)…
4. Knowing the truth about good and evil (sin), for this has set me free.
5. Having parents that were “red necks,” people with red necks because they work hard under the sun all day; parents who lived through WW1, the great depression, WW2, the Korean war, and Vietnam war. For parents who taught me how to work for what I need and want, and not taking advantage of others.
6. For discipling my children as I was disciplined and held accountable for my actions; understanding this truth that “if it doesn’t hurt – it doesn’t work.”
7. For my failures, for they taught me never to give up on my dreams.
8. For my successes, for they allowed me to see my potential and the ability to help others.
9. For not having enough money saved in my old age, still working, because I gave most of it away to those in need.
10. For knowing what is coming by what the Bible says, and being prepared for it.

I think we have too many people in America that want people to apologize for things they should never apologize for. These people feel that if they can make others apologize then they are justified in saying, “It is not my fault.” They see it’s the fault of other’s: the fault of their government, God’s fault, the fault of Christianity, whatever – for the condition they are in.

The truth is that these people who want us to apologize, they never took advantage of anything God brought their way for their own good future, and soon God will hold them accountable for their choices in life.

Are We Awake?

Posted by & filed under Franks Blog.

Luke 19:44 “They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

 

“Because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” To me this is a warning. I need to make sure that I recognize God’s timing. Ecclesiastes states that there is a timing for everything. I need to be aware of His timing. Opportunities come by, but they do not linger and if I do not take advantage of them they pass on.

 

Mark 13:33 “Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.”

 

Luke 12:56 “Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?”

 

One of the complaints that Jesus had with the people of His day is that they did not recognize signs of the times and of His coming. What was true in Jesus day is also true in our day as well. Do we recognize what is taking place all around us locally as well as globally?

 

I read many articles written by Bible scholars telling us that we are in the last days and that this is the last generation, and I believe that they are right. We see the alignment of nations according to Ezekiel 38 and 39. We see how the Ottoman Empire under the leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey is re-emerging. One could go on and bring out many other things taking place today, but I wonder if we see what the Lord is doing in opening doors for us (the Body of Christ) to evangelize the world to finish the task that He gave us two thousand years ago.

 

Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. 

 

For example, the turmoil in the Middle East today is also being used of God to bring many Muslims to the Lord. Those who have been working among these people say that more Muslims are coming to the Lord than during all of the other centuries put together. Do we see the open door?

 

We are told that people are not apt to change unless motivated by some sort of pain. Could this be what the Lord is doing today with so many upheavals that we are reading about taking place all over the world?

 

Decades ago my wife and I were on the OM Ship Logos in India when war broke out between India and Pakistan and a new country called Bangladesh was born. It used to be East Pakistan with over 100 million Muslims, the third largest Muslim country in the world. It all started when a tidal wave in the Bay of Bengal swept into East Pakistan killing thousands. This led to a war with West Pakistan and ten million refugees fled into the Calcutta area of India. This was costing the Indian government almost one million dollars a day and so India decided it would be cheaper to go to war with West Pakistan and see East Pakistan become a free country. Hence out of the fire of war Bangladesh was born and because their lives had been shaken many Bangladeshis were opened to the Gospel.

 

I was getting ready to speak (I forget what country it was that I was speaking in), but before I was called to the pulpit I was writing down all of the countries that I had been in over the past few years where there had been war, riots or some sort of uprising and how many people were killed in the process. It numbered in the millions.

 

Yes, we can look at this and say ‘the time is at hand for the Lord’s return’ and I would agree, but my main question would be: Do we recognize God’s timing when it comes to evangelizing a people, a nation, or even our neighbor? Because we did not, or do not recognize what the Lord is doing, how many opportunities have we missed in not seeing God’s work being done?

 

There is a great need for the anointing of the sons of Issachar: “Of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command.” 1 Chronicles 12:32

 

I wonder how many opportunities did I miss because I was lazy, sleeping when I should have been awake, busy with worldly pursuits, not attentive to God and the move of the Holy Spirit, busy building my own kingdom or reputation, etc.? I do not know, but one of these days I will see. Will I be ashamed?

 

“Father, give me eyes to see, ears to hear and a heart to understand the signs of the times and have a knowledge of what to do. I ask this in Jesus Name. Amen.”

 

 

 

 

Proverbs 31 Woman – Chapter 25 – Trading That Brings a Profit

Posted by & filed under Carols Blog.

“She sees that her trading is profitable…..”

 

Worldly women make trade-offs that do not profit them or their family; and neither will any of it profit in the Kingdom of God. Power, prestige and possessions can deceive a women’s need of true fulfillment. If she is married, this can ruin her marriage and family’s future. True fulfillment comes from doing the will of the Lord our God.

 

It is a privilege, not a burden, to be about our Father’s work on earth. Jesus taught us to get under His yoke only because His work for us, whatever it is, is light and easy as we walk with Him; as we keep in step with His Spirit. I continually pray for this in my life.

 

Most wives and mothers consider home-making and raising children (even raising one child) a burden they don’t want. They trade having children at hand with having birth control pills at hand. They trade raising their own children with hiring others to care for their children each day. They trade cooking and cleaning at home with hiring others to cook and clean for them.

 

Careers do not raise godly children. Why trade godly children for a career? Why not trade a career for godly children? Possessions do not make a godly home. Why trade a simple comfortable home for more and more possessions that force you to work outside your home, or that force your husband to work longer hours? Why not trade greed for simplicity? Pleasure and indulgences do not promote godly unity of the family. Why trade family unity for individual indulgences? When everyone is busy doing their own thing there’s no time or place to interact with each other in thoughtful meaningful ways which promotes family unity.

 

I’ve heard Christian mothers hint to or even say outright that they would rather work outside their home than stay home with their children every day. What makes them think this way? Who did they learn from? What kind of parenting did they have?

 

Our work at home becomes burdensome when we have the wrong perspective about it; those women with the right perspective about family and home don’t see their work at home for their family burdensome at all. Our work at home can become burdensome when we work outside our home for others, giving our strength there.

 

The trade/career/profession/job you have chosen ‘outside the will of God’ will not profit you where you really need to see that profit show up, both at home with your family and where it counts for eternity.

 

We have our sight set too low if we think this life is all there is to consider. Our goals and work are not noble and praiseworthy if only for this earthly life we are striving and sacrificing.

 

I took my youngest daughter and son out of the public school system because I didn’t believe my children were profiting there. (And it’s even worse today what children are being taught in the public schools and universities that opposes our beliefs.) When I consider all the time my child spent at school each day and what they got out of it I had to agree with the Holy Spirit and conclude that they would be better off at home with me teaching them. God opened up to me a home-school teacher to help me. The trade-off was well worth it. Our children developed quickly in the areas of their own interests while continuing to grow in godly character. That’s a good trade for my time spent!

 

God is very clear about offering our children to the gods. This is what we do when we put them into the hands of secular schools, day care or preschool centers. (Leviticus 18:21) Whatever godliness you have instilled in your child at home will be undone during the time spent with the ungodly. This is not a good trade.

 

By the time your child is twelve you are past the better years of teaching your child what he/she should value in life, how they should treat and regard people, how to make wise choices and trades, how to work and why it’s good and meaningful to work. By the end of their teenage years you’re just about done shaping their character, except through prayer of course for the Lord to do what He does best.

 

By the time you are out of high school you should have a pretty good idea as to what you were meant to do in life, but most don’t because they don’t know their God and His plans for them.

 

Most public university students do not see a good profit for all their time and money spent in a university. We have wasted our time in secular schools and ultimately here on the earth when we have no idea as to who God is, what God has put inside of us and that we are meant to do on this earth. This is the worse exchange of time, strength and finances.

 

“My people are ruined because they don’t know what’s right or true; they are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” Hosea 4:6

 

The wise listen to the wise because of the results they see from what the wise do with what they know. Those who are wise with godly wisdom, know what to do with the truth and with what God has given them. The fool may learn from making his own repeated mistakes, and eventually begin to grow in wisdom, but most never learn true wisdom refusing to be humbled and raised up by God.

 

People can become too satisfied with the way things are, even if things are not as they should be and could be, and even if they have the power TO change things for the good (good as defined by God that is). Why is that? I believe it’s because to change things means a change in you first has to happen.

 

Most Christians remain in limbo or we stay stuck in a rut. We’ll stick to our same old habits in life and to our traditions of religion instead of making adjustments in our lives as need be with time and age, and as need be according to the instructions of Holy Spirit.

 

It profits us in so many ways to trade our foolishness for godly wisdom. When it comes to praying for a miracle, are we really ready to follow through with what God intends for His miracle to accomplish in our life? God does not do miracles for us just because He can or just because we ask. There is a higher purpose for everything He does in answer to our prayers. We ask God for a miracle, but God sees our heart – whether or not we will go all the way for what His purpose is for the miracle. This means we will have to make adjustments in our lives. Adjustments are trade-offs. For example:

 

God worked a miracle of healing my carpel-tunnel (without surgery) so that I could write for Him (type on the computer). As I wrote what He wanted me to write – the carpel-tunnel in my wrists healed miraculously without surgery. God told me ahead of time too (through a prophetic word spoken over me) that He was going to heal me and that I should wait for Him to do it. To write for the Lord meant making some personal adjustments in my life; giving up certain things I was doing each day for better things that needed to be done in obedience to the Lord. The “profit” from this will show up later where it really counts – for eternity.

Faith – Love – Obedience

Posted by & filed under Franks Blog.

James 2:5 “Be rich in faith.” Why does God want us to be rich in faith? The Bible tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God. And, we are told by Jesus in God’s Word that faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains.

 

So often we want to be rich in gold, silver, money or any other material thing, but we know that these things do not last and they soon fly away as we are told in the book of Proverbs: “He who trust in his riches will fall.” (Proverbs 11:28) But the man who is rich in faith has his needs met, has rest as well as peace in his soul, because he knows as we are told in first Peter that we have an inheritance waiting for us that will last throughout all of eternity. However, do we believe?

 

1 Peter chapter 1, we see Peter describing our inheritance that has been laid up for us in heaven and that is incorruptible, undefiled and does not fade away. In reading this passage of Scripture a question came to my mind: What is faith? I know that when we ask that question we often go to Hebrews 11:1 “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, evidence of things not seen.” But when I asked that question immediately God brought into my mind that faith is simply acting and obeying the Word of God. God says it! That does it!

 

I was ministering to a brother who was experiencing great fear that had descended upon him. We know that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, of power and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 2:7) In ministering to the brother it brought home my own testimony of when God was calling me to go and preach. I thought that God had made a terrible mistake since the one thing that I hated in school, perhaps more than anything else, was public speaking and yet God was calling me to a ministry of preaching.

 

However, I took God at His Word, quit my engineer schooling and went away to a Christian college in order to gain some understanding of the Word of God. I had many opportunities to go and preach, but I turned them all down using the excuse that I was not ready. God had given me the promise in Matthew 18:20 “I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.” I sensed in my spirit that the next opportunity that God would give me to preach – I had better obey. This I did and I still remember after all these years sitting in the chair waiting to be called to the pulpit reminding myself: “Father, You said You would be with me, You said You would be with me….” If He was with me I could certainly not feel it. When the call came I went to the pulpit in obedience and when I opened my mouth it seemed as if the Holy Spirit had taken over. I sat down thinking that was probably the shortest sermon that congregation ever had, but was surprised to find that 45 minutes had gone by.

 

The verse that God gave me to help me overcome this fear of public speaking was 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” The phrase “perfect in love” spoke to me. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” In other words, BE OBEDIENT! Perfect love and perfect obedience go together like the two sides of the same coin.

 

It wasn’t until I obeyed God and going to the pulpit opening my mouth to speak (being obedient) that God took over. The fear of public speaking had been conquered. Glory to God!

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

When immorality is unchecked and left alone to spread – it will allow people to become bold and arrogant with their immorality. These people will become hostile, even beating and shouting at the door of your homes until they get you to agree with them. Down deep inside each of us we know this is a horrible thing that should not be allowed, but who is going to speak up and condemn it? Will our government protect the rights of those who are pushy and hostile with their immorality or the rights of those who are peaceful and moral in conduct?

 

God says that He will punish any nation that allows immorality to run rampant. He says, “I will make Myself known by what I do to their rebellion towards holiness and truth. Then they will know that I have heard and seen all the wicked things they do. Nothing is hidden from Me!”