He's Got The Power

 

Having power at your fingertips is a thrilling experience. Whether it's a powerful car, a new power tool, or an awesome powerboat. If there's one thing men love its power. Unfortunately, sooner or later, we all experience a power failure.

Maybe your child gets cancer. Maybe you lose your job. Maybe you lose your spouse. No matter what the circumstance; losing power is a nightmare! My car has broken down on the interstate on several occasions. I felt totally helpless! But it's when you feel the weakest that God's power can be most visible.

What do we do when we can't fix the problem? God doesn't guarantee that every tragedy will have a happy ending. But He does promise to pour out His power into our lives. And that is the paradox of the Gospel. Even in the midst of suffering and pain, you can experience His power and have peace! We may not fully understand the loss, pain, betrayal that caused the 'power outage' but the unending strength of our Savior will help us through,

The Apostle Paul struggled with a special weakness that drove him to his knees. 2 Corinthians 12:9-11 His reliance on God's strength is what really empowers us. Once we apply that truth, we'll survive every power failure we will ever have to face.

What Do You Need?

 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

The above verse has been a comfort to many Christ-followers. I personally have experienced God's miraculous provision. But as I was ready the Scriptures today, I had a thought occur to me that I had forgotten. It was concerning the 40-year exodus of the nation of Israel from Egyptian slavery. It was beyond amazing how God took care of them. Nehemiah 9:21tells us, "You took good care of them, and for forty years they never lacked a thing. Their shoes didn’t wear out, and their feet were never swollen."

Biblical scholars tell us that the nation of Israel numbered around 2,5 million during their wilderness wandering. How much provision did it take to care for these people? According to answers.com:

After forty years, the numbers were much the same, but all the Israelites had been born during the journey. So, there must have been somewhat more than 2.5 million births during this period. To feed 2.5 million people just two pounds of food and four pints of water per day would require around 2250 tons of food, excluding bones and scraps, plus around 1.25 million gallons of water. This excludes fodder and water for their livestock. Over the forty years that the Exodus was said to have taken, it would have required at least 33 million tons of food and 18,000 million gallons of water just to sustain the people. [Emphasis added]

Let me ask you: Do you think God would have a problem providing for you?

Delays Are Not Denials

 Many times children have a negative response when parents tell them "Not yet" to their request. But how do we adults respond when God does not answer our prayer when we think He should?

When we pray, usually a gap exists between our request and the answer. We must remember that God’s delays are not necessarily God’s denials. T Timing is very important to God. A request may be in God's timing but not in His timing.

When we pray, usually a gap exists between our request and the answer. We must remember that God’s delays are not necessarily God’s denials. Timing is very important to God. A request may be in God’s will but not in his timing.

God has reasons for not answering our prayers at the moment. Sometimes the best answer we can receive is, “Not yet.”

Need A New Heart?

 

And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. Ezekiel 36:26

Science has produced many amazing medical advances. The most spectacular is the ability to transplant human body parts. A few decades ago, transplants were rare but these days everyone seems to know someone with a new hip, knee, kidney, liver, or heart.

When the prophet Ezekiel wrote the above verse he had no knowledge of organ replacements but he carefully recorded the message of a heart transplant. The "heart" in this passage doesn't refer to the physical, blood-pumping muscle in your chest. He was referring to the core of a person's being: Your mind, will, and emotions.

Ezekiel was addressing the nation of Israel who wanted nothing to do with worshipping the true God. They had rejected God for so long their hearts had become 'hardened.' (Sounds like America.) Hearts become hardened through repeated sin and living only for self.

The fact is we all need a new heart but we all have sinned against God. Romans 3:23 The Good News is no matter how hard your heart is; God can successfully give you a new heart. Ask God to perform spiritual heart surgery.

What Is Your Nickname?

 

Most High schools often have a nickname and mascots. Red Foxes; Wolves, Lions, Eagles, etc. Students often have nicknames. Often they are given nicknames due to their physical appearance: Shorty, Blondy, Slim. I knew of an elderly minister that was affectionally called "Speedy" due to his slow gait.

Sometimes nicknames are given as an insult. But in the Bible, the giving of names held significance: Jesus Matthew 1:21 David - means beloved. Abraham- father of many. And then there is Nimrod. You may have never heard of him but he was a positive Bible character. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord. Genesis 10:9 Notice the phrase "before the Lord" indicating that Nimrod used his gifts for a godly purpose.

What a great way to remembered when we are gone! What line or phrase could summarize your life? "All-American?" "Nice guy?" "Good neighbor?" "Wonderful employee?"

Those would all be fine. But here are better ones: "Committed follower of Jesus Christ." "Man (or woman) of God." Maybe no one on earth will remember us -- but God will and He is the one really counts.

Prayer: A Lifestyle?

 

I remember as a new Christ-follower, hearing a sermon on prayer. The preacher's text was Matthew 26:40; “What! Could you not watch with Me for one hour? These were the words of Jesus Christ to His disciples because they feel asleep while praying with Him.

I am not sure how the disciples felt but after hearing the preacher scold us for not paying more; I felt pretty guilty! I mean give me a break! I could pray for everything under the sun in 10 minutes and then I couldn't think of anything (or anyone) to pray for.

There is no question that the average Christ-follower struggles for a meaningful, effective prayer life. Then we come to 1 Thessalonians 5:7 "pray without ceasing" and that just adds more guilt to our burden. How can I possibly pray continually?

This week I got fresh insight into how to pray continually. I was sitting in Doctor's Care and I looked at all the people waiting with me and I thought; I will probably never see these people again and I wondered where they would spend eternity. So I bowed my head and silently prayed for their salvation and their healing.

If you have a problem finding things to pray about; I encourage you just to look around.

• Last night on Facebook, I saw where a Florida State Trooper was murdered during a routine traffic stop. I prayed for his family and for the man who committed the crime. Facebook is an excellent source of hurting people who need prayer.
• Watching the news is an invaluable source of prayer.
• Just be observant. Pray for that homeless person pushing their grocery cart. Pray for that harried mother in the store with several children. Pray for your fellow employee who has shared their struggles.

We need a consistent time when we pray but prayer doesn't need to be confined to a certain time of day. Nor does it need to be limited to a magical length of time.

You can live a life of prayer.

Life's Handbook

 

Some time ago, a man asked me about an issue he was having in his life. After discerning the source of his conflict, I told him what the Bible said about his problem. He replied that I always brought the Bible into our conversations! I told him that the Bible was my source for how I should conduct my life. Jesus Himself said, "The Scriptures say: ‘No one can live only on food. People need every word that God has spoken.’” Matthew 4:4

I am thankful for the counsel of godly people Proverbs 11:14 but man's wisdom and insight are limited. They are finite and only God is infinite. Only God knows the end from the beginning.

Many people think God gave us His Word to restrain us from enjoying life but the opposite is true. Psalm 119:162 God knows that man left to himself cannot find fulfillment and purpose in life.

I recently purchased a new washing machine and with it came an owner's manual. To achieve the best results, I need to read AND follow the instructions. The instructions tell me how to use the machine for every kind of clothes and fabric.

God didn't leave us in the dark. God's Word speaks to every area of life: Marriage, parenting, finance, social responsibility, sex, etc. Too many times we ignore a product's owner's manual until we have problems and then we go back to the manual and see what we did wrong.

I believe that most of life's problems occur because we (intentionally or unknowingly) violate a principle in God's Word. So it behooves us to read and follow God's Word and thereby avoid any difficulty.