“But realize this, that in the last days, difficult times will come.  For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, dissobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power, and avoid such men as these.  But, they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all…” 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 9 NAS

In our modern day culture, we are faced with those folks who desire to ride on the fence;  they live in the world and live by worldly means and, at the same time, play church.  What is even more sad is the fact that they have become blind to the truth and cannot see the wrong in their lives, trying to point out the faults of others.

Paul is very clear to Timothy that this will be the trend WITHIN THE CHURCH in the last days.  Folks, trust me, we are in the last days.  The things that Paul described to Timothy in the Scripture above are happening today inside of churches all over America and around the world.  It is what is killing the church, especially here in the US.

Folks, God is not pleased!  Paul, in 1 Corinthians 1:10 exorts the Church at Corinth, and believers in all generations and at all times, that believers should agree and that there should be no divisions within the body of Christ.  We are to be complete with the same mind – staying focused upon the true things of God.

Unfortunately, the flesh gets in the way.  The struggle for power and authority becomes the driving force in peoples’ lives.  They gossip and speak absolute lies in order to further their own agendas.  They are more than willing to speak kind words to your face, then stab you with the hot knife of lies, untruth, and jealousy when you are not around.  They will talk and gossip about other people when they are before you, then befriend those same people of whom they were talking so hatefully of.

Yes folks, these are people in church.  Some of them even stand behind the pulpits of our churches week after week, proclaiming and teaching against such things, yet doing these things themselves.  It breaks my heart and grieves the Holy Spirit of God.

Yet verse 9 sheds God’s view of it all – “they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all.”  I am so thankful for God’s righteousness.  He has it all under control, and one day there is coming judgment to those of the guilty party.

Our goal is to never be counted among the guilty.  We are to remain innocent in Christ.  How can we achieve this goal?  Do just the opposite of all that Paul describes in the Scripture above.  Love the Lord God with all your heart, mind, and soul – not yourself; love the one who gives you the ability to EARN your money – don’t love the money; boast in the Lord – not yourself; don’t be arrogant – be humble; don’t be a reviler speaking evil and slander – but live according to Ephesians 4:29 as it says, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers;” be obedient to your parents and to God; be grateful for and in all things; be holy as God is holy; be loving; reconcile your differences – don’t run from them; don’t gossip; exercise self control; love good and do good; LOVE GOD and strive to please Him and live by the power that He has placed inside of you.

Let’s not be guilty of having a form of godliness.  Rather, let us strive to live Godly as He is our power and He is our way and reason for living.

The title of this blog is “The Plain Truth,” truth being the key focus.  In terms of spirituality, it refers to the truth of the Gospel message of the Lord Jesus Christ contained in the Holy Word of God.

However, God’s word makes it extremely clear that He desires His people to speak truth, referring to that which is accurate.  It is hard to conceive, but many people who claim to be Children of  God, saved, born again Christians have great difficulty telling and speaking the truth.  God establishes in His Word many things about truth and lies, and those who speak untruth.

God’s Word states that the speaking of untruth is the nature of the devil (John 8:44); a denial that Jesus is Christ (1 John 2:22); not in keeping Christ’s commandments (1 John 2:4); and is a hatred of one’s brother (1 John 4:20).

God’s Word also tells us that those who do not speak the truth are wicked (Psalm 58:3) and false witnesses (Proverbs 14:5, 25).  God’s Word also states that those who do not speak truth “forge” against the righteous (Psalm 119:69) and exchange God’s truth for a lie (Romans 1:25).

God’s Word gives clear testimony to God’s attitude towards the lie.  First of all, God will not lie (Numbers 23:19); lying is an abomination to God (Proverbs 6:16-19); and God will not allow lying to be a refuge (Isaiah 28:15, 17).

His Word also tells us that lying leads us astray (Amos 2:4); it increases wickedness (Proverbs 29:12); it is destruction (Hosea 10:13-15); and it leads to and is considered death (Proverbs 21:6 & Zechariah 13:3).

God’s Word also points to the punishment of the untruth.  His Word says that punishment is inescapable (Proverbs 19:5); the mouths of liars will be stopped (Psalm 63:11); they will be silenced (Psalm 31:18); the lying tongue is short-lived (Proverbs 12:19); and the liar’s end is in the lake of fire (Rev. 21:8, 27).

Today, I want to encourage you to follow God’s Word and His commands regarding the untruth.  First, lay aside lying (Ephesians 4:25); second, tell no lies (Zephaniah 3:13); third, pray for deliverance from a lying tongue (Psalm 120:2).  God’s Word is clear that deception is from the heart (Proverbs 12:20), thus God wants to change the heart of those who speak untruth.

Believers – SPEAK TRUTH!  LIVE TRUTH!  DEMONSTRATE TRUTH!  ENCOURAGE TRUTH!

BE TRUTHFUL!

Since my daughter Lauren’s tonsil and adenoid surgery this past Tuesday, I have been able to observe and contemplate several things.  First, this type of surgery is very painful!  Lauren has been miserable since Tuesday, but PTL she is beginning to feel better.

Second, children do not like medicine!  I guess none of us really like the awful tasting stuff, but kids just have the hardest time with it.

Third, it is hard to keep an active six year old little girl still and quiet the way the surgeon wants them to be after this type of surgery.  Coloring books, stuffed animals, sticker books, Popsicles, and ice cream seem to do the trick.  Thanks Mrs. Dot, Rhonda, Lynne & Bob, Mrs. Becky, Mrs. Judy, Katie & Brian, and Grammy & Bo Bo.

Fourth, little girls love their Daddies.  Each time I have been around the house, Lauren wants her Daddy to snuggle, cuddle, and comfort her.  This is one of the greatest joys that the Lord can give to a father.  I cherish the time I have with both of my children and thank the Lord that they love their Mom and Dad as much as they do.  This motivates me to daily surrender my life, my plans, my will, and my desires to the Lord Jesus and submit to HIS authority in order that they might have an example to follow.  Not a perfect one, but who among us is perfect?

Lastly, although many more thoughts have scurried through this little brain, I have watched and listened as numerous Godly Christians have called, stopped by, brought gifts and ice cream, and, most importantly, prayed with and for Lauren and our family.  God has once again shown to me an out-pouring of His blessings and love.  This is the way it is supposed to be among Christians.  We are to look for and take advantage of opportunities to reach out and minister to one another.  That’s what Christians are supposed to do – love and care for one another and bring the non-Christians into the family.

I fail so many times to be what God wants me to be!  But I thank God that He loves me enough to show me when I have failed and He gently leads me to confess, repent, and try again.  One day, when it is all said and done, and we stand before the Lord in His beautiful Heaven, we will finally get it all right!

Thank you Lord for a precious little girl who loves her Daddy!  Thank you Lord for loving me and giving me the grace and love of Your salvation.  Help me Lord to live each day as a Child of God, and thank You for Your gentle correction and love when I have failed.  Thank you for showing all of this to me through the life of my little girl!

Following directly on the heals of yesterday’s post comes this one on the subject of joy, for you see joy comes when we turn everything over to the Lord and allow Him to have complete authority in our lives.

Joy Defined:

When we examine the word “joy” in the original Greek, it brings several ideas to its meaning including: gladness, delight, boasting in the Lord, rejoicing, and happiness.  I have heard it said many times by many pastors and preachers that “joy” is not happiness because happiness is dependant upon circumstances.  While that is true, joy is a form of happiness in that our joy is based not upon our circumstances, rather on the one who is in control of our circumstances.  While I may not be “happy” as a result of a negative circumstance, I can still have “joy” in it knowing that Christ works all things for good in the life of one who believes in Him.

The Source of Joy:

As alluded to above, joy is not the product of circumstances, but a result of the one in control of the circumstances, Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.  A believer has joy because God chose to send His only begotten Son into the world to pay the penalty for our sins (Luke 2:10, 11).  A believer has joy because Christ conquered death, hell, and the grave when He rose victoriously from the dead (Matthew 28:7, 8).  A believer has joy in the knowledge and faith that his sins have been forgiven and that Christ is his Savior and Lord (Luke 15:5-10; Psalm 51:8, 12).  The Word of God brings joy into a believer’s heart (Jeremiah 15:16).  Lastly, true faith in Christ, abiding in Christ, walking with Christ brings true joy to the believer’s heart (1 Peter 1:8).  CHRIST is the source of our joy.

Today, regardless of the circumstances, regardless of the trials, regardless of the heartache, TRUE JOY can be yours if you take your eyes off of the MESS and place them on the MASTER!  Do not allow your emotions and your life to be dictated by your circumstances, but rather by the one in control of the circumstances.  You may not be happy in your circumstances, but you can be happy, glad, and joyful in the one who has the circumstances in the palm of His hands.  He LOVES you and cares for you.

“Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4 (NKJV)

Blessings for your day!

Over the span of our lifetime, and especially the last ten years of full-time ministry, Sharon and I have dealt with many hurts and dissapointments. We have endured many within the ministry, and many in our personal lives. Regardless of the situation, and regardless of who is causing the hurt, one thing stands true – hurt hurts!

However, I have learned, especially within the last couple of months through great prayer and searching, that what one does with the hurts and dissapointments is what really matters the most in the eyes of Almighty God. You see, James tells us that we will endure trials, heartaches, hurts, and dissapointments. He says in James 1:2-4, “My brethren, count it all joy WHEN you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

The truth is that we are going to face hurts and dissapointments in life. The unfortunate thing about it is that often, those hurts and dissapointments come to us from people in our lives that we love dearly, and those are the hurts that hurt the most. So, what do we do with them? This is the question that I have been dealing with lately. Honestly, it is a struggle, and often a wrestling match with the Lord. However, what I have learned from the scripture is that we just simply have to give those hurts to the Lord and allow Him to deal with them.

The Bible teaches us that when we have a problem with a brother, then we are to go to that brother and work out the problem. However, when you have gone to the person and shared your heart with that person, and have tried to work out the problem to no avail, there is only one thing that you can do, and that is to turn the situation and the person over to the Lord and ask God to do His work in His time.

The greatest key to putting the hurt in the Lord’s hands is forgiveness. When you have been hurt and dissapointed by someone, and there seems to be no answer, the only way that you can be relieved of the hurt and be able to turn the situation and the person over to the Lord is through true forgiveness. Through the power of the Holy Spirit that resides in a person who is saved and is a child of the King, we must truly forgive the one who has hurt us in order to receive relief from the hurt and to be able to turn it all over to the Lord.

Forgiveness cannot come if you continue to hold on to the hurt. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:31-32 to “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.” In other words, we are commanded as saved children of God to forgive, forget, and to move on with life as though the wrong never took place. Easy? NO! Possible? ONLY THROUGH CHRIST! But the good news is that when we forgive this way, we outwit Satan (2 Cor. 2:10-11) and God is pleased and glorified.

So I encourage you in your hurts and dissapointments. THEY ARE REAL! They hurt, I know because I have experienced them! But, do not let Satan defeat you with these hurts. God has a plan, purpose, and will for your life. If you are so preoccupied with the hurts though, you may miss God’s direction for your life.

If you are dealing with this type of situation, do what the Bible teaches! Go to the one who has wronged you and explain your feelings and attempt to work out the problem. If they are not willing, or insist on their terms and not God’s, then pray to the Lord for a spirit of forgiveness for that person. Forgive them in your heart and forget the wrong. Then, place it in Jesus’ hands, asking Him to have His will. Don’t try to take it back and don’t let Satan bring it back up in your life. Give it to the Lord and move on in the Lord’s will and plan for your life!

He loves you and cares for you and He will replace the hurt with Joy over what He has in store for your life!

God Bless-

Let me get straight to the point – LIFE IS DIFFICULT SOMETIMES!  I think that anyone who will read this entry will agree with me.  Life’s road is full of turns, bumps, drunken drivers, fallen power lines, and downed trees.  The spiritual journey that we have to make was never given with the promise that it would be easy.

The PLAIN TRUTH is that the journey can be rough traveling at times.  In the ministry, you never know what will be coming next.  The phone at the house rings and you just don’t know what the situation on the other end of the phone will be.  Letting alone ministry, life is equally uncertain.  In fact, I have learned in this life that the only constant is the fact that even though we don’t know what lies ahead on the road of life, Christ does.

It is encouraging to me to know that before my days were, God had already ordained my days.  He knew the journey that He had already laid out for me and He knew the pitfalls, potholes, and roadblocks that I would encounter on my journey.  So then, why did he allow these “snares” to be placed in the way of His child who’s desire is to do nothing more than what the Master has planned and purposed for him to do?  He allowed them in order that I might trust Him more.

“I’m so glad I learned to trust Him, precious Jesus, Savior, frind.  An I know that He is with me, twill be with me to the end.”

“Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him; how I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er; Jesus, Jesus, prescious Jesus, O for grace to trust Him more.”

Trust is the ultimate answer.  We must learn to trust the Lord!  Mama always told me, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!”  We need to learn that God allows adversity in our lives for a reason.  James says in Chapter 1 of his epistle to ”Consider it all joy, my brethren, WHEN you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”  Endurance enables us to move past whatever stands in our way of living for the Lord and bring glory and honor to His name.

When you come to a pothole, a tree down, even a sinkhole, don’t let it destroy you, or turn you around headed backwards on the Spiritual journey.  As I heard just the other day, we need to learn to build a bridge and get over it!  Move ahead!  Perservere!  Keep the faith!  Trust in the Lord!  Even though we are not promised a rose garden, an easy way all of the time, in the midst of the trials and the journey, there are flowers to smell and blessings to be received and given.  Let’s all strive to keep on keepin’ on for the Lord, allowing Him to be our authority and our guide!

It has been quite some time, since November, since I have posted.  There were some technical issues with my upgrade to Windows Vista that has kept me from posting.  The issues have been resolved, and I am once again able to post.  I will begin posting again on a regular basis next week.  Until then, be blessed in the Lord and keep looking to Jesus!

God Bless!

Thursday, November 22nd, Thanksgiving Day, will begin the last forty days of 2007!  Absolutely amazing!  During those last forty days of the year, I would like to invite you to read and study with me Rick Warren’s book, “The Purpose Driven Life.”   It is a personal goal of mine to read through and study this book once each year.  This is a great way to end the year and make a fresh start in the new year.

Now, I know that some of you may not necessarily agree with everything in the book.  Neither do I!  However, there is much more good than not.  Chew the meat, spit out the fat, and use the truths to better and strengthen your relationship with the Lord because I don’t know about you, but I have not arrived at a perfect relationship with the Lord yet! What I love about this study is that it reinforces the fact that we are all here for a purpose – God has created us for HIS work.  This book helps us to determine that purpose, if we have not discovered it, and re-reading helps us to keep God’s purpose for our lives and our relationship with Him TOP priority!

So, join with me as we end 2007 focusing on the Lord, our relationship with Him, and His purpose for our lives!

“For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visable and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.  All things were created through Him and for Him.” Colossians 1:16

Blessings for your day-

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the [life] which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20 NKJV 

What is in the middle of SIN?  “I.”  With this truth, it is now very plain to see where the majority of our sin originates from.

When original humanity, Adam and Eve, fell in sin, it began a domino effect that is still in progression today.  That original sin marred humanity and created a nature within man that would be passed down to every offspring of the original humanity, and that includes you and me.  That sin nature is wrapped up in selfishness and an attitude that centers around “I.”

Like arthritis attacks the joints, “I”itis attacks the ego.  As humans, we have this attitude, drive, or, if you will, craving that makes us feel as though we deserve things.  “I worked hard, I deserve it.”  We also have a false sense of ownership of our possessions, “I worked for it, I paid for it, it was my money, so therefore it is mine.”  Not only do we possess this “I” mentality, additionally the world tells us we deserve it all.

Our world is sick!  Sin sick!  Satan, as the master of all lies, has lied to us and made us to think and act this way.  I have come to realize this truth in my relationship with Christ; I deserve only one thing for who I am apart from Christ and that is death – eternal separation from God.  The Bible teaches that our sin, regardless how little or insignificant we think it may be, is unacceptable in the sight of Almighty God.  He can have nothing to do with sin, and it certainly will not be allowed to mar and contaminate His glorious and sinless eternal Kingdom, Heaven!  

Jesus came into the world to save us from our sin.  God created us for fellowship with Him and to bring glory to Him in all we think, say, and do.  Sin keeps us from bringing glory to Him.  That is why He sent His only begotten (only perfect being born of a human) Son into this world.  Jesus’ perfect life and blood was the payment needed to satisfy our sin debt.  He died on the cross to pay the debt for our sins.  When we accept His offer of salvation by grace through faith, God the Father no longer sees us as guilty by sin.  Rather, He sees the blood of His Son Jesus that has redeemed us from our sin.  Our sin is forgiven and forgotten by Christ.  Will we still sin, YES!  However, there will now be a desire inside of us by the Holy Spirit to obey rather than to sin; then when we do mess up, the Holy Spirit living inside of us will immediately convict us of that sin and drive us to confession and repentance.  

Therefore, for my sin, I deserve nothing, because my sin cost Jesus His life.  However, His GRACE and my faith and trust in Him gave me the right to become a child of God!  Now, regarding the possessions and money that I have; I must now look at these things in a different light: who gave me the ability, talent, and skill to gain them?  God did.  Therefore, in reality, God gave them to me, and God owns them.  Nothing I have is mine; it all belongs to God.  Because of His grace, His Son, His creation, and His love with which loved me, all the glory belongs to Him.  It is His desire to work in and through me to accomplish His will and to bring glory to His Name.

So, apart from Him, I am insignificant; I am nothing.  But with Him, we are complete and special in His eyes; we are His children.  With that said, let us forget “I”, God has promised to take care of us.  Let us love others, share the Good News of Christ with those who need Him, and remember the insignificance of “I.”

Blessings for your day-

Proverbs 28:20a: “A faithful man will abound with blessings”

Today, Sharon and I were blessed beyond measure.  God provided the opportunity for us to be with ten of the children in our Children’s ministry for their Thanksgiving Dinner.  They came dressed as pilgrims and Indians, and how cute they were.  Our Children’s Director has done an outstanding job with our children since taking this position at the beginning of October, and today was an absolute delight.

We had devotions before our meal and they dealt with the topic of blessings.  Tammy worked hard on this event, and it has done my heart good to see her, and so many of our church folks, putting great effort into their ministries and working for the Lord!

Today, as Tammy presented her devotions, I just looked around the room at the “little blessings that were all listening very attentively, and I was once again reminded that these “little” blessings are the future of our church.  I then began to think about how important it is for us as Christians and adults to be investing our time, talents, and wisdom into these young Children.  We must remain faithful to the Lord, doing His work, in order to leave a lasting legacy to our children that they might be touched by the Lord as we have been and carry on His Holy work.

All of us need to take daily stock of our spiritual lives and recommit our lives to Christ for His purpose and glory each day as we strive to constantly keep our eyes and hearts focused upon Him.  As we do, we should always remember that all blessings are from the Lord above and none of them should be referred to as “little” because everything from the hand of God is great!

Blessings for your day!