I Can't Give Up Now!

Romans 4:20-21

Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave Glory to God being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

It’s hard to keep holding on when it appears that nothing is changing and you’re running out of time. Sometimes, you feel like what’s the use of trying when it seems like nothing is changing and my promise is yet to be fulfilled. It is during these times that you have to lean back on your faith and trust that what God said he will do that he will bring it to pass. Could it be that God is more patient with us than we are with him? How long did God wait on you to get it together? Is he still waiting?

Abraham waited on God to give him a son for a long time. His body was ‘as good as dead’ and he was at least 100 years old waiting on a son. What is it that you have been waiting a long time for? You can’t give up now! Abraham held on to God’s promise that he would give him a son even though it looked like he would never get. How did he do it?!

He did not waiver through unbelief. We are all going to be faced with unbelief because the situation may look like it’s not going to change but there must be an inner assurance that will not allow us to waiver or to be moved. Unbelief is like the wind that Peter heard while he was walking on water. He took his eyes off of Jesus and allowed the wind to move him. Don’t be moved by unbelief, keep your eyes on Jesus.

He was strengthened in his faith. The way you strengthen your faith is to remind yourself of what God has spoken through his word, regular church attendance and serving others. The only way you strengthen your faith is by using it.
Give God Glory. The way you Give God Glory is Be Anxious for nothing, Pray about everything and be thankful for anything then God will give you peace which surpasses all human understanding. Give God the credit for what he’s already done and what he’s going to do.

He was fully persuaded that God had the power to do what he promised. God’s got the power to do what he promised! You must be fully convinced that God has the power to finish his promise.

Dear God,

I can’t give up now, I’ve come too far from where I started from. I am fully persuaded that in spite of what it looks like that you are able to finish what you started. I believe you will do what you promised. I can’t and I won’t give up now!

In Jesus Name,
Amen

This Is How You Win!

New International Version (NIV)

11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

Nobody likes to lose. I believe it was Vince Lombardi who said, “Winning is not everything, it’s the only thing!” It was the Apostle Paul who said, “Don’t just run to be running, but run in such a way as to win.” It was DJ Khalid who said, “All we do is win, win, win, no matter what!” What’s the use of playing if you’re not trying to win?

Each of us should be trying to win every time we wake up in the morning…not trophies, not beauty contests, not lotteries but there is something way more important at stake. We should be trying to win the respect of people who don’t know God or believe in Jesus. More than ever we are living in a time when people are asking, “Why follow God or believe in Jesus?” Many Christians aren’t helping much because we are acting like losers.

It used to bother me when I was in elementary school playing kickball and the teacher would split us into teams. It never failed that the teacher would put some cute “girly, girl” on my team who didn’t want to get dirty or win. The ball would come her way and she would scream and move out of the way of the ball on purpose! Don’t put anybody on my team that doesn’t want to win!

As Christians we can’t be so cute that we don’t get dirty for Jesus. Here’s how we win:

Be ambitious to live a quiet life. Ambition and quiet seem like odd words together but we should strive to live a peaceful life. We should never be accused of disturbing the peace.
Mind your own business. We should not be involved in hearsay and gossip. Don’t be a messy person. We do well to sweep around our own front door.
Work with your hands. Find something productive to do. Make yourself useful. Even if you are unemployed, find something helpful to do. Your gifts make room for you and bring you into the presence of great men. Join a team and play your role to help them win.
When we do these things we win the respect of outsiders by the way we live out our daily lives. When you live respectable lives you win the respect of others.

Dear God,

Help me to live my life everyday respectfully. I want people to see Jesus in me. In the way I talk, walk, act, live. People want to be on a winning team. Help me set the pace in the way I live out my life that people would want to follow Jesus. Today, I’m going to be a winner for you.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

God Will Supply

2 Corinthians 9:10

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

When I was a little boy, my granddaddy would take me to the seed supply store to get seeds to plant in our garden. Everything we needed to plant a harvest was in the supply store; farming equipment, fertilizer, and seeds. After we got the seeds we had to go plough the field and sow the seeds. That was so exciting as a little boy to help my granddaddy sow those seeds and anticipate a harvest coming up.

God is our seed supplier. Everything we need for a harvest he has in his storehouse. What’s amazing is that his storehouse is filled through the faithfulness of the believers. (Malachi 3:10) Then the seed is sown or scattered abroad to the poor. The only way we experience a harvest is when we faithfully sow the seed that God has provided. Unless the seed goes into the ground and dies it cannot bear fruit. You cannot eat your seed and expect a harvest.

God will Supply…

1. He Supplies seed to the Sower. God Is not obligated to give seed to people who do not sow. Paul reminds us in verse 6, “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”

2. God will give us our daily bread. God is a provider and he will give us what we need when we sow our seed. When we sow our seed God provides for our needs.

3. God will supply and increase your store of seed when you sow. God is our supply store but his currency for seed is generosity. When we are generous in sowing giving, and helping others he will keep supplying and increasing our store of seed. Verse 11, “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion.”

4. God will enlarge your harvest of Righteousness. When you do what is right in God’s sight he will enlarge your harvest.
Our increase is dependent on our generous release of the seed that God supplies. Your harvest can’t grow until you let go of the seed in your hand. Plant it in good ground today.

Dear God,

Thank you for the seed you have supplied. All I have needed your hand has provided. Thank you for my harvest. I know that everything good that has happened to me you did it, and as a result I’m filled with thanksgiving. I’m ready to go sow my seeds today so I can reap my harvest tomorrow!

In Jesus Name,
Amen

Momentary Troubles

2 Corinthians 4:17

For our light and momentary troubles are delivering for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

Never make permanent decisions for temporary problems. There is a tendency to get caught up with what’s going on in the moment and lose sight of God’s bigger plan for our life. Much of what we are going through right now are “Momentary problems,” meaning that what we are going through didn’t come to stay but it came to pass.

God is using your momentary troubles to achieve for you a future Glory that far outweighs what you are going through right now. If we are not careful we can miss our future Glory by getting caught up in temporary misery. It’s tempting to give up when you are going through momentary troubles and lose sight of future Glory.

God is using your momentary trouble to achieve for you a future. The Apostle Paul described his momentary troubles like this:

We are hard pressed on every side but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:8

It’s God’s Holy Spirit operating in us that does not allow us to give up during momentary troubles. When you are on a roller coaster ride they tell you to stay in the car until the ride is over. You don’t jump out of the car in the middle of a roller coaster ride. It can be fatal. Life is like a roller coaster ride that we must either endure or enjoy without stepping out of the car before the ride is over. I’d rather be on a roller coaster ride than a Merry Go Round. When I go through an Amusement Park I want to go from Ride to Ride. God will take you from Glory to Glory but you can’t get off in the middle of a ride. What makes the ride even more enjoyable is when you have a good riding partner. I’m glad Jesus rides with me through my Momentary troubles.

These Momentary troubles are achieving something greater for our lives so we can’t give up until we go up. Stay on the ride and enjoy it because troubles don’t last always. It get’s greater later!

Dear God,

Help us to stay the course to finish our race. These momentary troubles don’t compare to the future Glory of being with you forever. Take us through our momentary troubles into our future Glory. I’m riding with you today Jesus!

In your name,

Amen

Can You Smell Me?

2 Corinthians 2:15

For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing I believe it was Scottie Pippen a long time ago who had a commercial with speed stick deodarant he said, "The best defense is not to offend." He was referencing body odor. It's so important that we aslways have good hygiene so that we do not offend the people around us.



I was reading the instruction for our intercessors sent out by their ministry leader the other day. She was informing them on how they should pray with people at the altar. It was itneresting to discover that among the instructions on how to pray, there were also instrucitons on hygiene such as putting mints in their mouth for fresh breath and making sure fingernails were clean and manicured. It's important that when we minister or serve people we do not offend them by the way we smell.

You should always make sure you floss and brush your teeth, go see the dentist every six months. Keep mints in your pocket or purse. Make sure your deodorant is strong enough for your body chemistry. Men should wash their hair at least 3 times a week and women at least once a week. You want to make sure that you don't offend people by the way you smell. My mother always said, "You ought to be able to smell yourself" but if you don't it's always good to have a friend who will tell you the truth. Can you smell me?

When we are amongst people in ministry we are to be the Aroma of Christ. My staff says that I have a sensitive nose. I can walk into a room and tell you what you had for lunch. I can smell just about anything. It's a gift and a curse. LOL. But there is someone else whose nose is more sensitive than mine. God has a sensitive nose! God doesn't just smell our skin but he smells our sin. He doesn't just smell our scent but he can also detect our decent into moral decadence.

God can smell our intentions and our Holiness. That's why the Psalmist said, "May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing and acceptable to you O' God." When God grew tired of corrupt religious practices in Israel he told the prophet Amos, "I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me." Amos 5:21

God said that he would rather have justice and righteousness than a bunch of religious activity with no conviction behind it. When we are living out the teachings of Jesus we are a pleasing aroma to God.

Did you know you can smell good to God and stink to others?

Whenever i travel from America to the Middle East I know i've crossed over into foreign territory because the smells change. A lot of Easterners don't wear deodorant and they think Westerners stink! They think that the natural pheromones of perspiration are more attractive then the masquerade of deodorant that Westerners wear. Culturally we stink to them!

To some in America, Christians stink. We smell like death because when we truly represent Jesus we are a reminder that culturally we stink. We are dead to the ways of this world, we are free from the masquerade of psuedo success. We are offensive becasue our values are counter cultural, but to those who are being saved we are a pleasing aroma. They didn't know that life stripped of the illusion of success and materialism could smell so good.

When people see you filled with Joy, walking in Love, and practicing compassion they might ask you what it is that you have on? You can tell them, "Oh that is just Lily of the Valley."

Cleanliness is next to Godliness but Righteousness keeps you close to God because that smells good."

Dear God,

I pray that others smell the aroma of Christ on my life. Search me and if you find anything offensive in me that would block somebody from getting to Jesus please take it out right now. Clean me up, wash me, and make me Holy. Today, let me be a pleasing aroma to you and others.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Not Easily Moved

I Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, My dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

With so much going on in our world today we must make sure that we are anchored int he Lord. We can't be unnerved by every little thing that threatens us. As a child we used to play a game when we were little called, "Made You Move." The object of the game was that one person would remain steady, staring straight ahead while the other person would act like they were going to hit the focused person in the face to see if they would move or flinch. If the person blinked or moved, the other perosn would say, "Ha Ha, made you move."

The devil's only job is to make you move out of position and miss your blessing. If he can get you disturbed over what somebody said about you, if he can get you hurt by something that happened at church, if he can use the economy to scare you away from your faith, then he has succeeded at his job. He made you move. You cannot afford to move from your position. You are too blessed to be stressed. No matter what it looks like:

1. Stand firm. Make sure your feet are set on solid ground. On Jesus Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.

2. Let nothing move you. There is nothing to fear but fear itself. Jesus said, "Do not fear the person who can kill the body but fear God who can kill body and soul." Don't let idle threats and negative reports move you, whose report shall you believe God's or man's?

3. Give yourself fully to the work of the Lord. When you are busy doing God's work you don't have time to worry about the foolishness of the world. There is a peace that comes over you when you are doing the work of the Lord that doesn't allow you to be easily moved. Keep working for the Lord because your work is not in vain.

Dear God,

Keep me steadfast and unmovable. Help me to keep my eyes on the prize and hold on. Today, don't let any bad news or negativity phase me as i strive toward reaching my goals. I will not be moved by anything or anybody. I'm trusting you to see me through.

In Jesus Name,
Amen

Did I Do That?

I Corinthians 8:9

Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.

In the hit sitcom, Family Matters, Steve Urkel always seemed to find a way to bumble and cause someone else to stumble. He was a loving little nerd but always seemed to be getting in the way and whenever he caused some kind of mishap, he would ask, "Did I dooo thaaaat?!"

How many times have we looked back on the mess we left in our tracks to ask, "Did I do that?" It's so much easier to keep going and blame others when they trip over our stuff instead of asking, "Did I do that?" At some point we have to take ownership in the influence that we have over other people.

As Christians, we have a moral obligation to make sure we don't do anything to cause those who are weaker in the faith to stumble. We've all had some blunders in our lives where we meant something good but like Steve Urkel we just made a mess out of things. Steve was smart he just didn't use common sense sometimes. As believers we have to use common sense to make sure that what we do is for the common good.

The more enlightened we get in terms of God's grace and lose the chains of traditon the more freedom we feel to live life unfettered by the opinions of narrow minded people. On the other hand, we have a responsibiilty to manage our freedom in such a way that it doesn't cause weaker people in the faith to stumble.

The Apostle Paul talked about eating meat sacrificed to idols as being theologically permissable for Christians. Prior to Jesus' liberating the Jews from man-made laws concerning what foods they could eat, the Jews had strict dietary regulations. Jesus said, "It's not what goes in the man that defiles him but what comes out." Paul believed this too but, he also believed that we should not use our freedom to cause somebody else to stumble, so if eating meat that was believed to have been sacrificed to some other god caused new believers to stumble then you shouldn't do that.

If having a glass of red wine for dinner offends your dinner guests because they just became a Christian and they thought that drinking was forbidden, then maybe you should have water that night even though there are health benefits for drinking red wine and you believe that it's okay to drink in moderation. You must exercise your freedom with responsibility.

We must be responsible with our freedom by:

1. Practicing Discretion. Just because you can doesn't mean that you should.

1 Corinthians 8:13


Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.


2. Practice Moderation. Too much of anything ain't good for you.


Ephesians 5:18

The Message (MSG)

18-20

Don't drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him.


3. Practice Consideration. Always think about how your actions will impact others. Make sure you do what you do out of love and concern for those that you influence.


1 Corinthians 8

1

Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that "We all possess knowledge." But knowledge puffs up while love builds up.


Dear God,


Help me to use my freedom responsibly. I know you want me to enjoy life and life more abundantly but I also know that you want me to be a stepping stone and not a stumbling block. If I have said anything or done anything that caused someone weaker in the faith to stumble please forgive me and help them to recover. Today, use me to help someone see you in what I do. Today, I want to see somebody get closer to Jesus so I can look back and say, "Did I do that?"


In Jesus Name,


Amen