What Can I Do? - A New Year's Resolution

I usually stay away from making new year's resolutions, primarily because like a great many of us, myself included, within the first few months of the new year, those resolutions go out the window! If the Lord allows the world to stand and my life to continue, I am making a resolution; my resolution is based on the question: What can I do? This year I am going to endeavor to make and keep my resolution; because you see, it is not about me but about doing the will of my Father. Notice I said Father, not father.

As I was reading an article in The Gospel Minutes (http://www.gospelminutes.org/) entitled "What Can I Do?" I realized with great sadness that I am not doing all that I can for the Lord. For one, I don't invite people to the Lord's service. Sure, I don't have many friends where I live, but I know enough people until I should be able to invite someone to service. That would include my family members as well. Take an example from the Bible where Andrew invited his brother Simon to meet Jesus; and looked what happened, they became close friends: Jesus and Simon (commonly known as Peter) John 1:40-42  I (we) can't save the world and shouldn't try, however, I (we) can start with one person!

I also don't pray enough, and I should-we should! We need to pray for ourselves and others. Prayer keeps us alert, prayer heals us, prayer takes the focus off us. Prayer is our intimate, ultimate, conversation with God. Colossians 4:2-4 Our prayers should be continuous, there should be no part of our world that we don't invite God in through prayer.

I need to love more and that love has to be unconditional. I have to love those that don't love me. I have to constantly show love and get over myself! And I need to learn not to complain about anything or anyone. Everything I do has to be done with a love that does not look for anything in return. After all, Jesus loved us unconditionally; so much so until he gave his life for us without a second thought, and we absolutely were/are not worth it! 1 Peter 4:7-9; 1 John 4:9-11

I also realize the gifts that God has given to me. I am good with planning and orchestrating events for the ladies at my congregation. I am also a good cook. I don't "need" to use these gifts, I "have" to use them! God gave them to me, and I need to be willing to use them to spread the Gospel to the best of my ability. If I can bring my Christian sisters together for fellowship by spearheading a program; if I can show non-members what a glorious thing it is to be part of the Body of Christ; if I can bring women together to showcase their individual talents, then that is what I should do! 1 Peter 4:10-11; Ephesians 4:15-16

So exactly what is my new year's resolution? To do all I can to promote the Gospel of Christ, and I resolve to do this by

• Creating a personal atmosphere that will so engage me with others that they will be receptive to my initiations to hear the Word;
• Pray more for myself and especially others without selfishness or hypocrisy;
• To love more and unconditionally; and,
• To use the gifts God has given me to bless others through support, creativity, leadership and always being ready to do service for the Lord, regardless of what it is.

 Can I challenge you to do the same? Remember it is not, never has been and never will be about you. Don't wait until January 1st - start today!

Imagine Hearing This

Imagine praying and hearing this:

"Thank you for calling My Father's House. Please select one of the following four options:

 * Press 1 for requests.

 * Press 2 for thanksgiving.

 * Press 3 for complaints.

 * For all other inquiries, Press 4."

What if God used the familiar excuse:

 "All of the angels are helping other customers right now. Please stay on the line. Your call will be answered in the order it was received."

 Can you imagine getting these kinds of responses as you call on God in prayer?

 * "If you'd like to speak with Gabriel, press 1.

 * For Michael, press 2.

 * For any other angel, press 3."

 * "If you want King David to sing you a psalm, press 6."

 "For reservations at My Father's House, simply press the letters J-O-H-N on the keypad, followed by the number 3-1-6."

 "For answers to nagging questions about dinosaurs, the age of the earth and where Noah's ark is, wait until you get here!"

 "Our computers show that you have called once today already. Please hang up immediately."

 "This office is closed for the weekend. Please call again Monday."

 End of message.

Thank God, you can't call Him too often!!! You only need to ring once and God hears you. Because of Jesus, you never get a busy signal. God takes each call and knows each caller personally. When you call and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help and He will say: "Here am I."

And when you call: Emergency Phone Numbers

 * When in sorrow, call John 14

 * When men fail you, call Psalm 27

 * If you want to be fruitful, call John 15

 * When you have sinned, call Psalm 51

 * When you worry, call Matthew 6:19-34

 * When you are in danger, call Psalm 91

 * When God seems far away, call Psalm 139

 * When your faith needs stirring, call Hebrews 11

 * When you are lonely and fearful, call Psalm 23

 * When you grow bitter and critical, call 1 Cor. 13

 * For Paul's secret to happiness, call Col. 3:12-17

 * For idea of Christianity, call 1 Cor. 5:15-19

 * When you feel down and out, call Romans 8:31-39

 * When you want peace and rest, call Matt. 11:25-30

 * When the world seems bigger than God, call Psalm 90

 * When you want Christian assurance, call Romans 8:1-30

 * When you leave home for labor or travel, call Psalm 121

 * When your prayers grow narrow or selfish, call Psalm 67

 * For a great invention/opportunity, call Isaiah 55

 * When you want courage for a task, call Joshua 1

 * How to get along with fellowmen, call Romans 12

 * When you think of investments/returns, call Mark 10

 * If you are depressed, call Psalm 27

 * If your pocketbook is empty, call Psalm 37

 * If you're losing confidence in people, call 1 Cor. 13

 * If people seem unkind, call John 15

 * If discouraged about your work, call Psalm 126

 * If you find the world growing small, and yourself great, call Psalm 19

Emergency numbers may be dialed direct. No operator assistance is necessary. All lines are open to Heaven 24 hours a day!

The best form of spiritual exercise is to touch the floor regularly with your knees.

Holding Pattern

This morning a dear friend sent me this email from an unknown author and I wanted to share it with all of you because it simply hit home with me as I am sure it will with some of you. I’ve been praying earnestly to my Father for some things that I have been struggling with for a while and it just seems that He doesn’t hear me and I’ve become frustrated and depressed. Now I know that I am in a holding pattern. If you’ve been praying for something to happen, for a change to take place in your life and it hasn't happened yet, you are probably in a holding pattern as well. Please read on….

Many times God will allow a painful situation or a painful circumstance in our life to "swallow us up." This season in our spiritual growth is a holding pattern. We can't move to the left or the right. All we can do is sit, like Jonah sat in the belly of that great fish, so God can have our undivided attention and speak to us. God put Jonah in a holding pattern because He needed to speak to his heart. Jonah was all alone. There were no friends to call, no colleagues to drop by, no books to read, no food to eat, no interference, and no interruptions. He had plenty of time to sit, think, meditate, and pray.

When we're deep down in the midst of a difficult situation, God can talk to us. When He has our undivided attention, He can show us things about ourselves that we might not otherwise have seen.

A Few of God's Holding Patterns:

1. When you are sick in your physical body and you have prayed but God has not healed you yet, you are in a holding pattern

2. When you are having problems with your children and you have put them on the altar, but God has not delivered them yet, you are in a holding pattern.

3. When you have been praying for the salvation of a loved one and they have not been saved yet, you are in a holding pattern.

4. When you are in a broken relationship and you have given it over to God, but it has not been restored yet, you are in a holding pattern.

5. When the doors slam shut before you can knock on them, you are in a holding pattern.

When we are deep in the belly of a difficult situation, there are no interruptions. God has our undivided attention. All we can do is sit, think, meditate, and pray. We cannot run from God because there are no Mountains that are high enough, valleys low enough, rooms that are dark enough, or places that are hidden enough from Him. We must remember to praise Him while we're waiting and remember three things:

1. The pattern has a purpose.

2. The pattern has a plan.

3. The pattern has a process.

 So stop struggling and start listening, praying and trusting. He'll keep you right where you are until you can clearly hear Him say, "I love you."

Prayer:  Father, forgive my unbelief. I know You Love me and will turn anything around to benefit me. You have planned nothing for me but victories and I am ready to receive them regardless of how difficult the path.  Amen

The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor. The one who kneels to the Lord can stand up to anything.

 God does answer our prayers, "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." (1 John 5:14-15); "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." (John 14:13-14)

There are some things we must remember though, 1) whatever we ask for, our promotion of the Gospel must be protocol; 2) all glory belongs to our heavenly Father-never forget that; 3) we cannot ask selfishly-it won’t work; and 4) remember that the Lord knows our needs, our wants, our desires-if it is His will, we will receive.

The Lord does hear all of our prayers, never forget that! At times however, His answer is going to be “no”. And that is the hardest thing to hear, the word “no”. But He knows what we need better than we do ourselves will not give us what we ask for because it is not good for us. So be thankful the of the “no’s”… and.keep on asking!

The Monkey on Your Back

A person who is said to have a monkey on his or her back most likely appears to be struggling with an overwhelming and troubling burden. A persistent problem might be described as a monkey on one’s back. www.voices.yahoo.com/idioms-unpacked-monkey-back-5456074.html?cat=37

John Meggiolaro, a managing partner at the business development firm, The Travid Group, in his post Getting A Monkey Off Your Back profoundly stated that “almost all of us are walking around with one or more monkeys on our backs. For some, they are the size of a baby chimpanzee. For others, they may be full-grown gorillas. No matter the size, the fact that one or more are there demands our attention. And it's no secret that the care and feeding of these monkeys can be overwhelming”. http://EzineArticles.com/5174439

I can agree with Mr. Meggiolaro to a certain degree. Unless you are a child as described by Jesus Christ in Matthew 18:3, we all are walking around with a monkey-two monkeys-three monkeys (you get the drift) on our backs! And the monkey or monkeys is sin in its most basic form. So it doesn’t matter the size – sin is sin and because it separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2). Anything that we allow to detach us from God puts us in a very bad place.

There were also several suggested for getting the monkey off our back, like: 1) pick a monkey; 2) state your desired outcome in a proactive manner; 3) identify the possible road blocks that might get in the way; 4) select actions to overcome those road blocks; 5) identify anything else that may impact your ability to achieve your desired outcome; and, 6) take action.

Pick a monkey. Galatians 5:19-21

“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which, I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in times past, that those that practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God”. These are your monkey choices and I guarantee you that we all have a multitude of these little critters; they don’t come in ones’!

State your desired outcome in a proactive manner. Matthew 7:7-8; Matthew 6:6; 1 Peter 3:12; 1 John 5:14-15

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened”. “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly”. We want to rid ourselves of the monkeys, we want relief from the stress and we want peace. God knows what we need even better than we do and he is willing to give us the means necessary to put our lives back on track. As a matter-of-fact, he has already given it to us, it is called prayer! But we have work to do…like His will….for starters and enders! “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil”. “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him”. We have to be proactive in our petitions to the Lord and remember we have an active part in our prayers; we must be willing to do our share.

Identify the possible roadblocks that might get in the way. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9; Matthew 6:24; 1 John 2:15-17

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed”. “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon”. “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father[a] is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever”. Our only roadblock is the love of the world for this is the catalyst for every sin that we commit, no matter what that sin is, because if we love anything or anyone more than we love the Lord, we will sin. Whatever it is that has put us a guilty distance from God starts with something that is in the world that we desire…whatever it is, and all of this gets in our way of serving Him properly and causes those monkeys to jump all over us!

What Do You Have In That Bag? Part Two

Bag of Loneliness

            It is said that the most common illness of the soul is loneliness. Whether rich, poor, single, married, teenage, mid-lifer, or senior citizen, we have or will experience the affliction of loneliness. It settles upon us like a shroud, intensifying in its duration much like the permeating heat from a blazing summer sun or the freezing arctic blast of winter’s fierce iciness.  It burns into our minds and freezes our hearts. No one is immune to the devastation it can wreak in our lives.

            We don’t have to be in an empty room or faced with solitude to be lonely. Loneliness can occur in a crowded room, in the midst of a swarm of family and friends. Loneliness is a feeling of utter “alone-ness”.

            For me, loneliness was looking around and feeling like there was nothing for me. In this huge expanse of universe, the only existence for me was me. There was no one upon whom I could lean on – lean into, and rely upon to help me conquer my doubts and fears. When I walked in the sunlight, I cast no shadow; when I looked into the mirror, there was no reflection. My world was black and white; there was no color to help define my joy for there wasn’t any. I felt forsaken by God, by family, by self.

            There were times in my life when I was so lonely until I would sit or lay and cry for hours. I’d pray and pray, and ask God how long I would have to endure such loneliness. I would reflect upon the scriptures and remember that He said He would supply all of my needs, yet here I was, so very lonely. Was companionship not a need? Where was God, and why had He abandoned me yet again? How could He go back on His promises to me? Didn’t He know what I was going through? Of course He did! Jesus knew what I was going through. I know he had his share of loneliness; after all, He became a man and shared in our emotions on our level. Hebrews 2:14 confirms, “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Christ was both human divine, He is well aware of our needs. His “humanness” allows him to identify with us as found in Philippians 2:5-8.

            David shares so much with us to remind us that God is always with us, no matter what we are going through, including the overwhelming pain of loneliness. Sometimes loneliness is the result of a broken heart (Psalm 34:17-19) and in that God is there for us; we but only need to call out to Him. We are told in Isaiah 41:10 that the Lord is with us, and He will strengthen us! Again in Matthew 28:20, Jesus himself lets us know that He will be with us forever. Also see Hebrews 3:5. James tells us to “draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8) 

            In times when you feel alone, draw near to God and meditate on His word. If we focus more on drawing near to God and seeking His kingdom, He will supply all our needs as found in Matthew 6:33. If we spend that time focusing on God, we will have very little time to focus on our state of being.