Learning to Walk With God Part Four

2Kings6:18 When the Syrians attacked, Elisha prayed to GOD, "Strike these people blind!" And GOD struck them blind, just as Elisha said. 19 Then Elisha called out to them, "Not that way! Not this city! Follow me and I’ll lead you to the man you’re looking for." And he led them into Samaria. 20 As they entered the city, Elisha prayed, "O GOD, open their eyes so they can see where they are." GOD opened their eyes. They looked around—they were trapped in Samaria!

Not only did the Lord grant Elisha a good nights rest, and peace in the midst of his circumstances, but He also delivered the enemy into Elisha's hands. God was setting a trap the whole time and it was meant not just for Elisha’s benefit, but for the benefit of the servant, and all of Israel. If Elisha had been ruled by his emotions and ran from the situation he would have never had the opportunity to see the enemy humbled.

God ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts and we will never discover them if we live by the impulses and logic of our soul alone. Our soul is always busy seeing things according to the circumstances and trying to scheme our way out of them.

Remember Elijah’s response to this type of threat? When Jezebel threatened him he fled into the wilderness and became depressed. He asked God to let him die. Elijah had powerful miracles and amazing exploits in his ministry just as Elisha later did. But Elijah didn't have the calm and quiet confidence. Elijah seems more emotional and impulsive.

Elisha asked for a double portion of what Elijah had. Some think it meant he was asking for twice as many miracles. But that is not what we find when we look at these two men. What we do find is that Elisha had calm where Elijah did not. Where Elijah became depressed and was ruled by his emotions at times, Elisha is steady and resolved. The double portion was to know how to be confident when problems arise. Many want miracles as if miracles is what will grant them the confidence they need. But you can have miracles without deepening your walk with God, just as you can have gifts without deepening your conformity to Christ. Just look at the Corinthians.

When we walk according to the Spirit we are walking in relationship and we can look to Him from whence cometh our help!

Only God knows what He is up to and only through seeking Him can we know which path is right and what step is next.

Learning to Walk With God Part Three

VS 17 Then Elisha prayed, "O GOD, open his eyes and let him see." The eyes of the young man were opened and he saw. A wonder! The whole mountainside full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha!

Elisha does not offer a formula for how to escape this problem. He offers a prayer for spiritual vision. When we seek to only solve someone’s problem through counseling we do them a disservice because we stagnate their spiritual growth. Spiritual growth is the direct result of growing in our knowledge of God, not our dependence on the ability of others to solve our problems. They simply need to see Jesus.

When you and I are in the storm we do not need a list of solutions, we need eyes to see the One who is our help in time of need. We need to be able to see what God sees!

If we can just see our help is in Christ and become personally acquainted with Him in the midst of our storm then we will know what steps are ours to take.

In a situation that appears hopeless according to logic Elisha because of his knowing his God is able to respond to the situation in a sure and confident manner. There is no panic in this man of God.

Learning to Walk With God Part Two

In the morning when the servant of Elisha awakes and goes out he sees the circumstances, his understanding is not as developed as Elisha’s. He sees they are surrounded by an impressive enemy army.

So what does this servant do? VS 15 Early in the morning a servant of the Holy Man got up and went out. Surprise! Horses and chariots surrounding the city! The young man exclaimed, "Oh, master! What shall we do?"

He does what anyone who lacks maturity in their walk with God is subject to do. He sees according to his soul and he is at a loss as to what to do as a result. The servant is in training and has not yet reached maturity in his development.


The man of God has been trained in something. He has been trained not to the specific situation, but to the God he is called to serve. Elisha knows his God.

Today we want a workbook on how to turn around economic storms, how to end trouble in your marriage, how to change rebellious children, how to never be sick, etc. We want formulas for success, and formulas for escape.

This story is not about a formula on how to escape in a situation where the enemy has you surrounded.

This story demonstrates two different types of people. One who trusts his God and knows Him intimately and one who is learning his way but because his knowledge of God is limited, his trust is limited.

So what does the man of God do for the panicked servant?

First, he admonishes him not to worry and assures him that they are not alone.
VS 16 He said, "Don’t worry about it—there are more on our side than on their side."

He is saying this to someone who can only see the circumstances. If I were to say to someone in a struggle that they need not worry but know that God is on their side I would be accused of being insensitive and uncaring. Most counseling today is only able to appease mans soul because it is more concerned with sympathy in the moment than helping someone see their God at work.

Finite suggestions lead to finite sources for help. Finite sources offer finite solutions. God is infinite, it only makes sense to look to Him.

Learning to Walk With God Part One

I would suggest you read the whole story in 2Kings 6:8 -23 I will use the Message in my posting.

It will be helpful as well to recall how Elijah when threatened by Jezebel ran away into the wilderness. Contrast that with how Elisha handles his situation. The King of Syria has been giving Israel trouble and trying to set ambushes for them but Elisha is telling the King of Israel all the plans of the King of Syria and it is ruining all of Syria's plans. Naturally the King of Syria is outraged and thinks there is a spy in their midst. When he is told it is Elisha who knows everything the King says and is the one derailing him, he wants to know where Elisha is, and he sends out an impressive fighting force to take him captive.

There are several things we should note about this story if we are to learn the lesson the Holy Spirit desires for us to learn.

Elisha knew everything the king of Syria was up to. VS 12 But one of his men said, "No, my master, dear king. It’s not any of us. It’s Elisha the prophet in Israel. He tells the king of Israel everything you say, even what you whisper in your bedroom."

Why is this so significant? We could assume that Elisha knew the King of Syria was up to and yet Elisha stayed at Dothan and slept.

Elisha did not run away or pray to avoid the plot, he stayed put and rested there. He lost no sleep over it. A man of God does not need to run from his problems because he has what it takes to face them. If he has heard from God he can rest in the midst of it.

This is a picture of knowing your God and trusting Him in whatever it is He has prescribed for you. Elisha knows that whatever is going on had to be allowed of the Lord and He is able to see the work of God unfolding in it as a result.

How much do you trust that the Lord is overseeing your affairs in this life?

I Apologize

It's been a while since I posted on my blog due to my need to tend to other things for a short season. I will be posting again soon. I know for those who follow a blog it get's old to go to it and find nothing has changed. I apologize for boring you with the same old stuff for the past couple of weeks. But please stay tuned there is yet more to come.

Beware Affluence Part Four

I have learned to be content in whatever state I find myself in.

Paul echoes this sentiment in a sense in:

1Timothy 6:6 ¶ Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

If God has blessed you, be generous with He has given you. But do not make life decisions based on obtaining wealth.

Throughout the New Testament the rich are admonished to be generous and they are warned. Being rich will not send a person to hell. But neither is it a virtue when it is unaccompanied by generosity. We do not need a government to take what the rich have and distribute either. All will give an account for their actions to God. Each person stands or falls before Him.

It is not spiritual or magnanimous to steal from the rich and give to the poor. Just because a person can take someone else’s money and give it away to someone in need it doesn’t rid them from being a thief.

Our dependence on a government to do what individuals are responsible to do themselves will not wash with God at the judgment.

We do not get to claim we cared for the weak and poor because we paid taxes which sponsored government programs.

There are no spiritual points for being rich or poor in the Kingdom, because poverty nor wealth are the goal in the kingdom, the Kingdom itself is the goal.

Christ being central to all we are and hope to be is the core of our existence.

If we make “more” the goal of our living then we will have less time to invest where it counts the most.

We will sacrifice the most meaningful things in life and find ourselves comfortable here and now as far as possessions go, but miserable and impoverished as far as eternal and weighty things are concerned.

We need to learn to be thankful and be content.

Do you have a job? Be thankful.

Do you have a roof over your head? Be thankful.

Do you have clothes to wear? Be thankful.

Do you have food to eat? Be thankful.

Do you have all these things and time with God? Be especially thankful.

Do you have more than enough? Be thankful and share it with others.

Do you have good solid relationships? Be especially thankful.

Let’s make choices that free us to do the thing we were created for. Let’s seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness.

Let’s choose things that allow for time with others, time to do what we are called to do, time to seek Jesus, to learn of Him.

It is when we do this that we find our testimony is that, “God is our help!”

Beware Affluence Part Three

So, how do we deal with this innate drive to have more? How do we avoid going deeper into debt until we work ourselves into a frenzy, find that our emotional fuses are short with those we say we love, and discover we have spent little time seeking the Kingdom and His righteousness?

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." 6 So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"

Just how content are we? I know I have struggled many times with this myself. I’ve also noticed that my struggle kicks in whenever I am failing to seek the Kingdom as I ought.

Believe it or not this not merely an avoidance Scripture. Most will read this and think, “if I just avoid covetousness I’ll be doing good.” Well that is short sighted thinking. One of the ten commandments dealt with this issue already from an avoidance perspective and it was proven we cannot stay away from it from that angle. We need something noble to pursue.

What is that which is more noble? Contentment. Taking solace in the fact that the Lord is with us! What fruit will this produce?

The Lord is my helper; I will not fear! What can man do to me?

Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

We like to quote I can do all things for things other than having the ability to be abased or having abundance.

Paul was at a place of being content in his circumstances but these Philippians felt they wanted to bless him and they did so. He was appreciative for this act of love on their part but he also wants them to catch the lesson he is living out before them.

I have learned to be content in whatever state I find myself in.

Beware Affluence Part Two

The more time it takes to maintain our lifestyles, the less time we have to spend for the things that matter most.

In light of all the fearful predictions being circulated we should take note of what Jesus said,

Matthew 6:31 "Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

After these things the Gentiles seek. The Gentiles spent the bulk of their time in that culture striving for affluence. Social status was of great importance to them and having these things was the motivation of their lives.

Here we have a readjustment of priorities for any true believer in Christ. Seek first! Seek what? A better career, a higher position of authority in the corporate world, a better home, a brand name wardrobe, the best there is to offer in possessions? No!

The Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Some of the most relationally challenged and miserable people on this planet are people with lots of nice things and plenty of money.

Under the current secular mindset you would think they should be happy. But the fact is, it required a lot of sacrifices and time to get where they are.

Some of those sacrifices were relationships that should not have been put on hold until they reached the financial plateau they were striving for. Some of them were relationships that stood in the way of their goals and thus were deemed worthy of sacrifice.

This is not foreign to those who possess ambition in ministry either. Ambition will step on whoever it must to advance it’s own cause.

Beware Affluence

There is something that is rather appealing about simplicity. The first thing is how much less stressful it is.

Second is how much time it grants us to invest in the important things of life, such as the Kingdom of God and relationships.

Currently the modern church suffers due to a lack of time in the lives of the followers of Christ. People feel overloaded in life.

It seems that Christ’ children are so preoccupied with making ends meet they have no time left to do the things the Lord has told them to do.

Some of you may or may not fit into this category. However, it is likely many have and are experiencing this on some level.

Ever said to yourself, “I would like to get involved but I just don’t have the time?”

We’ve been discussing belief, and being persuaded and how that we do not do anything until we are. But what happens when you become persuaded and find that you have too much on your plate already?

What should you do to get things at a place where you can actually obey?

Well, this has to do with our priorities in life. Although it is both Biblical and important to work to provide, did Jesus ever say anything about what level or means we should seek to maintain?

Our culture of affluence has robbed us of a great deal. Right now Washington and Wall street are reeling from the effects of affluence.

Francis Schaffer spoke of the effects of affluence in his series on “How shall we then Live.”

He uncovered the parallels of Roman society during it’s peaks and fall and demonstrated how it’s own affluence led it to ruin.

Our own country is in financial crisis over this very issue today. We are there due to being in too deep in borrowed resources .

What happened? Someone wished to have more and found a way to get there.

More often than not we want more home than we can keep up with, more car than we can afford, more this, or that, without realizing that with each desire comes stewardship, payments, etc.

All this equates into time being lost as we work more hours, more jobs, and spend more time in upkeep etc. Life is being sacrificed at the altar of affluence.

The Cantrell's

What a blessing this couple and family have been to mine and to Harvest Church.

More affectionately known to our kids as Uncle Doug and Aunt Wendy these two have been close friends since before Harvest began.

On the flip side my wife and I are affectionatley known to their children as Uncle Tim and Aunt Sheila.

No we are not blood relatives in the natural, just in the Spirit.

Doug journeyed with us from the trials involved in the birth of our first son till now.

This family has been consistently faithful and provide encouragement to many as they live a lifestyle of serving others.

Always eager to make a difference but never really aware of how much they did. Noah, Katie and Bethanie are refreshing to watch. Noah the athlete of the family, Katie the quiet one and Bethanie taking all the cuteness awards when around everyone.

Harvest has been enriched by having this family in our midst. They have served in too many areas over the years to list. The best way to describe them is how I already have, faithful!

My Faith is My Destiny Part Four

Paul approached the Centurion because Paul was convinced by God. But the Centurion was not a man who reasoned by the Spirit. He was not a man of faith and thus could not go with Paul’s advice.

Human reasoning tends to go against faith. In the case of the story we just read from Acts that is what we find.

(JB Phillips) 1Corinthians 2:14 But the unspiritual man simply cannot accept the matters which the Spirit deals with—they just don’t make sense to him, for, after all, you must be spiritual to see spiritual things.

Ironically though when someone is willing to walk in faith towards God those around us who aren’t spiritually minded will eventually get a chance to see how the Lord truly was leading us.

Remember how we left Paul and his sailing companions getting ready to leave the harbor when the soft south wind picked up?

Acts 27:14 But not long after, a tempestuous head wind arose, called Euroclydon. 15 So when the ship was caught, and could not head into the wind, we let her drive. 16 And running under the shelter of an island called Clauda, we secured the skiff with difficulty. 17 When they had taken it on board, they used cables to undergird the ship; and fearing lest they should run aground on the Syrtis Sands, they struck sail and so were driven. 18 And because we were exceedingly tempest–tossed, the next day they lightened the ship. 19 On the third day we threw the ship’s tackle overboard with our own hands. 20 Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up. 21 ¶ But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, "Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. 22 "And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 "For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, 24 "saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 25 "Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. 26 "However, we must run aground on a certain island."

I love verse 21 "Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss."

This is what I call a godly I told you so. Paul is not gloating here, he is reminding them about who got it right because now he wishes to encourage them and it is important that they see he hears from the Lord.

Notice now he adds to why he feels the journey will be completed. His God has a certain destiny for him that all these other men are now caught up in.

Paul must go to see Caesar and these men are in the boat with him. These men will be spared for Paul’s sake.

It is possible when we are walking with God in faith for others to get caught up in our wave of destiny.

God really is that big and that at work in us. The question is will we walk in our own understanding, or will we walk in faith with God?

Our influence grows as we begin to put our trust in the Lord and speak about where our confidence comes from.

That is what happened for Paul.

After they left harbor they ran into trouble as we read, and then later they have even more trouble and the sailors are about to abandon ship. When Paul tells the soldiers to not let anyone off the ship or else the promise does not stand the soldiers cut the ropes to the small boat and trap everyone on board.

The number of people on the ship is 276 and now all of a sudden everyone is taking their lead from Paul.

The road to influence is not knowledge itself. It is a walk with God.

Effective witnessing begins at our walk and then our talk confirms who and what we are about and as others see us yielding to God as opposed to human reasoning, they are able to eventually be impacted according to the work of the Spirit.

This is why we can do our daily lives and still carry the impact of God’s kingdom with us wherever we go.

But this will require that we seek God out of relationship and not out of duty.

Paul knew what he did because he sought the Lord out of relationship.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

The word made alive t us is what persuades us.

If we are not feasting on His word from a desire to know Him we will be persuaded by culture, entertainment, peers, etc.

Knowing Him is what positions us to be persuaded of Spiritual things that carry the weight of eternity with them.

I want to be persuaded like Paul was.

2Timothy 1:12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

If we are persuaded of Him will we not be ashamed of Him.

I promise you all who the Spirit reveals Him to will not find us strange. They will find common ground.

2Timothy 1:5 when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.

What are you persuaded of? Whatever it is when others are asked about you that is thing that will mark you the most.

Paul and Timothy were marked by their faith. They were persuaded men who lived out what they believed. My prayer is that we will be persuaded of Him and draw closer as a result.

My Faith is My Destiny Part Three

In our story from Acts 27 Paul was over ruled by human reasoning.

Paul approached the Centurion because Paul was convinced by God. But the Centurion was not a man who reasoned by the Spirit. He was not a man of faith and thus could not go with Paul’s advice.

Human reasoning tends to go against faith. In the case of the story we just read from Acts that is what we find.

(JB Phillips) 1Corinthians 2:14 But the unspiritual man simply cannot accept the matters which the Spirit deals with—they just don’t make sense to him, for, after all, you must be spiritual to see spiritual things.

Ironically though when someone is willing to walk in faith towards God those around us who aren’t spiritually minded will eventually get a chance to see how the Lord truly was leading us.

Remember how we left Paul and his sailing companions getting ready to leave the harbor when the soft south wind picked up?

Acts 27:14 But not long after, a tempestuous head wind arose, called Euroclydon. 15 So when the ship was caught, and could not head into the wind, we let her drive. 16 And running under the shelter of an island called Clauda, we secured the skiff with difficulty. 17 When they had taken it on board, they used cables to undergird the ship; and fearing lest they should run aground on the Syrtis Sands, they struck sail and so were driven. 18 And because we were exceedingly tempest–tossed, the next day they lightened the ship. 19 On the third day we threw the ship’s tackle overboard with our own hands. 20 Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up. 21 ¶ But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, "Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. 22 "And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 "For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, 24 "saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 25 "Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. 26 "However, we must run aground on a certain island."

I love verse 21 "Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss.

This is what I call a godly I told you so. Paul is not gloating here, he is reminding them about who got it right because now he wishes to encourage them and it is important that they see he hears from the Lord.

Notice now he adds to why he feels the journey will be completed. His God has a certain destiny for him that all these other men are now caught up in.

Paul must go to see Caesar and these men are in the boat with him. These men will be spared for Paul’s sake.

It is possible when we are walking with God in faith for others to get caught up in our wave of destiny.

God really is that big and that at work in us. The question is will we walk in our own understanding, or will we walk in faith with God?

Our influence grows as we begin to put our trust in the Lord and speak about where our confidence comes from.

That is what happened for Paul.

My Faith is My Destiny Part Two

In the previous post we established the first example of how human reason operates, now we move on to the remaining three examples in our story. Another attribute of human reasoning is:

2. Our circumstances. Acts 27:12a

And because the harbor was not suitable to winter in,

These guys were convinced the harbor they were in at the present was not fit to winter in. They are being pressed by their circumstances.

How many times have we launched out in a decision about something simply based on the inconvenience of the moment, the uncomfortable circumstances we find ourselves in, a situation gone bad, or even what may be perceived as everything going right?

Human reasoning wants to consider the angles and then make the decision.

3. Popular Opinion or Numbers. Acts 27:12b

the majority advised to set sail from there also, if by any means they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete opening toward the southwest and northwest, and winter there.

The majority advised. How often have we been at a place where we heard the truth but a majority of dissenters persuaded us not to believe it.

Or, perhaps we were getting it wrong and the majority was in agreement with it?

Either way when it comes to human reasoning these things tend to be the criteria for knowing what is right and acting on it.


4. Immediate circumstances confirming the decision. Acts 27:13

When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their desire, putting out to sea, they sailed close by Crete.

When a south wind blew softly! Sometimes after we have reasoned the matter out it appears that all is going well and things are running smoothly. It’s at these times that we begin to brag about the soundness of our decision. We become convinced we did the right thing.

But remember that when we set out on human reasoning although everything looks right at the start, if all starts to go wrong where will our reason takes us then?

Anytime we rely on our own reasoning and do not act in faith we have already began a process that is wrong.

Hebrew 11:6 It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that He exists and that He cares enough to respond to those who seek him.

My Faith is My Destiny

I never get tired of laughing at football fans who although their team has no hope of winning the coveted prize they still hold up their index finger to the camera and scream we’re number one.

They are persuaded that their team is the best. What are you persuaded of?

Our destiny in the Lord is only realized through faith and those around us on our journey are impacted by the things we are persuaded of. I want us to examine how human reason persuades us if we are not walking by faith in our relationship to Christ. Human reason can ruin not only our lives but the lives of others.

Acts 27:9 Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, "Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives." 11 Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul. 12 ¶ And because the harbor was not suitable to winter in, the majority advised to set sail from there also, if by any means they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete opening toward the southwest and northwest, and winter there. 13 When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their desire, putting out to sea, they sailed close by Crete.

More Persuaded! A powerful expression because when someone is persuaded of something, that is what they act on.

Outlined for us are the reasons why the centurion was less persuaded by Paul than the other two men, and it reveals the process of human reasoning.

1. The sources from which the information comes. Vs. 11

Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul.

Human reasoning naturally considers the source providing information. Paul is not a sailor he is a man of God. What could he possibly know about sailing?

But Paul’s comment isn’t based in any knowledge of sailing, it is based on His walk with God.

Human reasoning cannot go there.

Established in the Lord! Part Three

Every time we become wise in our own eyes and lean to our own understanding we destroy faith, we crush our belief in God.

Just like Israel’s sources for input had a negative effect, the source of our input matters as it pertains to our faith for obedience.

When we allow belief to be crushed by wrong input and bad sources we become unable to move forward.

Just as rebellion is the fruit of unbelief. Honorable and good accomplishments are the fruit of believing the right things. Victory is the fruit of believing God.

2Chronicles 20:20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper."

Jehoshaphat is a leader with a really strange battle plan. He is promising the people they will not have to fight. He wants to go out and face an enemy that greatly outnumbers him and he wants to send out standard bearers and singers as his front lines.

Now either Jehoshaphat hates musicians and banner carriers or he believes something. God’s people in Jerusalem had to believe and their belief was based on their input.

We need to recognize two significant promises uttered here.

1) Believe in the Lord your God and you shall be established! This is personal stuff here. This is not believe in the Lord my God. Jehoshaphat makes sure they understand they belong to the Lord. Being established is a personal relationship matter with God. We need to be able to trust Him on the basis of being His.

2) Believe in His prophets and you shall prosper. The word prosper could easily be interpreted as succeed. Prophets spoke the word of the Lord. They were the mouth piece of the Lord as it were. A more accurate modern understanding and application would be to place emphasis on believing the Word of God. We still have prophets today as well but even more than that we have the tested, proven, and inspired Word of God.

The battle for Israel was not Ammon and Moab on that day. It was what they would believe.

By arresting any thoughts that opposed what Jehoshaphat said, they were able to move forward in an obedience born of faith, and thus witnessed a great grace and victory from the Lord.

Is your faith moving you forward or are you standing still in your obedience towards the truth today?

Established in the Lord! Part Two

Our hearts are moved by what we believe. This effects our emotions. This is why sometimes it takes time for something to sink in before the emotions catch up to us.

I know now that my belief effects my emotions, just as I know that when I do not believe what I hear I have no feeling about it.
Our emotions are equally effected by both belief, and unbelief.

Something else in us is greatly effected by these two forces at work in us. Our actions!

Perhaps this is best demonstrated by what we see regarding Israel in the Bible. Israel had come up out of Egypt after 400 years of cruel bondage and witnessed many miracles, even the destruction of their captors. But, that generation refused to believe God.

Deuteronomy 1:32 "Yet, for all that, you did not believe the LORD your God,

Rebellion is the poster child of unbelief.

Kids who begin to think that their parents just want to spoil their fun cease to listen to their parents advice and instruction and will even oppose their parents. What is the problem? What the child believes about mom or dad and their motives.

If you change what is being believed, an issue no longer exist. Rebellion ceases. Our obedience is directly effected by what we believe.

Deuteronomy 9:23 "Likewise, when the LORD sent you from Kadesh Barnea, saying, ‘Go up and possess the land which I have given you,’ then you rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God, and you did not believe Him nor obey His voice.

Moses is cataloguing Israel’s rebellion against the Lord in this chapter. Why did they rebel? They did not believe!

They did not believe so they did not obey. But not believing is no excuse when we give an account to God. God still held them responsible for their lack of obedience, He just let’s them know that He knows why they did it.

If we had read the whole story Moses spoke we would discover that each offence he mentions involves Israel listening to and believing the wrong people. They listened to rebels when they made the calf, they listened to rebels when they followed after Korah’s rebellion, and they listened to the wrong spies about the land God wanted to give them.

They listened to everyone but God and God’s appointed leadership for them.

Established in the Lord!

Whenever we struggle to overcome something in life we usually seek to know why we cannot seem to overcome it. In such cases the tendency is to run to human reasoning for answers which usually leads to blaming others, or finding some excuse for why change cannot occur.

Sometimes the answers are so simple they allude us. I want to demonstrate from the Word of God how one simple truth reveals what it is that hinders us most of the time, if not always.

Have you ever felt emotionally numb when an occasion should have really stirred some sort of response such as remorse, or sadness, or joy and excitement in you?

Jacob loved Joseph dearly. He had many years before been told that Joseph had been killed, and shown a bloody coat of many colors as proof.

Jacob believed the story he had first been told by his other sons regarding Joseph’s death and he mourned greatly over it. Now, many years later, good news comes in. “Joseph is alive!”

One would think that Jacob would dance a jig and throw a party!
But look at how Jacob responds to such good news.

Genesis 45:26 And they told him, saying, "Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt." And Jacob’s heart stood still, because he did not believe them.

What exactly does it mean that Jacobs heart stood still?

It means that Jacob felt nothing. Jacob was numb to such news. There was no response, no emotion, nothing.

Why is Jacobs response to such good news hindered? It tells us. “Because he did not believe them.”

We have no real response to things when we do not stand in faith believing the report we receive. We are unable to rejoice, or to shed tears of joy, or tears of sadness when we do not believe.

Our hearts are moved by what we believe. This effects our emotions. This is why sometimes it takes time for something to sink in before the emotions catch up to us.

I know now that my belief effects my emotions, just as I know that when I do not believe what I hear I have no feeling about it.
Our emotions are equally effected by both belief, and unbelief.

The Bailey Family

This great family started with us as Matt Bailey and Kelly Reese. The two met and married and have become a wonderful family over the years.

Matt & Kelly serve our youth by leading our Living Stones Teens group, and I might add doing a great job. We are so blessed to have them with us.

On September 9th they added an addition to their family. Little Hannah Grace was born weighing in at 7lbs and 14oz.

The Bailey's are loved at Harvest Church. Matt, Kelly, Lydia, David and now Hannah Grace are appreciated for all that bring to us, but even more so for who they.

There is a such a grace on their lives. Hannah Grace literally means grace, grace.

I don't have time to go into the journey leading up to this gift, but I will tell of how a Scottish Prophet named Joe Ewen came and laid hands on Kelly's stomach and declared grace grace not knowing what this child would be named. God knows the little ones even in the womb by name! How great is our God!?

This family's existence is a testimony of His goodness and grace and we are grateful and proud to have them at Harvest Church.

Congratulations on your new addition Bailey's may she bring abundant joy into your home, and may she live up to her name throughout her life. God's grace be with you.

What Does My Way Of Life Say About My Faith Part Three

Matthew 21:31b Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. 32 "For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.

These men were not looking for this! They thought this was a safe question unlike the first one asked.

They probably thought that having the right answer would prove they knew their stuff, and would disarm Jesus.

Jesus confronts these leaders on the basis of obedience to the truth. He just destroyed their religiously correct views by making it a matter of what one does, not just what one says.

John came to you in the way of righteousness...

What does that mean? John came to you with a walk to match the talk and he spoke the truth in step with Scripture to you.

These leaders heard a righteous man but did not act on what they heard. More than that, lives had been changed by the truth John had spoken and they were witnesses to this, and still would not believe.

Why did they not act on it? They did not believe.

Bottom line is simply, God is not moved by good words He is moved by obedience to His word.

James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

If we hear truth and do not walk in it we become deceived.

Matthew 12:35 "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

Beware a talk without the walk. Idle words are those things spoken but not acted on.

It is what we do with our lives that tells the truth about who we are, and what we really believe. God is all about obedient faith.

Ephesians 4:28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.

If we say Jesus is Lord without acting on His word to us, how are we any different than these leaders Jesus rebuked? We are still in unbelief and unable to produce the fruit of repentance.

Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

Luke 6:46 "But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?

Doing the truth is not optional to the true believer.

If you are like the first son who said no I will not go, you can also be like the first son and choose to repent and go after all.

It’s not too late to obey.

What Does My Way Of Life Say About My Faith Part Two

Matthew 21:25 "The baptism of John––where was it from? From heaven or from men?" And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 "But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet." 27 So they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know." And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

If they lived what they talked they could have answered instantly without hesitation. But they live for popularity. Beware when reasoning must take place before answering a simple question. These men were weighing the outcome. They knew the right answer but rather than give it and become accountable they would rather avoid it to try to save face. These men knew what was at stake.

You cannot run from the truth forever. Beware your sin shall find you out. Being religiously correct will betray a person in time. God knows how to get at the heart of any person no matter how much they try to hide what they really believe.

Matthew 21:28 ¶ "But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ 29 "He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 "Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. 31a "Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said to Him, "The first."

Answering a question about John the Baptist is too risky for these popularity loving leaders. So Jesus made it easier for them.

No one can catch us in a lie better than God. That is exactly what happens here. These leaders are living a lie. They are not walking in faith and obedience.

They thought they dodged the very pointed first question, and likely feel they hit this second one out of the park. This second question seems safe to answer for them, but it reveals that they have knowledge and just do not wish to act on it themselves.

Find out in our next post how Jesus responds to their lack of obedience to the truth.

What Does My Way Of Life Say About My Faith

As Americans we understand the term politically correct. It is when an idea whether wrong or right has the masses behind it and thus it becomes popular to speak about it to gain their support.

It comes from the desire to be popular, to appeal to the masses. Having a record of acting on it isn’t as important as speaking about it. But this is not isolated to only politically driven issues.

It is possible to fall into being religiously correct. A person can say the right things, like things heard in church, and have no actions to prove they truly believe what they are saying.

Matthew 21:23 ¶ Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?"

Unlike the religiously correct chief priests and elders Jesus is a doer of the word. Doers of the word create problems for the religiously correct.

Obedient people intimidate those who live in theory. These big talking leaders aren’t happy with the obedient teacher in their territory. So they decide to confront him.

"By what authority, are you doing these things?" You should underline doing these things in your Bible. They acknowledge Jesus is walking the talk.

I love the wisdom in how Jesus handled this.

Matthew 21:24 But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things:

Jesus sets up a situation that will reveal the hearts of these leaders who are challenging His teaching and work. His question will is meant to respectfully expose their religiously correct ways and disarm their opposition to Him.

In our next post we will see how He handles their deception.

The Buyck's

Let me introduce you to a great couple who have been part of Harvest for six years. Tim & Delana Buyck! Their family came to us from Martinsville, Virginia through a series of circumstances that just seemed to be orchestrated by God.

We have enjoyed getting to know them over the years and have been in their home having gatherings and simple fellowship. They are truly fun to be around and easy to be with.

Their hospitality has touched many and there are those who have been touched by this couple behind the scenes. They have never sought out the applause of others in serving, they just enjoy being a blessing.

I am sad to announce that they will be leaving us soon for Charleston SC as Tim has a new job awaiting him there. This couple will be sorely missed by our fellowship. They are greatly loved by all.

We give thanks to the Father for the time He allowed us together and we pray for their continued blessing in life.

Tim & Delana we love you!

Band Aids for Gaping Wounds Part Five

Today you are unlikely to hear popular preachers use the word sin and make any attempt to call anyone to repentance from sin into eternal life in Christ Jesus. They will cry and speak of wanting to improve peoples lives or make them better, but never mention sin.

If we think heart disease or cancer or aids is bad we have not even began to understand the curse and horror of sin. Sin is what will be judged by God on the great day of His wrath.

Eternal life and eternal damnation are real! Hell and Heaven are not just fairy tale stories that are designed to stir up fear or pleasant thoughts.

The most revered message ever preached in American history was the one delivered by Jonathan Edwards in early American history. What was his title?

Sinners in the hands of an angry God. There’s a book title for you.

This man was so moved by the plight of sinners should they die in their sin without Christ that he would rather risk unpopularity than have their blood on his hands.

So powerful was this pure gospel message that it is recorded that people screamed out as they experienced visions of hell and even claimed to feel the flames of hell reaching up to snatch them.

What was the fruit? Hundreds repented with the fruits of a changed life to follow.

Habits and issues are nothing to repent of. They may or may not be bad for you, and have little or nothing to do with your separation from God.

It is our sin that has separated us and every man that has yet to put his faith in Christ for deliverance from sin is under the very curse of sin from birth.

We are sinners by nature, from birth. There are no alternative cures for this condition, there are no natural remedies for the spiritual death that resides in all mankind apart from Christ.

People all around us are under the very wrath of God. You may walk by someone in the mall this week who is passing you with the invisible cloud of God’s wrath on their shoulders.

Jesus was aware of this, How aware are we?

John 3:36 "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

Hell rejoices over the numbing effect of business and ignorance so rampant in churches today.

Every time a popular preacher stands and speaks of anything but the curse of sin and the remedy of Christ it is the demons of hell who rejoice, not the angels of heaven.

Modern Christianity thinks it takes hundreds at an altar call for ambiguity before heaven can rejoice, but the Scripture still teaches us that the angels of heaven rejoice over one sinner who repents and turns to Jesus Christ!

Why?

They know for certain that one sinner could not have come unless the Father was at work and they ever live to glorify the work of the Father and of Christ!

Hope for a better life has never been the message of the gospel. Hope for a better end in eternity has. Jesus invites sinners to come to Him with no guarantee that doing so will iron out all the wrinkles of difficulty and hardship in this life.

He does promise though to lift the wrath of God from them, to give them eternal life, and to release them from the just punishment of hell and grant them that they might forever be with the Father in heaven when this life is over.

All are under sin, the Father does the drawing, the truth does the seeding, the Spirit waters and Christ gives life. Have you come to Him for life?

Have your sins been blotted out?

Band Aids for Gaping Wounds Part Four

We live in a society filled with an avoidance gospel. A gospel that is not the good news as a result of learning that my sin is sending me into Hell, and that Jesus took on my sin debt so that the wrath of God could be removed from my life.

The false prophets of our day think that making people feel good, or better about themselves is what improves their lives, as if that is what the gospel is about.

The gospel is about what it cost God to cure the disease of sin in man.

Our generations more popular preachers are literally putting band aids on life threatening, gaping wounds, and thinking they are doing people some sort of good!

Peace, peace they say! Sin is too harsh a word, they say. It’s not mine to judge they cry. I just want to help people feel better about themselves they proclaim.

Well we can give a cancer victim more morphine to ease their momentary pain, but it will not rid them of the very disease that is taking their life away.

Listen to what Jesus says, (Message)
Matthew 7:13 "Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. 14 The way to life—to God!—is
vigorous and requires total attention. 15 ¶ "Be wary of false preachers who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity. Chances are they are out to rip you off some way or other. Don’t be impressed with charisma; look for character. 16 Who preachers are is the main thing, not what they say. A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your pocketbook. These diseased trees with their bad apples are going to be chopped down and burned.

What would you think about a doctor, who had a patient dying with cancer and only days to live, and he smiled and told that patient, “there is a small issue in your body that is hindering your better health now. I know it is just a small issue, but wouldn’t you like to have your better health now?”

Peace, peace! Band aids for life threatening gashes! Where is the awareness of death, of life, of eternity?

When was the last time you heard a message from a TV preacher that even mentioned hell in it?
Jesus thought this subject was so important that it was one of his most mentioned truths.

Eternal life and eternal damnation are important issues needing to be addressed in our time just as they were in any other.

Band Aids for Gaping Wounds Part Three

We hear the heralded preachers on TV address habits, hindrances and issues, but seldom ever do they address sin. They call people to respond to messages of better living, but fail to address mans true need which is deliverance from sin. They are like those in Jeremiahs day.

Jeremiah 6:13 "Everyone’s after the dishonest dollar, little people and big people alike. Prophets and priests and everyone in between twist words and doctor truth. 14 My people are broken—shattered!—and they put on band-aids, Saying, ‘It’s not so bad. You’ll be just fine.’ But things are not ‘just fine’!

Israel had been in rebellion against God for years. The nation was sinning against God. They had left off those things which mattered to God, and had adopted their own sense of right and wrong. Meanwhile, there were prophets and priests who were telling the people how much God loved them and was going to bless them. Peace, peace they were crying.

Jeremiah was trying to warn the nation that unless they repented judgment would come upon them. Jeremiah was letting them know the true state of their condition. Jeremiah was attempting to get them to see their great need for repentance and faith in God.

The false men, however, were contradicting Jeremiah. They likely discredited him by labeling him a cynical, unloving and judgmental man. But Jeremiah was willing to address the real issue that was stealing the soul of Israel and sending the nation into captivity.

The people wanted momentary peace at any price. They wanted the feel good messages of the false prophets of their day, and the false prophets wanted popularity over truth. It was a perfect mix for deception. They did not know they were diseased with sin.

Isn’t it odd that many of the diseases that take the lives of so many today can go undetected in the body? Heart disease is known as the “silent killer.”

I’ve known of people who went most of their lives not knowing a cancer was developing in their body until one day all of a sudden a sharp pain, or regular doctors visit revealed the truth.
Sometimes there a small warning signs, but we largely ignore them because we do not want to hear what we think is bad news.

We want Peace, peace! But there is no true peace. Just deeply buried reality beneath the shifting sands of ignorance and flattery.

Until I know the disease is there how do I do know to deal with it? How do I know to call on the Lord for His help against it?

Band Aids for Gaping Wounds Part Two

Luke 6:20 ¶ Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: "Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh. 22 Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man’s sake. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets. 24 "But woe to you who are rich, For you have received your consolation. 25 Woe to you who are full, For you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, For you shall mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets.

Because we have the Spirit we know that Jesus is dealing with those who live for the now. Those who want to have heaven on earth in a sense. We don’t find Jesus making elaborate attempts to clarify His communications with the people. He let what He said stand just as He said it. If they were able to receive it then the Holy Spirit was at work in them making them able. If they were not able, then they were without the Spirits revelation. Jesus did not dumb it down, or repackage it for them in an effort to reach more of them.

The fact is there are people who know they need something and those who think they have it already.

Jesus was not conducting a felt needs ministry when he was stating these things. He was teaching us that those who have not discovered their true needs will not find His offer of any value. The Holy Spirit makes us aware of the truth and reveals to us Christ.

To rightly speak the word takes faith on our part. It takes faith to believe that the word rightly spoken and kept true is all the Father needs to work in the heart of someone He is drawing to Christ.

John 6:37 "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

John 6:44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

Can anyone come to Jesus without the Father drawing him?

A change of tactics, or twisting of words will not produce the fruit of salvation. The Holy Spirit works through the truth of God’s word in the heart. Either the Father is working in them, or He is not. This frees us to simply speak the truth in love and let God do the work of bringing in those who are meant to come in.

Band Aids for Gaping Wounds

The Scriptures teach us that in the last days deception will be on the rise, false teaching will increase.

2 Timothy 3:12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Failure to accept the counsel and authority of Scripture leads to deception. The only way to avoid the great deception is to be in the word of God, submitted to the truth it teaches.

When someone speaks without being a student of the word, they are deceived, thinking they are wise enough on their own to speak on behalf of God to others. This is the greatest arrogance. To speak apart from the word of God.

I wonder how Jesus would be received today if He were to come and say the same things He spoke in His own day? Would the masses listen to Him and follow Him as disciples?

Luke 6:20 ¶ Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: "Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh. 22 Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man’s sake. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets. 24 "But woe to you who are rich, For you have received your consolation. 25 Woe to you who are full, For you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, For you shall mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets.

The Great Deception Part Five

Why do we feel we have to prove we are good to other men? Why can’t we rest in God’s goodness? Could it have something to do with self interest, or too much Self awareness? May God have mercy on us. May God deliver us from ourselves. Good deeds do not make us good.

Matthew 7:21 ¶ "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 "Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 "And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’


God wants us to lose ourselves in Christ! He desires that we become so identified with Jesus, that we lose our self awareness.

It is self awareness that fuels our need to be recognized, appreciated, and seen as being good by other men.

Trying to measure up, trying to obtain being good based on, “good deeds,” is exhausting. Not that when we are in Christ we will not do good things.

Grace cries out, “who will turn to Jesus and be declared good by God on the basis of Christ' finished work?”

It is still true, “there is none righteous no not one, there is none that does good.” If we define good the way God defines good we will save ourselves much grief and frustration.

All roads do not lead to God, and good acts do not make us good.

I’m all for kindness, we need all we can get. But let’s not be fooled. We need the God who is Good, not just good acts from ourselves or others.

He is the author of all that is good, because only God is good.

Are you exhausted from trying to keep up with what society calls good, or the church calls good? Maybe it’s time to change our thinking to match what the Scriptures teach about good.

Maybe this is why Jesus said , “Come to me all you who labor, and I will give you rest.”

Have you abandoned yourself to Him? Have you put the full weight of all your trust in what He has done for you?

The Great Deception Part Four

"There is only One who is good, and that is God."

This turns our attention and faith to the matter of having a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

If we misunderstand this we will accuse God of being unfair in His judgment against sinners. If you begin to accept good as society presents it, you struggle to understand why anyone who does good deeds should perish.

You will gloss over the fact that it is matter of separation, not a lack of good deeds that will result in eternal damnation.

In his deception, man insists on his own good in order to escape the reality of his sin and separation from God.

The atheist declares there is no God in an attempt to delude himself in to thinking he can escape judgment. In like manner well meaning people have deluded themselves with the idea that they are in some way good within themselves, based on good deeds.

If they are good because they do good things, why would they need Jesus as a Savior? If their kind acts prove they are better than evil men, shouldn’t they be worthy of heaven?

More men are damned by this lie today than any other I know of.

Hell has enlarged itself with those who thought doing “good things” was all they needed. They never turned to Jesus so that their sins might be blotted out, because they could not see their sin. It is arrogance to conclude that just because I do what man has called good things, that I am not as other men.

Luke 18:10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men––extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 ‘I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

I am convinced, that the number one deception that will send men to hell with little to no resistance, will be the great lie that man is basically good, and all the more so, when he does good deeds.

I can’t be all that bad, I support good causes! I donate my time to the rescue mission once a month! I give my money to aides research! I live green! I recycle! I give to the hungry!

Some are so aware of all the good that they do, they are blind to their need for a Savior.

This deception of what it means to be good is in the church as well. I hear men speak of how they are helping God in the earth with all the good works they do. They need no one else praise them, they can do that well enough on their own. But this creates a problem when they think these things are what prove they are good.

The Angel Ewing family.

Angel, Jasmyne, Jordan & Sadie.

What a blessing this family has been to us at Harvest Church.

I remember teaching this young woman as a little girl in Sunday School many years ago. My wife as well taught her older sister in her fifth grade Sunday School class.

To see Angel so passionatley serving Christ and devotedly raising her children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord is truly a thing of beauty.

As a single mom it is never easy, Angel has risen against the odds and is proving that with God all things are possible.

The kids are such a delight to behold and interact with. God has been gracious to this family and He has been gracious to Harvest Church in bringing them to us.

Angel serves wherever she is needed. She is a moral boost wherever she goes. Her life within and without our fellowship has received recognition for her diligence and hard work. She is the real deal.

What a godly example this family has been. They have risen against great odds in the help of the Holy Spirit, and they are a wonderful encouragement to anyone who knows them.

I know they encourage me greatly!

The Great Deception Part Three

At the point of creation good had nothing to do with an act of any kind. While Adam enjoyed close relationship with God, Adam was good. But as soon as that bond was severed what was once good, became bad.

So, where does our concept of good come from?

For the world, good is in all human beings from birth unless circumstances and environment turn them into something bad.

But Biblically, sin is resident in human beings from birth. God’s perspective is, that we are born into sin. We do not later on inherit it, we come into this world with it already at work in us. There is no good in us because there is no God in us. We are not born the temple of the Living God until we have received Jesus Christ and are born again from above.

So how do we explain unsaved people doing things that are commonly defined as good in our society?

Is it possible for a sinner to think of others, and be polite?

Many Christians make the mistake of thinking, that only believers are nice and polite and generous. This is due to a profound lack of sound doctrine in churches today. Primarily, a misunderstanding of how to define what good is, and where it comes from.

I’ve known sinners who were more generous and thoughtful than some Christians I have encountered.

1 Corinthians 13 reveals that Christians can be as self centered as any sinner is in their acts of kindness towards others.

The passage presents an argument that proves doing good things, does not make us good. Good things can be done without love.

Jesus said that many would come to Him in that day and say, “Lord, Lord, have we not…”

Now this does not mean that sinners or believers should cease from doing good things for others. In fact, the truth is, the more Christ is formed in a believer, the more they find it possible to do for others in life from a pure motive.

The difference between a believer and a sinner should be in our understanding of where good comes from, and on what basis anyone would be seen by God, as good.

The Great Deception Part Two

Matthew 19:17 ¶ Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" 18 So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.

There is only One who is good. God alone is good. But what about the goodness of men? Could not Jesus be called good for all the great things He was doing for others?

According to Jesus, that is not an accurate understanding of good.

In creation, every time God created He stated it was good. Concerning man it says, he, was made in God’s image. But through the fall of Adam, all that was once known as good became bad. It became bad at the core of it’s being.

Through Adam sin entered the human race. No one escapes their human heritage. Our great…………...grandfather left us something. It is called the state of sin.

Romans 3:9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. 10 As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one."

This is not to say that in the time of Paul the Apostle there were not charitable acts being carried out by human beings in the earth.

Knowing this, I think it is safe to say, all the good deeds one can do will never account for being good in the sight of God, since good is directly associated with God, and not an action.

To clearly define something there must be an original source for it’s existence. This is true of good as much as it is anything else.

When we speak of good, we must, if we are honest, go to the original source of good and let the source define good for us.

For mankind the original and only source of good is God Himself.

Based on Adams sin all that was once seen as good by God, became bad at it’s core and mankind from that time till now is according to the Holy Spirit, “under sin, and there are none who does good.”

So we see two connections here. One: good is associated with God Himself, and Two: the absence of good is associated with the condition of being “under sin.”

The Great Deception Part One

I wish to draw a contrast between man’s idea of goodness, and God’s idea of goodness. Getting this wrong is dangerous whether saved, or not.

There is good as God defines it, and there is good as mankind defines it, and we will have to make a choice about which one we will allow to shape us. So we should explore the doctrine of God’s goodness, and the doctrine of original sin in man.

There is a modern day infatuation with those who do what modern society defines as good.

Animal rights activism is at an all time high, especially among those in Hollywood, and within the music industry. Performers who sing songs and actors and actresses who promote causes against animal cruelty feel that it magnifies their goodness. The Bible says, the righteous are kind to their animals, but it does not say, all who are kind to their animals are righteous.

There are bumper stickers that read: do random acts of kindness, love your mother earth, save the whales, or go green.

Going green! There’s a big one today. If you are really good you will drive an expensive hybrid car, live by candle light instead of incandescent lights, use solar power at home, plant trees, oppose oil companies, and hate republicans. That can define you as being good.

When Christmas season hits many will achieve goodness by donating time and great sums of money to the homeless of society.

This worldly standard for goodness can effect the church tends as well. An evangelist may think all who witness daily are good. An intercessor may feel all who gather in groups several times a week to pray, are good. Maybe it is generosity for another, or perhaps study that implies goodness. This implies we are good based on what we do, or do not, do. So what happens if you fail to do it as much as someone else? Who sets the standard?
Although acts of kindness are needed in society, should these things determine whether or not a person is good?

Jesus went about doing good, and healing all who were sick and oppressed of the devil.

He provided free health care for the sick, free emotional healing for the mentally and spiritually oppressed, free meals for the tired and poor, free services to poor widows who lost their only sons, free eye care, free services for the hearing impaired, free services for the physically handicapped, free tax assistance, and he caused a rich tax collector to give money to the poor. He would be the ultimate modern day presidential candidate.

Jesus met all the modern day criteria for what defines good. There were those in His generation who felt He was good. But they called Jesus good based on what He did. How did He respond?

Matthew 19:17 ¶ Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" 18 So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.

Is Our Choices Leading Us Astray

iChurch: All We Like Sheep
by Skye Jethani

I don't drink coffee but that hasn't stopped me from using the Starbucks across the street from my church as a second office. I sip my overpriced beverage in the armchair near the window. On this afternoon I was meeting Greg and Margaret*—members of our church I'd worked with closely for the last few years.
"We've decided to leave Blanchard," Greg started. "For two months we've been church shopping." Church shopping—where did that dastardly term come from? I thought while gazing out the window at the swarm of suburbanites fluttering between The Gap, Banana Republic, Barnes & Noble, and Williams-Sonoma.
"We really love Blanchard," Margaret added to soften the blow. "It's been a great church for our family, with a wonderful children's program. Greg and I really like it, but our boys are teenagers now and they prefer the music at Faith Community*." I took a sip of my preferred drink—a tall, no whip, Tazo chai latte. Maybe I should have gotten the low cal, non-fat, grande Earl Grey, with Splenda.
Margaret continued, "Faith Community has so much to offer our family, and I think it's really important to go someplace the boys like. When your kids are teenagers, you'll understand." Having played the evangelical trump card (the kids), Margaret sat back in her chair believing no further discussion was necessary.
"What are you going to do when your boys leave home in a few years?" I asked.
"I'm not sure," said Greg. "Maybe we'll come back to Blanchard."
"I hope you don't," I replied, meaning no malice. I did, however, relish the stunned look on their faces, if just for a moment. "I hope that you commit yourselves so fully to Faith Community—building strong relationships, serving with your gifts, participating in its mission—that you could never see yourselves leaving that church. I really believe God grows us most when we are committed to a community."
For the next hour we had a difficult but edifying conversation about their decision to leave. Then I prayed for Greg and Margaret in the middle of Starbucks, and watched from my chair by the window as they drove away in their SUV, a chrome fish on the tailgate.

If God

Has anyone been following the Summer Olympics this year?

America has an amazing swimmer on the men’s team. His name is Michael Phelps and he has broken the gold medal count record and has set new world records 7 out of 8 wins. He was invincible. During the teams race, having Michael on the team pretty much guaranteed victory, when he swam he would pull so far ahead of the others that his teammates couldn’t lose.

To have such a capable person on your side in the race can lead to a real sense of stability, and confidence. If Michael is for us who can be against us. Sounds a lot like,

Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

A profound truth that is seldom realized, but greatly needed. I need this truth. You need this truth.

To realize this truth we must understand something of the nature of God in it.

Our attempts to get something from it without seeing God’s nature revealed in it, will be like an old man without teeth trying to gum an apple to get nourishment. Try as he may, without teeth that apple will do him no good.

The nature of God is the teeth of this glorious truth in Romans 8.

For it to say who can be against us does not mean that no one will be. It is not implying that we will never again know hardship and that every situation will work out according to what we desire.

Implied is, “who can be against us and totally defeat us?” Who can contest what God has done? This confidence is rooted in who God is, and what He has committed to do.

Defeating Condemnation

Romans 8:33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

Satan, the grand accuser of the brethren is disarmed in this! How can Satan stand up to the very God, who Himself, justified us by His own blood?

When I was in elementary school I was an honor student consistently. But one semester I actually struggled with a subject and ended up with a C.

The school Principle, as an object lesson for me, decided to have me come to his office and make me announce over the loud speaker to the entire school that I had made a C, I was mortified. I cried and was devastated by having to do this.

In essence, that Principle condemned me that day. He basically deemed me as a loser in front of the whole school.

When my dad got wind of this, he was outraged. My brothers were upset, but they couldn't do anything about it. But, my dad visited that principle unannounced to me. It turned out that my dad went into his office, drug him across his own desk, and told him he would publicly apologize to me over the loud speaker to the whole school, and he had better never embarrass me like that again. So, while in class the loud speaker came on and a very shaky voiced Principle loudly apologized to me before the entire school for what he did.

When someone is seeking to condemn you or I, we need someone great to take up our defense.

Who is he that condemns? Remember how the 8th chapter of Romans begins?

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Condemnation rests on all who are without Christ! But for us who are in Christ, there is none to be found. This is true freedom!

LET ANOTHER MAN PRAISE YOU!

Proverbs 27:2
Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips.









Well, I am not a stranger to this amazing family, but I am another man. I wish to take just a moment and recognize a faithful family at Harvest Church.

Dr. Doug Damron, his wife Cheryl, and their three Kids, Chris, Katherine and Christina have all faithfully been faithful servants to others at Harvest, for many years now.

This family goes out of their way to be a blessing to others. Since their arrival from Virginia I have watched them grow and become increasingly more gifted in their giving to others. We are so blessed to have them at Harvest Church.

Most if not all would testify they have somehow been on the receiving end of the wonderful care, compassion and love this family is capable of pouring out. I know that their compassion and faithfulness is an outpouring of the Spirit of Christ in their lives and I just wanted to take a moment to express my thanks to God for their labor in Him.

What a joy to have such faithful and loving members in a church body. May the Lord give them even more grace and pour out His incredible love and blessings upon them.

Living Faithfully in the time of the part while waiting for that which is perfect to come.

"That holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." {#Luke 1:35}



1Corinthians 13:10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.



What do these verses have in common? They each use neuter genders to describe their subjects. A neuter gender is believed to be a non personal description yet we find here in Luke it is used very specifically as a personal description. It is describing Jesus as a babe in the womb.



The question is: Is it such a leap to consider that a neuter gender used this way in Luke could also be used in the same way in 1 Corinthians 13:10?



The camp that believes the gifts of the Spirit are no longer for today, and who denounce any idea of a post salvation Baptism of the Spirit being valid, generally use this argument as a basis for their belief.



They argue that the canonizing of Scripture fulfilled the, "that which is perfect," aspect. Yet, I never knew the Bible had a face for if we continued to read on in Corinthians we would discover that whatever the perfect thing is, it has a face, "for then we shall see face to face."



It makes so much more sense to see that passage as referring to when Jesus returns and gives all of us glorified bodies, and completes the process of our perfection by finalizing our spiritual consummation. "We shall all be changed," the Scripture says.



Even if I could perfectly embrace the process of sanctification in this life and never find myself in any sort of opposition to the work of the Spirit in bringing me to the place God wants me to walk in the flesh, I would still not have attained the perfection spoken of here in Corinthians.



This mortality must put on immortality. This tent called the body, is not yet renewed, it is perishing, for if it had been renewed and made alive as my spirit has, it too would already possess eternal attributes. It would not perish. My spirit already possesses the promises of being imperishable. I am an eternal being in Christ. But my body must also undergo transformation, and the promise of that occurrence hinges on His soon return. "When we see Him we shall be like Him."



Until then, I must have the work of the Holy Spirit in my life along with the working of His gifts which lead to encouragement and are useful in the execution of the ministry He has entrusted to me.



Perhaps it is more arrogant to think one could execute any type of spiritual ministry without the promised help of the Holy Spirit and His gifts, than it is to embrace both Him and them.



I think I will unashamedly continue to believe that I need to be, "being filled with the Spirit," and I need His gifts at work both, in and through me.

JB Phillips 1John 1:7 But if we really are living in the same light in which he eternally exists, then we have true fellowship with each other, and the blood which his son Jesus shed for us keeps us clean from all sin.

Walking in the light. Great concept but more often than not, just that, a concept.

Darkness cannot maintain it's place when there is an infusion of light. Place a light overhead in the center of a darkened room, turn it on, and amazingly the darkness flees.

The Light, however, requires that it take center place to dispell the darkness through out the entire room.

Place that Light in a corner and you will see light in the room, but not all the room will be brightly lit. To acheive maximum effectiveness the Light must take center place. Here in 1 John that is the concept we are being given. Christ at center place. If we read the preceding verses to this key passage we find:

JB Phillips 1 John 1:5 ¶ Here, then, is the message which we heard from him, and now proclaim to you: GOD IS LIGHT and no shadow of darkness can exist in him. 6 Consequently, if we were to say that we enjoyed fellowship with him and still went on living in darkness, we should be both telling and living a lie.

I love how the prophet Isaiah understood it. Isaiah 49:6 Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’"

Coming into New Life in Christ is a supernatural transformation that dispells darkness. Somehow in our generation we have managed to twist the Holy reality of being born again and set free, into meaning that we can engage in darkness now without recompense. Yet the Biblical idea is that the New Life is full of light, and therefore when in fellowship with Him who is the Light, we will not seek out darkness to dwell in...for light dispells darkness.

I wonder how many are telling that lie? "If we say we enjoy fellowship with Him and yet continue living in darkness, we should be both telling and living a lie."

Being a believer in Christ is not a social status. It is a Holy Calling! He is the Light and to walk with Him is to walk in the Light!

2Corinthians 4:2 But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

Willing to Be Considered a Failure?

"And all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished...And they understood none of these things." {#Lu 18:31,34}

God called Jesus Christ to what seemed unmitigated disaster. Jesus Christ called his disciples to see him put to death; he led every one of them to the place where their hearts were broken. Jesus Christ’s life was an absolute failure from every standpoint but God’s. But what seemed failure from man’s standpoint was a tremendous triumph from God’s, because God’s purpose is never man’s purpose.

Quote from Oswald Chambers - My Utmost for His Highest

Sometimes we fight hard against the prospect of being seen as failures in our ministry, or in our personal lives. The great magnetism of what would appear to be success as defined by men pulls strongly at us. We become caught in it's field of polarity. This world seeks to polarize us to it's standards of success, to the ideas of it's own appearances of greatness.

Meanwhile, the pull of the Holy Spirit seeks to take us further to a place where less of me exists and more of Him can be seen. God is not hung up on what appears to be my success in the eyes of men. He is hung up on my getting a right view of the successful obedience of Christ Jesus.

Jesus died with His followers scattered and hiding in fear. In the upper room a mere 120 gathered with any sort of hope. Where were the great crowds of His yesterdays? At His trial it is possible that the crowd crying out, "crucify him, crucify him," consisted of at least some of the ones who had eaten of the fish and loaves. One thing we know for certain, the miracle seekers of yesterdays did not join the 120 in the upper room to wait for the promise. Yet despite what appeared as absoulte failure to men, God the Father was well pleased with.

Jesus laid everything aside for the glory of the Father. He chose no reputation for Himself so that the reputation of God might not be sullied in any way.

Whose reputation are you and I living for?