Living a 220 life

Digital Devo: The hard times dont last forever

Click here to hear the message:The hard times dont last forever

Making it through the worst day of your life

It’s getting pretty late at night and I should be in bed, but the Lord has laid this message upon my heart. I’ve learned, when He does this I won’t get to sleep until I share the message. Friends, the message is this: Jesus wants us to follow His example. He’s given us numerous lessons in scripture but the one example He wants me to share tonight is from Luke 5:15-16.

“However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities,” (v.15) Friends, the message here is that Jesus had tough days at work also. He had long hours and frustrating encounters with people. (pharisees for one) His life wasn’t a bed of roses. When you’re suffering through the worst day of your life, when your boss is simply unrelenting, when the bills are mounting against you, when the kids are possessed (not literally I hope), when the world just seems to be going in the other direction from you, Jesus understands. He’s been there. He offers us an example of what to do during times like this.

“So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.” (v16) So many people turn to everything but God during these times. Friends, follow His example and withraw often, in order to pray to your Father. You may not believe me, but as you practice this simple but powerful spiritual discipline you’ll find it changing your life. As you spend time with the Master you’ll find Him holding those crumbling walls from crushing you. The bills may remain, but He provides. The boss may remain, but He calms. The debt may still be there, but He provides contentment. The kids will still be there, but they eventually turn 18. (Just kidding, I have 4 amazing kids who bless me every day)

Honestly though folks, Jesus is so much stronger than you or I and yet He withdrew often. How can we expect to make it if we don’t withdraw often in order to pray? Let me challenge you: Make a commitment to pray at least 10 minutes a day for 30 days and see if the Lord doesn’t transform your life. He is in the business of changing hearts and will likely soften pieces of yours you didn’t even know were hard. Trust Him…Spend time with Him…fall passionately in love with Him. AMEN!

Urgent Prayer request/Family sentenced to Death

My beloved friends, I have a dire prayer request for you. The muslim interpreter I’ve been speaking with about Christ has come under attack. He has been here under a false name in order to protect his family still living in Iraq. None of his family know he’s here as an interpreter because of the safety issues. The terrorists have been beheading interpreters and their families for working with the Americans. Well, it appears his name has been released and his 20 unsuspecting relatives are now marked for death. If his name has indeed fallen into the hands of the terrorists it’s only a matter of days before his entire family is beheaded.

Friends, this is where you come into play. I’ve been talking to him about the power that comes when we pray to Jesus the Christ. He’s been willing to listen to me but until now it’s been more to humor me. Now, he has hit such deperation he’s willing to try anything. Friends, we need to go to our loving Jesus and pray for a miraculous intervention in this muslim family. My interpreter is in need of a miracle and our Jesus is in the business of performing miracles.

Friends, please pray Jesus intervenes and makes Himself completely evident to this family. Pray the entire family comes to recognize Jesus as the Christ AND the person responsible for saving all their lives. Also, please pray for my interpreter and a peace. This is real folks. His entire family stands to be killed because of his actions. This is a huge burden to carry and he needs Jesus’s intervention. I pray we will all see the glory of our Lord through this trying time. AMEN!

His way or mine?

“Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Mark 8:32-33

Oh my friends in the Lord, how often we do just as Peter did here. We get something in our minds and pursue it with blinders on; OR better yet, we work through our plan, logically walking through every step, convincing ourselves it’s the Lord’s will, all the while never seeking Him for an answer. Let me tell you right now, if you’re not seeking the Lord’s guidance in prayer then you’re not in His will. The Lord’s will is that your heart seeks Him without ceasing. This can’t be done if you’re not in regular prayer.

Jesus offers us a great example of how to overcome this worldly mindset. First, Jesus immediately recognized thinking that was not of God. Jesus spent so much time with the Father that when something not of the Father was presented He immediately recognized it. Second, Jesus immediately rebuked the worldly thought. We must not allow our materialistic desires even an inch. Rebuke those thoughts immediatley. Third, Jesus knew where His temptation lied. We see this in the garden when Jesus asks that the cup be removed if it is the Father’s will. Dieing on the cross was tough for Jesus. When Peter offers a way around it Jesus denies the easy way and willingly takes the difficult path that is the Fathers’ way.

Friends, let me encourage you to spend as much time with the Lord as possible. The only way you will move closer to Him and further from worldly thoughts is through transforming time with Jesus. Just rest at His feet, falling passionately in love with Him. Let us not grow so arrogant as to convince God our way is the best way. Release control and allow Him to guide you through prayer. Though you may not be openly rebuking Jesus as Peter did, your actions and decisions without prayerful consideration are just as much a rebuke as Peter’s. Friends, we need to pray more. AMEN!

How YOU can literally change the world

My friends, I’ve been in the book of Numbers recently and have found an amazing example of power; power great enough to change our world. I know the book of Numbers isn’t typically an awe inspiring book however, Moses’ example as presented in Numbers is amazing and it’s applicable for us today. Before I get into the scripture revealing the power available to us, I must preface two verses that led Moses to the power verse.

The first verse is describing the character of Moses. Numbers 12:3 states, “Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.” This verse lays the bedrock of the power we have available to us. The second preface verse, Numbers 16:28, demonstrates this humility when we read, “By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will.” Friends, the teaching point we MUST GRASP from Moses is this: He clearly understood his own inability to do anything and equally understood God’s ability to do everything through him. Do you see this? Moses’ humility was actually a true understanding of reality. Moses understood he was weak and could NOT do much on his own. Humility doesn’t stop at self pity or self denunciation, no, that’s where satan wants us to stop. True humility must equally see the Lords ability to do ALL things through US!

When we fully understand and believe we can do nothing on our own and God wants to do all things through us, we can step into the power verse; Numbers 16:46-48, “So Moses said to Aaron, ‘Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put incense on it, and take it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from the Lord. The plague has begun.’ Then Aaron took it as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and already the plague had begun among the people. So he put in the incense and made atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living; so the plague was stopped.”

Oh people of the Lord, don’t you see what happened here? Moses prayed (the incense) and altered what God had already begun. We are all heirs in God’s kingdom and have this same right to come to Him in prayer expecting our prayer’s to be answered. God wants to receive all the glory on earth and does when He does all things through us. God receives none of the glory when WE do great things. Moses acknowledged he did nothing on his own and therefore relied on God to do ALL things.

Friends, when we pray, we are inviting God to be glorified in us and through us. No hidden agendas can be present; no, we must rid ourselves of the pride that desires to do things on our own. Acknowledge right now that you can do nothing and He can do anything He desires through you; regularly go to Him in faithful prayer and see if God doesn’t use you to change the world for His glory! AMEN!