I will bless the Lord

This morning I was reading in one of the devotions that I do Psalm 34:1-4 where David is encouraging the people of God to bless the Lord.  Praise is such a great thing to do and be part of.  It releases the presence of God and His power.  I did not grow up in a tradition of praise and worship.  So it was not something that I understood when I first came to know the Lord.  However over time it has become such an intregal part of my life.  Everyday I try to set aside time to worship and praise the Lord.  It lifts my spirit and brings me into closer fellowship with the Lord.  I love private and corporate times of worship.  There is something powerful when you are part of a group prasing the Lord.  David obviously was a worshipper.  You can feel his passion for the Lord in every line of every Psalm he wrote.  Passion for the Lord is not something that can be manufactured it is born out of worship and deep communion with God.  David's heart is exposed in the psalms.  My question for myself and others is, "Is my heart after God?"  I trust that it is but if at times you find your passion waining.  Sing songs of praise and worship and you will find it return as you praise the Lord.

What is an evil man

Today in my deovtions I spent some time in Psalm 14.  David outlines here the charactertistics of an evil man.  The evil man says there is no God and thus has no moral compasses.  An evil man is one that turns away from God and follows either idols or their own thoughts.  An evil man is corrupt and every one around them is hurt by them.  An evil man never learns from their mistakes and they blame others for what happens to them.  Evil doers try to frsutrate the plans of the righteous but God will overcome them.  Daniel 11:32 states that those who know their God will be strong and do exploits.  I love being a Christian.  I love having divine power and help near by.  I love having access to divine power within my life and being.  To know the same resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead is dwelling in me is so wonderful.  The privilege of being a temple of the Holy Spirit is mind boggling.  Today let us learn from David and avoid being evil.  Years ago, a friend of mine named Gordon Wiebe, sang a song called, "I want to be a more righteous man." Let this be our motto in life.

I wait for your answer.

In my morning devotion I was looking at Psalm 5 which happens to be one of my favorite Psalms.  David is waiting in expectation for the Lord to answer his prayers.  I love the fact that prayer is the most powerful vehicle in which God moves.  He wants to answer our prayers and meet the needs of our world.  Prayer is that time we receive clarity and understanding of the will of God.  I have found that it in my time of prayer that everything becomes clear.  I know what the will of God is for me that day.  I know exactly what God wants and how to preceed.  Prayer gives me so much clarity it is scary at times.  My exhortation for you today is when you go to prayer today ask the Lord to make things clear on His will.  He will and you will accomplish so much more.  The secret is expectation.  You expect God to hear you and speak to you.  Most times it comes through the word, but also it can come through direct impression.  You just know what God wants and then you go and do it.  So today spend time with God and expect to know His perfect and acceptable will. 

Do not Fear

This morning in my morning devotion I was looking at Psalm 3, where David is telling us that we have nothing to fear.  Fear as you are aware is a spirit and we can overome it through spiritual means.  First, you submit yourself to God, then you take authority in the name of Jesus and command fear to leave you as you resist it in His name.  Then you stand iin that victory.  Everytime fear appears you remind it that is has been conquered and stay in that victory.  Fear will then be replaced by love, power and a sound mind.  Every spiritual adversary can be defeated through this means.  I love the fact that as a Christian I have divine help in every situation.  When I lack wisdom to deal with a situation all I have to do is ask and that wisdom comes.  Widsom, faith, power are all divine characterisrics that can be communicated to us for His praise and glory.  As a Christian each one of us has all of heaven ready to help us in this life.  So we are never alone and despite what any enemy may say, God will deliver us.  So today walk in victory, power authority and the anointing and see the enemy run from you everytime. 

God's Best

Yesterday, I had the privilege to see the people of Alberta exercise their right to vote and we elected an old government in a new form at least that is what the current party in power has told us.  Truthfully it will be more of the same old thing.  Which the people of this province prefer.  It is the devil that you know verses the devil you do not know.  This article this morning is however not about government but being the best for God.  Being the best for God means that you give Him and show your best.  Paul says that we have been bought with a price and we should gloryify him in our bodies.  This means our time, talents and resources should belong to God.  Everything we have should be at his disposal.  Often this is not the case but our best should belong to Him.  When Jesus Christ died on the cross God gave us His best, I believe we should only give our best in return.  My wife Lois was ordained on Sunday and I know that in her life she has only given God the best.  I have been an observer of this fact for three decades.  I would love to present my wife as a test case.  If she can do it so can you.  Give your best to God not because He needs it but because those around you need it. 

How to look at a woman.

I was reading this morning in Job 31:1, that Job had made a covenant with his eyes that he would never look at a woman the wrong way.  Jesus said, if we look at a woman with lust in our heart that we have sinned.  God has made it very clear how we are to approach this sybject.  Now 80% of men struglle with this problem from time to time in their lives so how do we overcome it.  It is neither simple or easy.  First, you must make a decision you are not going to be overcomed but to overcome this problem.  An act of the will is the first step, next you need to make yourself accountable to another person.  Accountability means you are not alone in this problem.  Thirdly, whenever the temptation arises, think on holy, righteous, pure and lovely thoughts.  Fourthly at that time quote scripture.  Each time the feelings or temptation comes do this and you will find that the temptation will be less and less until it disappears or rarely comes around.  Job did and God gave him the victory and you can have it as well. 

Three things to do.

In my morning devotions today.  I was thinking about Nehemiah and how he was called to a task of touching and reaching his world.  Neheniah was disturbed over the condition of the walls of Jerusalem.  He decided he wanted to do something about it.  He did three things to show God he was serious about what he was doing.  First, he mourned, then he fasted and lastly he prayed.  Many of us have great concern about what is happening in our world's but not enough to do something about it.  When was the last time you mourned over your world, fasted to see change and then prayed for God's guidance.  I have discovered that talk is easy, actions are much harder.  It is time for action.  Our family and freinds are going to a lost eternity.  Our world is in turmoil and things are not going to get better unless some of God's people get serious.  I have heard many Christian lament over things, we have complain and even said, "Well that is the way it is."  I believe we can and will change our world's.  I also believe that God is waiting for us because the last great move of God is about to happen and we will be caught unawares.  So do these three things and be a world changer. 

A time such as this.

This morning in my deovtions I was reading the book of Esther especially the part found in Esther 4:14, where Mordecai reminds Esther that God place her where she was for a reason.  Where we are in our lives at this time is for something special.  I have not believed since I became a Christian in chance, circumstances or luck.  I believe that everything happens for a reason.  I believe we are where we are and what we are going through has a purpose behind it.  Some things are not good but they work out for good.  Rom 8:28, teaches that all things work together for good.  We just have to do a little thing like trust the Lord.  Esther was raised up to touch her world and save her peole and she did.  We have been raised up to touch our world and to save those who are in our sphere of influence.  We are to tell them about Jesus and live the Christian life in their presence.  We may be the only bible they ever read.  Paul called us "living epistles."  I often ask myself this question, "What do people read and see when they see my life?"  A hard question because I know I really do blow it sometimes.  I have to trust God to clean up my mistakes.  Today remember you have been raised up for a time like this.  You are God's ambassador to your world.  Bring righteousness, peace and joy into your world. 

Turn back to God.

Every morning I write a blog on AM 930 the Light.  It contains my thoughts and the devotion for the day.  Today I was reading about how Ezra and the people of Judah were confessing their sins and turning back to God.  It was a great day for that land.  Last night I went to a concert with Luke Dowler and the crowd was not as large as I wanted it to be.  I was sitting there and thought this is not good.  Here I lived in a city of 60,000 people and lived in the Edmonton Metroplex and this is the crowd we get for such a great talent.  Then I talked to God for a moment and realize that something was terribly wrong.  I came to the conclusion that the prayer covering over the church I serve, the city I live in and the metroplex was down.  That is when I determined that no matter how long it takes and how many hours have to be spent I would do my part and pray and then call people to pray for St. Albert, Edmonton and Alberta.  Thus the reason for this blog today.  We are losing ground in every area and the reason is simple.  The people of God are not praying and if we are, we are not praying enough, strong enough or we are very feeble in our attempt.  Now I cannot speak for anyone else but I know this is true in my life.  I know I could do better and making excuses will not change the situation.  James says we must be doers of the word and not just talkers.  Excuses and talk will not change the spiritual atmosphere over our communities, only prayer.  I have been so convicted even while I am writing this, I am in an attitude of prayer.  Will you join me?  Will you take up the challenge and refuse to allow you family, your church, your community to continue to slide into this morally bankrupt condition?  Prayer is the answer and you are as well.  Get off your backside and on your knees.  There is no excuse for us not to do it and our world's need to change and the wonderful thing is we can change it when we pray.

Foundation for life.

In my devotions this morning I was reading about the rebuilding of the temple under the leadership of Ezra and Zerubabbel, I just love that name.  These two men had the privilege to rebuild and start again.  That is what redemption is all about, new beginnings and rebuilding lives.  Everyday you and I get the opportunity to not repeat the mistakes of yesterday.  Hopefully we are a little smarter and wiser today than we were yesterday.  I have discovered that we should only live our lives one day at a time.  Everday should be fully lived out for the Lord.  Our thoughts, attitudes, words and actions should reflect this reality.  I had a friend who was only 15 years old and one night he decided to go for a ride with all his teenage friends.  They went for a drive in the hills west of where we lived.  The car went out of control and landed up on its roof.  My friend crawled out and helped all the passengers of the car out and then he sat down on the side of the road and passed out.  He never woke up.  He suffered a hit on the head that caused a massive brain injury that killed him within five minutes.  When he went for that drive that night he never thought for a moment that it would be the last drive he would ever make.  He was only 15.  I was 14 at the time and for some reason I did not go that night with him but I never forgot the shock and disbelief I felt when I heard the news.  It was  this and other similar things that made me think of my eternity and future.  This an other incidents brought me to Christ when I was 17 and it is the thing that drives me to reach as many people as I can for Christ.  I do not want a single person to go to a lost eternity.  Today build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ and let Him use you to touch others for His praise and glory.  You may only have today to do it.

With God all things are possible.

This morning I was reading about how Ezra was called by God to re-educate the people of Judah and Isarel in the things of the Lord.  He and Zerubabbel, I love his name were called by God to build the temple and rebuild the nation of Israel.  This would be giant task in both the spiritual and physical realm.  Some would say an almost impossible task.  That is why I love the Lord, He is the God of the impossible.  When He calls you to a task, He will not only call you but give you all the resources of heaven to help you.  This is a promise that I have held onto my entire life.  In every situation I have found myself, I have needed God and still need Him.  I have been called to the city of St. Albert to rebuild and re-establish His church and most times it seems impossible but with God on my side the job will be done.  I am learning to live in prayer and not to let the task seem impossible.  Today I do not know what you are facing but I want you to know that God is able and you need to call on Him with all your heart and let Him help you.  He is the God of the impossible.

A Night with Jesus!

This morning on the Am 930 the Light Website I saw a adverstisement for a "Night with Jesus,."  It was a prayer meeting with music before.  I do that every week at our church but I love the way the organizer put it.  He viewed himself as a tour guide and he was leading the people to Jesus.  Great angle.  I wish I would have thought of it.  I just love the creativity of people and I will probably use this concept.  What caught me was he was inviting us to spend time with Jesus.  As I write this article I feel the Spirit prompting me to invite you to spend time with Jesus.  Not the Jesus many people in our North American society present but the real Jesus of the Bible.  The man who walked with sinners and publicans.  The Jesus who healed the sick, cleanse the leper and lame.  The Jesus who wept at the condition of His fellow man.  The Jesus who poured His life into others.  The Jesus who walked in unconditional love, accpetance and forgiveness.  The Jesus who died on behalf of others.  The Jesus I see presented in many churches today is not the Jesus of the Bible.  He is not the Jesus of financial success, large homes, promotion of programs and the bigger and better.  The Jesus I see in the Bible did not have a home, He did not have money.  He was an itinerant preacher with a small band of followers.  He was all about others not self.  Now maybe my view is a bit child like and ideal.  But to tell the truth I am a bit tired of what I see going on in His name and have decided to chuck the whole thing myself for a simpler life and view.  Today, I do encourage you to spend a night with Jesus and find out what He wants you to do with your life and then go from there.  I know one thing if you are serious, your life will look different that it currently does.   

David a man after God's own heart.

This morning in my devotions I was looking at King David.  David's testimony was he was a man after God's own heart.  David was a worshipper.  He was a man who knew how to repent.  He kept very short accounts with God.  You will never become like David until you have a heart like David.  David work very hard on his relationship with God.  You get a picture of that relationship through out the Psalm.  David never held anything back.  He was passionate, opinionated and real in his discussion with God.  He lived his faith out with passion.  Passionate faith is powerful bcause it changes both us and those around us.  Today have a passionate faith.  Never settle for second best.  Jesus encouraged us to love the Lord with every fibre of our being in Matt 22:37-40.  Heart felt faith is what God looks for not head driven.  Be passionate and you will see miracles in your lives and those you serve for the glory of God.   

Jabez

I love the passage about Jabez.  When I was in my first church, I came across this passage and at the time I wanted to write an expose on him but never got around to it.  A few years later a man named Bruce Wilkinson wrote a small book about him and it became a world best seller.  That is one time I really missed the mark.  I have no regrets though because I have had the influence God intended for me at this time.  I love Jabez because of what he asked.  He asked God to bless him and enlarge his territory.  Jabez understood the power of influence.  He wanted to change his world.  Next, he wanted God to have his hand upon him.  A true person of prayer knows we cannot go through life successfully without the Lord's assistance.  We will never be able to defeat our enemies without Him.  Thirdly, he did not want any pain or harm.  Jabez knew that the Lord was the great protector.  Faith is the key.  When you operate in faith and you will see God at work.  Cal Bombay stated that we are bullet proof until God decides otherwise.  The last statement here is that God granted Jabez's request.  Many God grant your request today as you seek His face.  The writer of Hebrews puts it so beautiful.  The Lord will never turn aside a diligent seeker.  So seek the Lord with all you heart and see His goodness.

God for us.

This morning I was reading in my devotions about how Hezekiah overcame the Assyrians army with the power of the Lord.  The story goes that the armies of the Assyrians were at the door of the city of Jerusalem.  They were threatening the city with destruction.  Hezekiah was outgunned and outmanned.  He had no place to go but to the Lord.  That is a great place to be.  When you have run out of your resources then the power God is able.  Hezekiah humbled himself and prayed and the Lord intervened and the end of the story is that an angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assryian soldiers and they left in defeat.  The Lord got the glory and we see God at work.  I do not know what enemies you are facing but God is able.  No mountain, valley, trial, problem or temptation will overcome you when you trust in the Lord.  So trust the Lord today and get the victory.  It may involve like Hezekiah a little letting go of the pride but God will answer a humble and contrite heart.  Let that heart but yours. 

Serve the Lord.

Here is it now the 9th day of April.  The year of 2012 is moving along way to fast and there is so much to do and so many lives to impact.  Yesterday of course was Easter.  The celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The greatest day in history.  Today is the application of the resurrection.  We must have resurrection power working in our lives to impact others.  The power of God is the only thing that is going to change our world's  You have obviously figured out that I believe in being a world changer.  I do not want to change every one else's world, I just want to change my own.  By faith all those who come  into contact with me will be diffferent after they leave my presence.  Hopefully the change will be for the better.  I want people to be glad I came, not glad I left.  Righteousness is such a powerful thing.  When it is working in your life it has a profound effect on you and those who you come into contact with.  Power and righteousness.  God's tools to help you change others for His glory and praise.  The real change begins with you.  You cannot effectively influence others around you unless you have been influenced yourself.  Let God change you and then be His instrument of change in your world. 

Today is the time for Victory

As I have written before.  Saturday is the day I pray for revival and God to move in my world.  My world consists of those that I come into contact with.  Today I will spend time with families.  Today I have to go to the hospital and prepare a family for eternity. After that I will visit a family who just lost their small child to a tragic accident and their other child is hanging on to life by a thread.  Then I will go to a family celebration to enjoy Easter.  Talk about mental gear shifting.  None of this could be done without the power of prayer.  In every situation I go only in the power of the Lord.  Life is never fair, it is never predictable and never as we hoped it will turn out.  There are ups and downs, surprises and personal tragedies.  The only constant in the unpredictability of life is the Lord.  He will never forsake us or leave us.  He is the strength we have in the harshness of life.  I wish I could say that for the Christian that life is always rosy and good.  It is not.  We have an adversary who will do all he can to destroy us.  We have a world that cares only for the itself.  The people in our world's are often self centered and fickle yet God is true.  In the past two years, I have seen more selfishness, inconsistency, lying and infantile behavior than I have ever seen in my life demonstrated in the lives of so called mature Christians yet God is constant.  Our family itself has experienced cancer, lost of loved ones and personal reverses yet God is constant.  Today whatever is going on in your world.  God can and will be your rock, foundation, fortress and deliverer.  He will be constant and true.  He has been for me and He will be for you.  

Good Friday

Good Friday is one of those names that has a double meaning.  It is good because Jesus Christ would die and give mankind eternal life.  It is bad because someone had to die because of our sin.  Jesus Christ was God`s solution to this gap that exists between us and God.  This gap was created because we chose to rebel against God`s simple instructions.  This problem stills exists today.  God makes it very simple.  Believe and repent.  We complicated it by adding our perspectives to it.  We try to better ourselves, explain away the problem or just ignore it.  Sin does not go away, it does not take a holiday and it will not be satisfied until it completely destroys you.  Sin always takes you places where you think you would ever go, makes you do things you never thought you would do and become the kind of person you never thought you would be.  In the last year our daughter presented us with a lovely grand daughter.  I cannot imagine her anything but being a fine Christian citizen.  When we see babies and little children we could never seen them as pushers, thieves, rapists, drug addicts and murderers.  Yet somehow it happens.  What went wrong?  Sin.  Sin destroyed them from the inside out and they became what they currently are.  The powerful thing is that they do not have to stay that way.  Jesus Christ came to set people free from sin and recreate them for the glory of God.  All the sins, hurts and lifestyle of the past can be in one moment forgiven and an individual can start fresh and new.  I love redemption for that.  We can stop the madness and start again.  Good Friday and Easter are all about that.  So today enjoy every part of this weekend but remember the reason for the season is Jesus not the Easter Bunny.

Busy Busy Busy.

Yesterday was such a busy day.  I spent some of the morning correcting a minor error in the news format.  Actually Johnny Rocket was able to do that for me.  I am such a technotard.  My new word.  Then I ran from one thing to the next and of course the last thing we did was enjoy the Watoto Children's Choir.  Such a great time.  It was a real experience.  Jesus truly has done miracles in their young lives.  I was moved by the fact that these children had been rescued and healed through the power of Jesus Christ.  Even as I write this blog, I feel His power.  Jesus is so wonderful.  I love how He transform lives.  I am so excited to see that happen in our community and world.  God gave us a promise that in the last days He would pour out His spirit upon all flesh.  I am looking forward to that moment when He says, "Alberta it is your turn."  Pow, wham and there is a revival and a great move of God changing our society for the better.  The secret of this happening is prayer.  Praying for ourselves, families, churches and communities.  Praying that God will change us from the inside out and refusing to let go of God until He blesses us.  Being like Jacob and putting a head lock on God and refusing to let go until the blessing comes.  Jesus was sent for the salvation of mankind and we are agents of that message.  Let us bring it to our world's both in word and deed.  Transformation as I saw last night happens one person at a time. 

Food for thought!

Here we are already at April 2, and the first quarter of year is gone.  Yesterday, the April Fools joke was that in Edmonton we had snow.  Today I was thinking about the charge that David gave his son Solomon just before David died.  He told Solomon to be strong and serve the Lord with all his heart.  He reminded Solomon to make sure the Lord was in charge of all he did.  David charged Solomon to walk in the ways ot the Lord as was written in the Bible.  David then tolld him that if a person followed this advice that they would have succes in all they did for the Lord.  I took home through this advice that it was my responsibility to help my family to walk in the ways of the Lord.  All of us were to serve the Lord with all we had.  Lastly, I learned that the Lord had to be on the throne of my heart in all things and ways.  Everyday we live we are one day closer to the coming of the Lord.  In my thinking there is no time for half measures any longer.  Today we must serve the Lord because a lost and dying world needs the message of Christ and we are the ones who are given the task of telling them.  I know I will not fail if I can help it.  I hope you feel the same way.