Looking For Air In A Season Of Adjustments

Since taking over The Snack Shack as a church ministry life has been all about adjustment. Adjustment to keep my spiritual disciplines. Adjustment to guard some precious wife and family time. Adjustment to finding ways to be available for people. Social media commitments. Blogging. Home schooling commitments. Financial adjustment. Health adjustment. Energy adjustment. I have not yet found the key for all these adjustments.

On top of this, Melodie-Joy is struggling with her job. Not that it has anything to do with her but it seems she just can't catch a break. She feels the financial and time constraint pressures (managing a job, two babies, two full time students and two part time). She is a wonder woman but the adjustments are not easy.

All this to say it is a time of crying out to the Lord for strength, assurance, energy, direction and hope. In the flesh things may look a bit dark but we are not directed by our flesh. We are so thankful that we can wake every day knowing that our hope is real and ongoing each and every day. Our future is not crafted by our hands but by the Lords. I am not the captain of my own destiny and I make a conscience effort every day to keep it that way.

Jesus did not promise me comfort or ease and I have not sought for it, although there have been times I have longed for it. Life can never be about taking short cuts to make it easier for me. Jesus did not take short cuts and there was purpose in everything the Father directed him to do, and I am a follower of Jesus. Having failed in the past, I press on with a desire never to fail him again. And that is all we can do. Press on with a passionate desire to serve him truly and always.

One of the most powerful and encouraging verses concerning this subject was penned by Paul the apostle in one of his last letters as he sat in a Roman prison. After all he had been through, Paul simply stated:

"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." (2 Timothy 1:12)

At the end of that, that is what it is all about. If we every lose that relationship, nothing else has any worth. May we experience and operate in the assurance of our relationship with Jesus today. God bless.

What Does It Take To Beat The Odds?

Life is pretty good when everything is in your favour. It is a time of growth, expansion, prosperity. It is easy to worship Jesus, to sing and pray. Being surrounded by people who love and encourage you allows you to be who you were meant to become. It is easy to maintain a great attitude and to walk in faith. But what about when things go wrong? What happens when people come against you and there are circumstances as big as mountains in front of you? What if you are in a hostile environment where no one believes in you or lends you any encouragement and support? Can you still pray, worship, sing, trust and walk in faith? I hope so, because it is one of the keys to success in Jesus.

You have to have a solid relationship with Jesus if you expect to be able to stand in the storms of life. You can't have a simple relationship of acknowledging his existence, praying over your food, attending church and trying to be good. That isn't a relationship at all; it is a system. A relationship is where you get to know Jesus; everything you can know about him. You trust his promises and act on them. You spend a good amount of time with him and realize he is always with you so you chat all day long. We become dependent on our friends and so we learn how to trust and lean on Jesus. But we also realize that he is more than a friend.

Jesus paid for us. I realize that sounds funny but we belonged to Satan. Jesus went into the enemy's camp and ransomed us with his own life. He paid for us and we now belong to him because in the nature of things "man" never belongs to himself. We may think we can be our own god and be the captains of our own destiny but it is all a lie. We belong to someone and Jesus made it possible for us to belong to him. In belonging to him then we should want the most intimate relationship possible and when we have such a relationship we realize that Jesus will see us through anything. The great kings of Judah knew this.

Asa was one of the good guys. He purged the kingdom of anything that was not related to Yahweh. Like some of the kings before him, he did some house cleaning and he encouraged the people to obey Yahweh. He knew what was good for his people and he set the example. As a result, Yahweh allowed him to enjoy a time of peace. He spent that time building and fortifying cities. Asa knew he lived in hostile times and that peace comes and goes, so he prepared for the worse. And then it happened.

Judah was invaded by an Ethiopian army, over one million three hundred thousand strong. King Asa had an army of over five hundred thousand. Talk about a bad day. They were outnumbered almost 3 to 1. In the flesh things looked hopeless. All of us can relate to having faced hopeless looking situations. But Asa had a fantastic relationship with Yahweh. His faith was not just a "fair weather" faith. Asa trusted Yahweh.

And Asa cried out to the Lord his God, and said, “Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!” (2 Chronicles 14:11)

I really appreciate that prayer, "It is nothing for you to help". What appears to be impossible for use to face, deal with or overcome,is nothing for our God. It is Asa's knowledge of Yahweh and the incredible relationship that he had that allowed Asa to trust. Asa knew his history and was able to say with great confidence, "whether with many or with those who have no power". In fact, if you understand the history of Israel you will quickly take note that Yahweh prefers to use the least in order that he will receive the greater glory.

Needless to say Yahweh responded and sent the Ethiopians fleeing. Asa defeated them so soundly that they could not recover. This experience, instead of destroying Asa, prospered him as he came away with a lot more than he went in with. This is how it is with the challenges we face. We think these things are to defeat us but Yahweh always uses the victory in these things to increase us. Don't ever forget this scripture:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

I am not going to pretend everything is all butterflies and daffodils in life. Some people are dealt a really hard hand and must make the best of it. Some days are filled with despair as hope seems to be sucked dry from us. Sometimes it seems there is no direction to head in and we see no purpose in going on. But these are the lies of the enemy designed to keep our eyes down, on ourselves, instead lifted up to see Jesus. However we cannot know this, see it, understand it or walk in it if we have a "system" relationship with Jesus.

If you want a relationship that will allow a growing faith, a faith that permits you to know that Jesus will overcome everything for you, then you have to focus on Jesus. In fact, do some house cleaning. Get rid of anything and everything that distracts you from Jesus. If it is not used in the relationship development or in the out reach to others then trash it. When you dedicate yourself fully to the Lord you are able to experience him fully. If you want to be strong and unbeatable in the good and bad days then develop a relationship of trust. As long as you want both the world and Jesus you will never experience the kind of faith you need to prosper spiritually. Seek him with all your heart and get rid of all your other gods. Faith gets you going and trust will sustain you in the relationship.

The Discouragement The Morning After

Do we not understand that everything in this world is bent on our destruction? Not that we need to be concerned about it because Jesus is our protector, but we need to at least be aware that we live and breathe in a hostile environment. When we walk in the light, any brush with darkness has the potential to discourage us. This is the reason why the day after great spiritual breakthroughs it can seem to be filled with so much discouragement.That's when it is good to remember Jesus' promise:

I have told you this, so that you might have peace in your hearts because of me. While you are in the world, you will have to suffer. But cheer up! I have defeated the world. (John 16:33)

The darkness may be bent on our destruction but that's because it has already been defeated by Jesus. It is too bad that we can so easily be distracted from the truth of who we are in Jesus and what Jesus has made possible through him. Yes, each day is a great challenge but the challenge is to keep our focus on the source of all things; the source of joy, hope, peace, and power. Paul asked:

If God is on our side, can anyone be against us? God did not keep back his own Son, but he gave him for us. If God did this, won’t he freely give us everything else? (Romans 8:31-32)

We are deep in the Spirit, surrounded by Jesus Christ and every promise he has given. Don't philosophy about it. The promises were given to us to act on every single day of our life. Because our Father has given us the Son, he also freely gives us everything else, including joy in the midst of the darkness. Paul continues to ask:

If God says his chosen ones are acceptable to him, can anyone bring charges against them? Or can anyone condemn them? No indeed! Christ died and was raised to life, and now he is at God’s right side, speaking to him for us. Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, suffering, and hard times, or hunger and nakedness, or danger and death? (vv. 33-35)

When we come away from an incredible spiritual experience with Jesus Christ, we are not coming away from Jesus. We are simply walking through the darkness where it is easier to be distracted by its limited attractions. We still walk in the Spirit, are still surrounded by the promises, are still under Jesus' protection, are still blessed and partake in all the benefits of a relationship with Jesus. Despite the challenges you may face because of the darkness today, remember:

In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. (v. 37)

I know the dark can provoke fear and anxiety but when you turn the light on you see there is nothing to fear. Let Jesus be that light today, so the emptiness offered by the darkness will be revealed and all those fears and anxieties will flee:

I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, 39 and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord! (vv. 38-39)

And that's all we need today as we walk in the Spirit in a world that is hostile toward us. Yes, be aware that everything is bent on your destruction but don't fear it. Just be aware of it so you will never desire to leave the protection of the Spirit; be aware of it so you know why you should always have a thankful heart. This is an excellent day because we get to spend it with Jesus. It is excellent because we get to see his promises in action. It is excellent because we have an opportunity to serve him so the darkness can see that the Light is alive and well.

The Day Is Approaching

It would be great if I could cheer your heart with tales of better days ahead of us, but I can't. Have you read the end of the book? Do you know how it all ends? Dark days are upon us and it is only going to get worse. If you can't handle life and faith and trust now I fear for you in the days ahead. Now is the time to increase our faith and learn to trust, to rely only on Jesus for all our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual needs. But, in saying this we also recognize that neither are we a people of despair.

I guess that is one of my greatest concerns for us, followers of Jesus, at this present time; we so easily fall into despair. How can the children of the light, of the Creator of all things, the bearers of God's righteousness, be a people who so easily fall into panic and despair over trivial matters? Does that sound like the trust Jesus told us to place in him? It doesn't matter what it looks like to us; we know Jesus has the victory. Read the end of the book!

As evil seems to increase and the Church appears to decrease, we must increase in our relationship with Jesus. As more and more "Christians" fall for the tricks and lies of the enemy, we must increase our strength and brilliance in the Spirit. We must become better trained, more submitted, fully obedient and on fire for Jesus. The darker the world becomes the more active we must be in rescuing the perishing. The more the enemy spreads his lies the more we must be shouting the truth from the roof tops.

We can't allow ourselves to fall into the trap of the enemy. We can't allow the patterns and philosophies of this world to take root. We have to spend more time in the Word not less. We need to stand on the truth of the gospel and on the teaching of the Holy Spirit. The Church must rise up and cut all ties from the thinking of this world and cleanse herself in the holiness, the righteousness of God and start living the difference. And we have to encourage each other as the darkness not so slowly moves through the land.

As the world calls us stupid, relics of the dark ages, superstitious, religious, narrow minded, to be pitied, we will encourage each other to stand in the knowledge of the truth and in our relationship in the Lord. We will not despair but instead stand shoulder to shoulder in this great battle as we refuse to yield our ground to the enemy. We will shout out to each other with great words of encouragement, singing together and sharing God's Word to remind ourselves to press on. This is the attitude we must adopt as the darkness increases:

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:19-20) 

If it was important then, how much more important now? My friends, things will not get better for us, dark times lay ahead, but we know how it ends. We are heading to victory and we need to encourage each other. We do not cry. We do not weep and mourn. We celebrate, rejoicing at all times, trusting in all things, knowing God uses it all for our benefit. We speak to one another. We encourage with a song in our heart and a smile on our face. We know how it ends. So, let us encourage each other to be brilliant in the Lord, to keep on serving in joy and strength, to continue to pray and worship, to continue to lay down our lives for the lost and deceived:

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

The Day is approaching!

Making A Decision About Intimacy

HELLO! Things have changed. They should not be like they were before.

Are you a Christian because your parents are? Are you a Christian because it is a family tradition? Are you Christian because you go to church on Easter and Christmas.? Christianity is not that kind of a religion; it is a personal decision.

You can't call yourself Christian and then do whatever you want to do. If this is how you live you have reduced a very intimate relationship to a mere title. It is like a woman taking the name of her husband but never moving in with him.

Becoming a Christian, a follower of Jesus, means an entire life change. It doesn't mean that we change ourself but that the Spirit of God transforms us. Without the Spirit we do not have Jesus and without Jesus we have nothing. Without the Spirit we are fakes and fakes will not inherit eternal life with God.

How can you be a Christian and still be intimate with the darkness that once possessed you? You can't. You have changed. That darkness no longer has any power over you unless you give it power. When darkness comes to your door to court you again, if you have changed and are possessed by the Spirit, you have the power and authority to tell it to go away because you are now with Jesus.

There are no loop holes in this. You can't have Jesus and the supposed pleasures of the dark as well:

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ... (Ephesians 5:8)

North America just celebrated Halloween. Christians participated out of pure ignorance. They don't believe in ghosts, witches or mediums, even though they exist in the Bible. God didn't tell us to have nothing to do with them because he was trying to protect our pocket book but because they are real. However, Halloween is an extreme example. Christians participate in evil every day as we lie, cheat and gossip. Christians have sex outside of marriage all the time and excuse it away. Men participate in pornography. Christians make excuses for abortion and defend homosexuality. But Christians, those who follow Jesus and are possessed of the Spirit, cannot live like this; it's just not in them:

Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness,righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. (Ephesians 9-10)

See what the light consists of? Goodness, righteousness and truth are now at the core of our being and if they are not then you have to seriously ask yourself the question if you even understand what it is to be saved. Truth is not as we define it but as it is revealed in the Word of God and found in Jesus. Do you know Jesus? Have you died to yourself and been raised to life in him? Are you possessed by the Holy Spirit?

Christians only have one desire: To find out what pleases the Lord and doing it. The words that stick with us are when he told us that if we loved him we would do what he said. Obedience is what God is looking for, not sacrifice. He wants relationship with us not some form of man made religion. And when you have intimacy with God you are changed. When you are intimate with the Light you no longer desire intimacy with the dark. If you still desire the dark there is something wrong in your intimacy with the Light.

A relationship with Jesus is a personal decision not something you were born into. It is a decision that transforms and changes everything. You cannot stay the same. And if you do, you have't really made the decision. Those of the Light no longer participate in the activities of the dark. It's a decision. Which do you choose?

In This Present Darkness ... Open Our Eyes Jesus

What I am about to say is going to be problematic for some people and that is part of our problem in this modern day of "knowledge". Christians are too open and too accommodating to ideas and opinions that do not come from the Word of God. To be more accepting we actually entertain ideas that oppose what the Word of God says. Fearing to appear "close minded" we listen to and ponder the opinions of the world, of the educated, of the philosophers of our age and then we hear the Church preaching that there is no hell and that we worship the same god as the Muslims.

We are instructed in the Word that we must be "close minded" to everything that opposes what the Word of God says. We are told to fix our mind and heart on things above, not things of this world, not the things of man. We are told to fix our eyes on Jesus, only Jesus, because he is the author and finisher of our faith. We are told to run a good race to win the prize, to train ourselves for this race, to start it and not look back, finishing what we have begun. The Scriptures that warn us against wandering from our faith in Jesus are plentiful and is the last thing that Paul writes in his letter to Timothy:

Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith. (1 Timothy 6:20-21)

Faith means trust and without faith we cannot please God. We cannot pick apart the Bible or add to it. The Word of God was inspired by the Holy Spirit and is the authority of God for all that we do. The Spirit only operates within the Word. We can only preach and teach the Word. If people present ideas that oppose the Word , run away. Guard what has been entrusted to your care. Read it, study it, memorize it, do it.

Most people in this age are modern day philosophers. You'll discover that as you try to share Jesus with people. They will want to chat about everything and anything. They will want to share their theories with you. Even believers fall into this trap and before you know it we are caught up in godless chatter. Thanks in part to the Internet, we are overwhelmed by what some people consider "knowledge". The world also has the wonderful method of indoctrination into this "knowledge" called High School, College and University. Here ideas, philosophies, opinions and theories are presented as fact. Student's study the thinking of depraved men in literature and philosophy. Students go in one way and they come out completely different.

I am not opposed to education but I am opposed to sending students who are ill equipped, who do not understand what they will face and who do not understand the importance to guard what has been entrusted to their care. The Church is terrible at training and preparing our young people, even our old people. The World is getting better at it and the Church is falling off. We as individuals must come to realize the danger of not guarding our mind and our heart. Ideas and philosophies are presented constantly in our television shows and movies. The writers are giving us insight into their thinking and perspective, and we have no discipline as we suck it up and allow it to become what we think, changing our perspective ever so slightly until it has completely changed. This is why so many Christians now accept abortion, homosexuality, adultery and fornication.

My friends, we are under such a grave attack and we aren't even attentive enough to take notice. If you have noticed then please pray. Pray for our young people, for the preachers and teachers, for the whole Church, that we would wake up to what is going on. Pray because your prayers are effective in turning back the enemy. Pray for a new awakening, a fresh wind and fresh fire to blow through the Church. Guard what has been entrusted to your care.

Looking For A Way Out Of Dark Emotions

In times of trouble what do you do to encourage yourself or do you allow yourself to be pulled down into the darkness of despair? It would be great to think that every New Year brings with it a clean slate, but it doesn't. All the baggage we were carrying on December 31st follows us into January 1st. There is no magic to it and we usually realize that within the first week as the baggage makes itself evident. We can't avoid our problems. We may put them off for a bit of time but eventually we are going to have to face them. So what do you do to encourage yourself during these times or do you just slip into the darkness?

It is something the psalmist of Psalm 77 had to make a decision on. We have no idea what he was facing but it had brought him to that dark place:

When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
   at night I stretched out untiring hands
   and my soul refused to be comforted.

I remembered you, O God, and I groaned;
   I mused, and my spirit grew faint. (vv. 2-3)

I wonder how many of us could have used those words, "my spirit grew faint", to describe how we felt as the darkness tugged at the corners of our reality and threatened to overwhelm us completely. The psalmist seemed to try to encourage himself with God, "I sought the Lord", "I remembered you":

You kept my eyes from closing; 
   I was too troubled to speak. 
I thought about the former days, 
   the years of long ago; I remembered my songs in the night. (vv. 4-6)

It sounds good but the psalmist better describes what we was actually doing:

 My heart mused and my spirit inquired:

 “Will the Lord reject forever?
   Will he never show his favor again?
Has his unfailing love vanished forever?
   Has his promise failed for all time?
Has God forgotten to be merciful?
   Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” (vv. 6-9)

The psalmist mentioned it a couple of times, he "mused". There is a difference between musing and trusting. He was dwelling on his problems and remembering things of the past. He was remembering with no real conviction. It was like longing for "the good old days" when things seemed to be easier. He remembered and thought about God but there was no action to it, it produced nothing in him. It would be like looking at old photographs and then closing the album and continuing on with no change to anything. But then the psalmist made a decision that did change things for him:

Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: 
   the years of the right hand of the Most High.” 
I will remember the deeds of the LORD; 
   yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. 
I will meditate on all your works    and consider all your mighty deeds. (vv. 10-12)

Instead of confining himself to musing he decided he would remember and reflect on the character of God and the actions that character provoked in God. It's one thing to acknowledge God's unfailing love but it's another thing entirely to reflect on the actions this provoked in the past and believe it for the present:

Your ways, O God, are holy. 
   What god is so great as our God? 
You are the God who performs miracles; 
   you display your power among the peoples. 
With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,    the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. (vv. 13-15)

It is great that we try to encourage ourselves by seeking God but the real difference happens when we remember who it is that we are seeking. So many call out to God with no expectations because they call out to a concept and not the person of God. They do not know who he is. They have no idea what power they are trying to call upon. They seek him with some vague hope, without the confidence of knowing his character and his promises. When we know him we ask with confidence, boldness and expectation. It is one thing to hear that God's love is unfailing but it is another thing to actually swim in it.

If you are looking to encourage yourself as you walk through that "valley of the shadow of death", start by remember who God is, what he has done, and what he has promised. This alone will bring the light back into your heart and will put your problems in perspective. Don't call out to emptiness but instead reach out for the comforting arms of our Father. Jesus has made it all possible and for God nothing is impossible. Dance, sing, rejoice as you praise our God who has chosen you as his object of affection.

Who Do You Say Jesus Is?

If only the world knew Jesus! That sums up the desire of all of us doesn't it? But what Jesus do we want the world to know? There seems to be so many different versions of him kicking about, depending on who you talk to and what their angle is. No wonder the world is so confused about Christianity. I think we all agree that there should only be one Jesus and he should be the one revealed to us in the Bible. The real challenge we all have is how to get to him with all the personal filters we have in place. It is hard for us to strip down all of our preconceived ideas, our opinions, our perspective, even our culture to see the Biblical Jesus.

Do you recall the time when Jesus asked his disciples who people were saying he was? They gave him a number of answers:

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” (Matthew 16:14)

Everyone was talking about Jesus but they were getting it wrong because they had it fixed in their mind what the Messiah would be like. In fact, they thought John the Baptist was more the Messiah type then Jesus was. But in fairness, these people were not spending every waking moment with him, getting to know him like the disciples had come to know him. You see, the only way to truly know him is to spend time with him. So Jesus turned to disciples and asked:

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” (Matthew 16:15)

Don't dismiss that question so readily as if you know the answer. One day you may find yourself stripped of everything you know and be left with only Jesus. How it turns out for you will depend on how you answer this question. Is he who he said he is? Are his promises real? Is he faithful to them? Can you trust him when everything else is gone?

Remember the crowd that escorted Jesus into Jerusalem. They had picked up the praises that the disciples had begun:

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

   “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

   “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

   “Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9)

Sounds really great but they had no idea who they were praising. It is what a crowd mentality does to us; we just go along with everyone else. But when the people in the city asked who this was, they did not call him the Christ, the Son of God:

The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” (Matthew 21:11)

Is it any wonder then that, not knowing Jesus, these same people, a few days later, were in another crowd calling for him to be crucified? They only knew and understood what people were saying about Jesus; they knew nothing of him personally. This is the reason why they were swayed so easily. And what about you; who do you say that he is?

Ask yourself if you know Jesus or if you know of him? Are you relying more on what people tell you about Jesus or do you know him personally? If you know him personally, does he match the Jesus we find in the Bible? It does not take much to distort our understanding and knowledge but it is hard to distort a relationship. And this is really important because if you find yourself in a situation where your life seems to be coming to an end, you will soon see if you have the real Jesus or not. But don't wait for a crisis to find out. Seek him now in the Word, in prayer and in worship. Remember Paul's desire and determination:

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10-11)

If we had that determination, the world might start seeing Jesus as we worship him in the most terrible moments in our life. It is great to praise God in the sunshine but it's when we praise him in the darkness that the world begins to see the real thing. Make sure that your faith is a genuine faith and don't let go. Whatever you do, don't let go.