“Daddy Can I Drive?”

This is the question my 7 year old son asked me this morning on our way to school. My reply to him was “One day just not today”. The truth is I hate driving and would love for him to drive, and it’s my hope that one day he will be able to drive.

Its amazing how something as natural as driving can be so dangerous if you’re prematurely pushed into it. One day I expect him to get his license and prayerfully a car and then on the road he will go. But at 7, if he is put behind the wheel he would probably crash the car.

This is the same way our Father in heaven works. There are things that he wants for his children but we may not be spiritually ready for it. Our job is to have patience and grow in the area God wills for us. Hebrews 10:36 says “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”

In 1 Samuel 16, David is anointed to be King. After David was anointed, he went back to tending the sheep for his father. What do you think kept David from running ahead and going to the palace and demanding to be king now? He was willing to wait on God’s timing. David knew that things were in God’s hands, and he knew that God’s timing is always right. We have seen in this story that David was obedient in trusting God even when he didn’t know how God would work out the details.

If God was to put some of us behind the wheel right now we would probably be like my 7 year old son and crash, potentially hurting ourselves. In many cases, people are just like my son and have a strong desire to want to mature too quickly, but as Christian we have to learn how to wait on Gods timing. Just because we have a strong desire doesn't change Gods will or his timing. Everything he does is perfect! Eccl 3:11 says “He has made everything beautiful in its time”. You will never be able to appreciate things that come quickly. But things that take time and effort you will appreciate that and be grateful for.

It is my hope that as we close today’s blog you will examine the areas you may be rushing God in and then slow down. Instead of rushing God we should find ourselves continually praying and seeking him for patience. Romans 12:12, “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer”.

“Fruitful”

If I were to ask you what makes a person fruitful most people would say having homes, cars, jobs, and money in the bank. Having things of this nature is definitely a way to look at being fruitful. However, in today’s blog I want to look at fruitful people through a different lens. The word fruit, or a variation of it is used fifty-five times in the New Testament and refers to a variation of results. I want to talk about one of these variations, and that is by gauging fruitfulness by how many people you bring to Christ.

Fruit for a believer should be the gaining or converting of another believer. In 1 Corinthians 16:15, Paul refers to the first converts in Achaia as the “First fruits of Achaia”. Although this way of thinking about fruit is uncommon it is still biblical. Jesus said in John 15:8 “This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” Being a fruitful disciple is contingent on how many souls accept Christ as their personal Saviour. This passage of scripture has nothing to do with money but all to do with connecting people to the “True Vine” which is Jesus Christ.

When we bear fruit it pleases God. Colossians 1:10 says, “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work”. If you are a person that looks to honor God in every area of your life, converting unbelievers is a major way to honor our Father.

As Christians we should have such urgency within us to tell all we know about Christ, Why?Because he is the only way to Heaven according to John 14:6. That urgency should burn within us every time we walk in a Mall, down the street or in a gym. If you want to learn more about witnessing to unbelievers there is plenty of material out there, but the best material to read is the Bible. The book of Acts is a great place to start reading about unbelievers becoming believers.

As I was studying some of the conversions in the Bible I begin to ask myself this question. Am I being fruitful? And I must be 100% honest, I'm not feeling very fruitful. As Christians we have a lot of work to do. There are so many people that don’t know about Christ. I pray that you will read this blog and begin to look at your own life. I will leave you with this simple question. How many people have you told about Jesus just this year alone? If your answer is none, LET’S GET TO WORK!

"Christian Persecution"

Salvation doesn't excuse Christians from persecution on earth. It is my experience that many Christian don’t understand the purpose of persecution. Persecution plays a major role in our walk with Christ. We tend to equate anything good with Gods Will but anything that hurts us we say it’s the devil. Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:12 says “In fact, everyone who wants to live a Godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”. Notice that scripture does not say we might be persecuted it says we WILL be.

As faithful Christians, we must learn to recognize the value of persecution and even to rejoice in it. Persecution allows us to share in a unique fellowship with our Lord and Savior. I love what Paul says in his letter to the Philippians. Philippians 3:10 “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”. It’s amazing how we all say we want to be like Jesus and even wear WWJD bracelets yet none of us want to suffer with him. If you really want to know what Jesus would do he would do like the scriptures says in 2 Timothy 2:3 “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus”.

As Christians we need to get to the place where we realize that persecution is good for us. James 1:2–4 says “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Just as steel is shaped in the fire, so is a Christian’s character.

Trust me I realize that going through trials can be a tremendous challenge, but we have the power of the Holy Spirit within us and the wonderful example of the Lord to encourage us. 1 Peter 2:23 says “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” There is no better example to have then Jesus Christ who was insulted, beat, and murdered yet he made no retaliation. Let's not get it twisted Jesus could have retaliated if he wanted to, but our King choose to lay down his life. John 10:18 says “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

As I close today’s blog I pray that you read this and begin to rejoice in whatever you’re going through. Hardship makes you constantly rely on Christ. I pray that you find Peace, Joy, and Strength in your situation. I'll leave you with a scripture from Philippians 4:11 “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”

“Attention All Righteous People”

Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

I have heard this scripture quoted about 1000 times in my life. But yesterday I decided to look into what Isaiah is truly talking about. The chapter starts out talking about how awesome and glorious God is. It talks about how God acts on behalf of those who remember His ways and those who gladly do right. It then reveals the reality of the human condition. We tried to do it our way, but we failed. We continued to sin against God’s ways and He became angry. It then talks about our righteousnesses being like filthy rags.

In verse 5 Isaiah asked the question “How then can we be saved?” Religulous people think salvation is earned by behaving a certain way, Gospel minded people believe Jesus (Which is God in the flesh) conquered sin and death and he gives the gift of salvation to all who believe in Him. It’s absolutely amazing to me how righteous people think that good behavior gets them to the Father when Jesus clearly states in John 14:6 “No one comes to the Father except through me”. Think about the nicest person you know. I’m talking about somebody that seemingly is the most righteous, most loving, most caring person you know. Not even that person can stand before our perfect God and make it in without Jesus blood. You can never please God through good behavior, even the father in Luke 15 rejoiced over the Prodigal son that misbehaved not the older son that behaved. I don’t know about you but I think that the cross was enough. Anyone that is trying to say that your good behavior is a requirement for heaven has just said the cross didn’t do the job.

The great reformer Martin Luther rightly said that, as sinners, we are prone to pursue a relationship with God in one of two ways. The first is Religion/Spirituality and the second is the Gospel. Pastor Mark Discroll from Mars Hill church was quoted saying Religion says that the world is filled with good people and bad people. The Gospel says that the world is filled with bad people who are either repentant or unrepentant. Paul puts it this way in Romans 3:10 “There is no one righteous, not even one”. This is why WE NEED CHRIST. When Isaiah talks about our righteousness being like filthy rags he is simply saying our good behavior is like a bloody tampon (Yikes). If you don’t believe me here’s a link to the Strong’s Concordance lookup. See for yourself. Take the absolute best person on Earth and he will fail. Nobody is perfect. Compare anyone’s righteousness with God’s perfection and it looks and smells like… well… a used tampon.

So let us stop the madness of thinking we are obeying his commands to get into Heaven. Your righteousness will not help you one bit on Judgment Day. The reason you should obey Gods commands is because you love Him. Jesus said in John 14:15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command”. Please believe in Jesus Christ and love him with every bit of your heart, because your righteousnesses will fail you in the end.

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"Listen To Your Ass"

Numbers 22: 21-35
Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab. But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat her to get her back on the road. Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both sides. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it. So he beat her again. Then the angel of the LORD moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat her with his staff. Then the LORD opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?" Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now." The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?" "No," he said. Then the LORD opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown. The angel of the LORD asked him, "Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me. The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared her." Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, "I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back." The angel of the LORD said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you." So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.


I’m sure this title made you think I was losing my mind, let me assure you that I'm not, just wanted to get your attention. In today’s blog I want to talk about being a leader that listens. Just like Balaam all of us have been down a road that was leading us in the wrong direction, it’s critical that we don’t become so blind that we fail to see that God is using those around us to get our attention. We have to be open to the fact, that God can use anyone and anything to get our attention.

In this story God choose to loose the tongue of a donkey. As leaders sometimes we think we can’t hear from anyone under us, but this story should put that mindset to rest, especially when your life is depending on it. The angel said in verse 33 if the donkey had not turned away Balaam would have been killed. This is why we have to be sensitive to Gods warnings signs.

Woodrow Wilson is quoted saying "The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people." Great leaders listen more then they speak. Today’s blog is designed to help you to examine those under you and also help you realize that God can use anyone to speak a Word. So the next time you are going down the wrong road and you can’t seem to see what’s ahead of you do like Balaam and LISTEN TO YOUR ASS ;-)

Peter also quoted from this story in 2 Peter 2:16
But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey, a beast without speech, who spoke with a man's voice and restrained the prophet's madness.

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“Preachy Prayers”

I want to start today’s blog out with Matthew 6: 5-8 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

You would be surprise at how many people pray to be heard by men and not by God. This is a serious problem in the church today. I like to call these types of prayers “Preachy Prayers”. Most preachers fall subject to preachy prayers, because they think it encourages the group. While it may energize the people you have to ask yourself, is God hearing you. If your aim is to energize the people that may just be the reward you will receive. But to reach God you can do without the hoop.

Battologeo means to stammer to repeat the same things over and over, to use many idle words, to babble, prate. Jesus warns us against this type of behavior. It must have been so bad in Jesus time that he had to tell them to go in the house and close the door when you pray. Trust me im not against corporate prayer, because I do believe in it, but we have to be careful of our motives during prayer time.

Jesus says in this passage that they think they will be heard by there many words. Jesus is telling us that it doesn’t take many words for him to hear you. During prayer if your heart and mind is focused on Jesus alone you will tap right in to the Throne of Heaven. If you search the scripture you will see that it didn’t take long for Jesus to get the manifestation of what he spoke. If Jesus wanted someone to be healed or the storm to cease like in Mark 4:39 all he would do is say a few words like Peace be still or get up and walk. We are the only ones that pray for two hours about the same thing. The scripture says our Father knows what we need before we even ask him.

Prayer is absolutely one of the most important tools a Christian needs in this walk with God. If your having a hard time finding the words to say in prayer, maybe you should asked God to teach you how to pray. Even if you have been a Christian for many years asking God to teach you isn’t a bad thing. Look at it this way in Luke 11 Jesus disciples didn’t know how to pray. They came to Jesus and said Lord teach us how to pray, and these where guys that spent a significant amount of time with Jesus.

So please saints lets not fall subject to praying to each other and let’s make sure we are trying to reach heaven when we pray. Next time you’re in corporate prayer try to focus on Jesus and him alone. The Bible says we are to always pray, in other wards practice make perfect.

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“An Apple Beside The Rod”

I want to start off with a quote from Martin Luther who was a famous Christian theologian and Augustinian monk whose teachings inspired the Protestant Reformation. “Keep an apple beside the rod to give the child when he does well.” Today’s blog is to express to leaders the importance of ENCOURAGEMENT and CORRECTION. Of course Christian discipline is needed to enable us to grow in reverence for God. But even discipline has to be presented in love. Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:2 “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction”. Its seems that the church has the rebuke part but fails to embrace the encouraging part. I am not talking about all churches or even all Christian. But if you spend more time rebuking and correcting then you do encouraging then I am definitely talking to you. When Jesus came, he came preaching love. In Matthew 22 one expert of the law came to Jesus and asked him what is the greatest commandment in the Law. Jesus replied: " Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself." Jesus is saying the two greatest Commandments is love God and love people. As Christian we are quick to love God but slow to love people. It’s important that even in times of correction that we show love. As I stumbled across Martin Luther’s quote my mind went straight to the church. For far too long we have disciplined and not lifted people spirits. Now don’t get me wrong I don’t mind you stepping on my toes, but a true leader will step on your toes and not mess up your shoes. Titus 2:15 says “These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority”. Leaders who constantly rebuke people are abusing there authority, and are probably lacking confidence in themselves. Sometimes rebuke isn’t the help that some people need. You will be surprised at how many people will change there ways if you showed them love and kindness. Let’s remember God loved us even when we were in our mess. Paul said at the end of Romans 2:4 “The goodness of God leads you to repentance”. If Gods uses love as a tool to lead man to repentance, why do we use rebuke? Its time for the church to re-evaluate what tools we are using to bring people to repentance. Lets stop using the rod more then we are using the apple, because the apple will probably be more effective.


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