Gilgal - Mark This Spot

"And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho. And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal. And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over: That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever." Joshua 4 19:24

There are some scriptures in the bible that stick out in my mind, but are seldom preached. The story of Gilgal is one. It's just interesting to me...that God would pick this spot to have Israel to set up a monument. They were literally just out of slavery, just past the miraculous red sea experience, yet they had not yet gotten to the great land that He had promised. I hear your heart. "God, I don't wanna seem ungrateful...you've done so much for me, but I know you still have more for me. I know this is not it." God told that to mark it, and later in scripture we find this same spot mentioned.

We have been through SO much...like Israel. I hear God saying "mark this spot" in your life. I'm not talking about living in the past, and I definately don't wanna stay in this spot. But, your experience...my experience is important. We have to be careful not to throw it away or let it be lost in the sea of forgetfulness. God is saying...remember this moment. Remember this spot. From here you can see the bondage you WERE in, but you can also see where God has brought you from. You have not yet reached God's divine promises for your life. But He has just given you a glimpse. You just experienced deliverance that you KNOW only God could have brought. As James Fortune said...God's getting ready to do an Encore performance in your life.

God I pray for all those that stand right in the middle (as Smokie Norful sang). God you have brought us out of bondage, but we have not yet gotten to where we know you intend for us to be. So God we ask that you would help us to remember this moment. We pause to say thank you God. We are not discontent, but we are not satisfied...cause we know that you have more for us. We thank you for NOW...as we prepare to walk into our WHEN. I pray total deliverance on each person reading this. I pray total release from the slavery they have been in. I pray abundance...of peace...of joy...of divine love in each of their lives. God let this new year not just be another hyped up sermon that we forget by February. Let us not resolve, and then let our dreams dissolve. God I pray this year it will stick. That we will cling to your promises, and not let go.

It is so.

Quit Makin Lanes! - Subtopic: Wait

A former co-worker went to pick something up in the company truck once. He got to an intersection and a car was waiting for traffic to clear so they could make a left turn. The co-worker did not want to wait, so he drove around the car and on thru the intersection. Lots of us have done this. The only problem was a cop happened to see him do it. Maybe cause it was a small town (lol), the cop pulled him and gave him a ticket for “creating a lane”. By law, he should have waited for the car to clear the lane and then go thru. I had never heard of this!

Ya’ll know we do this in life too! Things come in our path that seem to block, or slow us down. It could be a person in our lives, a job, the money. We wait, and wait, and wait, and wait, then we just drive around…thinking we have saved ourselves some time. But!!!!!! James 1:4 says “But let patience have [her] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” So some of you that may only read the King James may see the benefit of other translations (via http://bible.cc/james/1-4.htm):

New International Version (©1984)
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

New Living Translation (©2007)
So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

English Standard Version (©2001)
And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

International Standard Version (©2008)
But you must let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
Endure until your testing is over. Then you will be mature and complete, and you won't need anything.


I love to note that God is not trying to see if we will endure!! He already knows. Jeremiah said God knew us before we knew ourselves (in our mother’s wound). But (another but), we need to know ourselves. Muhammad Ali was a pretty good example as to why. He was a successful fighter, because he believed he could beat anyone…even folks like Joe Frazier that many thought would be impossible. WE have to know our limits, our level of endurance (as the other translations said). God is teaching you….IN the wait.

Abram and Sarai had trouble waiting. When their son did not come as God said, they “created a lane” and try to get one through their servant. Jonah tried to “create a lane” when God sent him to minister to “those people”…the ones he did not feel were WORTHY of God’s grace.

Psalms 37 says each of our steps…everyone of them…is orderd by the Lord. John said that Jesus “must needs go through Samaria”, cause He had to minister to a woman, on the way to His next ministry stop.

Job said ALL of my appointed time...will I wait.

Psalms 40 - I waited patiently on the Lord...

1 Peter 5 -...after you have suffered a little while.

God I pray for each of your servants that is tired of waiting. God we know what you said we would be. God some of us even obeyed your Word, and wrote down the vision so it would be clear. But, God, we get tired. We get anxious. We often want to quit, or, we find ways around the very thing you have placed in our path to grow us. God, we repent for the times we rushed your plan. Forgive us God. Now we asked that as David prayed, that you will create in us a clean heart oh God…..a heart that only wants what You want. Give us the patience to only drive the lanes you ordained for our lives…no short cuts.

John Waller’s “While I’m Waiting” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb7TSGptd3Y

The Insignificance of a Significant Birth

I did sound for a live Nativity for the first time, yesterday. First Baptist Church (Highland Ave - Winston Salem, NC) did an excellent job portraying the ironically simple entrance of the guy who would save the world. Ok. As preachers say...stick with me...I'm goin somewhere lol.

Bethelehem was a small town.

Joseph and Mary were "unknown" people.

Just thinking...Joseph and Mary were coming to their "hometown" to be counted for the census, but did not have family and friends to stay with?

Jesus was born in a barn.

You get the picture. The king that was predicted to rein over the world...got his start in a barn with animal poop. I think it's so INSIGNIFICANT, we miss the SIGNIFICANCE of this lesson. I mean, preachers don't really spend much time on this cause...being honest...there ain't a whole lot going on here...at least on the surface. But, when I look at this with my spiritual eyes, I see God teaching us something here.

I look back to David. God sent Samuel looking for a king for Israel. It was assumed that God would pick the best of the best, yet he chose the lil scruffy boy...the one that was not "enough" to fight in battle...the one that spent his time looking after sheep. This same guy, God would use to be one of the greatest warriors in history. Side note: This same David, if you flip through Psalms did not spend all his time in victory. He spent countless days in "defeat". He went from "I will bless the Lord at all times!" to "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?" He cheated on his wife. Lost his son. Directly disobeyed God by counting the number of people in his kingdom (which is prideful to boot). YET, God used Him.

Look at Elijah. Here is another one of my fav people that God used. Elijah walked literally in God's anointing. RIGHT after God used in to perform a miracle to prove God lived and the gods did not, Elijah was clinically depressed and sitting under a Juniper tree. Rev. Herbert Miller killed this in a message he preached from his heart visiting at Union Baptist Church (http://unionbaptistwsnc.org). His message was "I can't take it no more!" He shared some personal struggles he had. I never forget him saying that there were times we was so discouraged, he would come home...didn't wanna be bothered by his wife...didn't want the kids to bother him...he just wanted to sit on the couch and try to unwind. Elijah felt he was all alone, that his ministry was a waste...yet God used him. Rev. Miller, a great man in the kingdom, felt discouraged at times...yet God used him.

Now we are back to this lil boy born in a barn. Why would God uses "nobodies" to birth the King of the World? Why would God use a sheep herder, cheating, prideful, guy like David.

There are many that think that they know who God can use. The problem is, in our human-ness, we try to use OUR standards instead of God. I believe God intentionally use "flawed" people. Word says that ALL have sinned and come short of His glory. So, it's not about God using "perfect" people. He just needs us to be available.

To be cont'd

Is the church a safehaven?

Some of the questions you ask, I might waiver a bit on the answer. Usually, I can some an argument on both sides. In this case, the answer is easy...NO!

Oh, you want me to explain too? Well you asked for it....I am a pretty young guy, and have only experienced the most recent segment of the history of the church. Based on my knowledge of scripture, when the church started it was very open. People were 'crazy enough' to sell all their stuff and give it to the church to share with others, you can only assume they shared the burdens as well. My first instinct is to say that this exists in the black church, but it really exists in both. The only difference is, the black church used to be more community...at least it sounds like it in negro hymns. But I have observed the same thing in the white church.

So what happened? At some point, I believe people started getting in trouble for telling the truth. To keep from getting abused for being honest, we learned to build elaborate walls to hide our faults, failures, and fears. Yep, the battle tide swung and the enemy began to win.

I must pick on people like LaShawn Chandler, William Murphy III, Tejado Hanchell, whom I have observed on Facebook. All three are preachers that have shared intimate details about their private lives, details that show vulnerability. LaShawn shared that she was feeling weak a couple days ago. William Murphy confessed to wanted to respond undignified to the Delta ticket counter lady. Tejado Hanchell is a pastor who was coming off a fast and was going for a Burger King Angry Whopper. This is stuff people used to would not know.

I will go a step further and say that we have gotten so good at hiding from others, we can no longer see ourselves. Think about that just a minute. I don't have the 12 step program memorized, but I think the first step is admitting you got a problem. The enemy has been so slick, we do not see our own problems.

So, what is the answer. Transparency. I too have been guilty of guarding my flaws like the Hope diamond. I was trained to. God has delivered me from the curse. In sharing my faults, people have been able to speak into my life. Through them, God has been able to grow me into the Levite he called me to be. Transparency will first allow us to see ourselves, and to be delivered. Then, it will begin to bring deliverance in those around us. They will see us as not just bible toting dieties (man I hope I spelled that right) to seeing us as them. That's deep. When people can see themselves in us, they will begin to see Christ in us. And you know what happens after that. The church will be what Christ intended it to be...Safe Haven.

Sleepless in....

How many people are having trouble sleeping? Two things can cause this....either you are worrying about something, or God is trying to speak to you. If you are worrying, cast you cares on Him. If he's trying to speak, do like Samuel and say,"Yes, God. What can I do for you?"

He Will Supply (repost)

I wanted to revive this one. It was my first "official blog" from 2008, but it is very relevant today. Hope it blesses you.


I do not think we can hear this message enough these days. Why is God allowing us to go through so much, for so long? Does the following scripture sound like the current economy? Make sure you read to the end of the email to get the whole story. If it blesses you, please forward to someone you know who is struggling.

Luke 12 (NIV)

The Parable of the Rich Fool

16 And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' 18"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ' 20"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' 21"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

This may not apply to you, so do not take it personally, but has your focus been on what God has planned for your life, or paying the bills and getting STUFF? Have you been worried about how you are going to get through this terrible financial crisis? I believe God is reality checking many of the people that have prospered in America. For some, their focus has been off. For some, He is just reminding us that we have to trust in Him. That is FAITH. We know this - we just forget. We that have the faith, also have to be able to be strength for the ones around us who do not have this hope. You cannot do that, unless you first believe.

Phil 4:19 (God's Word Translation) - "REST in the fact that God's got this.

Matters of the Heart: Heart Attacks

Let's see if I remember how to do this (blog) lol...

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of life." Prov 4:23

God has had me writing a book for the last couple years..."Matters of the Heart". Some of you may remember my posts on those lines. Today I want to deal with heart attacks. I know several people who have been affected by heart attacks...many survived, some did not. What's a heart attack? I'm not a physician, but I do know a couple causes...

Blockages - Often a heart attack is caused when something flowing threw it (in our blood) blocks the passage in the heart. Usually, it's not all at once...but a gradual build up. That's the natural heart. In the spirit, it's very much the same. For many of us, we store what others vent. The problem is, when we don't release, our hearts get clogged.

Congestion - I think some heart attacks are caused by fluid building around the heart...to the point the heart is not free to do what it does...pump.

You've gone too long without taking due care of your heart. What are you holding? What did "they" do, that "they" have long forgotten, but you hold on to? Today....let it go. Yeah...I know... "That's easy for you to say Ben!"

There's so much more I can deal with..but that's it for this moment. Let go.

God, I pray for everyone that will read this that is holding on to hurt, to offence, pain from a bad relationship, hurt from a parent, rejection, malice, molestation, rape, being taken for granted, adultery, anything that is clogging their heart. I pray a supernatural heart surgery. God, you did it for David, create in us a clean heart. A clean heart.....it is so. God, we have been dealing with symptoms...when we need to get to the heart of the matter...the matters of the heart. I pray healing.

It is so.

Tearing Down Relationship Walls

From “Inviting God’s Presence”, the chapter called “Tearing Down the Walls of Silence and Mistrust”

“The wall of mistrust forms around experiences. An experience is simply a set of facts you or I must interpret and give meaning to. Without that sense of perspective to help us understand what has happened, experiences would simply weave through our consciousness without form.”

…

“Deciding to silence your natural perceptions and to question learned world-view dictums will help you tear down the wall of mistrust. On the other side of that wall is One who is not silent, who can be trusted. God’s invisible presence, in a quiet and still voice, is saying to you, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.”

“Before you can enter into God’s presence, you must step out and trust his voice. After forgiving him, the next step is moving beyond the fear of what might happen in your relationship. All relationships require is to set aside (Ben’s opinion – set aside, but not forget) fear of future hurt. When the pain of loneliness becomes greater than the fear of hurt, we will pursue the presence of God.”

Stop Worrying!!!!

Last night, I posted on Facebook "Is it wrong to tell God hope you are gonna fix this soon cause I am not sure how much more I can take? Hope not!". One response in particular concerned me...a minister said that I had no business "telling" God anything. David wrote "From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I." Ps 61:2. Moses got tired...Elijah said he was the only one serving God, Paul prayed 3 times for God to take "something" from him.

We don't want to, but at times we do get overwhelmed. I have at least 3 situations in my life that I have been enduring for a long time. I am not weak all the time, but I do get weary. I commented on Facebook that even Jesus said in the Garden...are you sure, God. Maybe you feel that at times. You are HUMAN. It's ok. It's what happens after you start feeling overwhelmed, that determines where your faith is.

This morning, Greg Laurie is confirming what was in my heart yesterday. Hope it blesses ya!

God's favor on you!

 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Greg Laurie <GregLaurie@harvestdirect.org>
Date: Fri, May 7, 2010 at 4:00 AM

FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2010

The Cure for Worry

From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety.
— Psalm 61:2
There are things in life that scare us, even terrify us sometimes. We have concerns about the future, about our health, about our family, and about our finances. The list of things that cause us to be filled with anxiety goes on and on. So I have a suggestion for you: the next time you are tempted to worry, pray.
I worry, and I don't admit that with pride. Worry can be a sin in which we are failing to trust God. Philippians 4:6–7 gives us this solution for worry:

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Notice these verses don't say that as you pray about everything, God will take your problems away. Rather, it says that God's "peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Maybe God will take your problem away. Or maybe He won't. But what will happen is that you will gain perspective as you see God for who He is and your problem for what it is.
If you have a big God, then you have a relatively small problem. But if you have a big problem, then it might be that you have a small God. You are not seeing God in His glory and what He can do. The psalmist wrote, "From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed . . ." (Psalm 61:2). When I cry out to God, He gives me His peace and His strength. And He will do the same for anyone who will call on Him.

Have Pastor Greg's devotions blessed you? Write and tell him!
Greg@harvest.org

Copyright ©2010 by Harvest Ministries. All Rights Reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

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Don’t Look Down!!!!

My youngest has had trouble learning to ride his bike. I knew he was a little slow getting the hang of it, but I did not push him. With the help of his Granddad, he is doing pretty good now. Just last week he showed me how he was able to pedal, and importantly stop lol. As we rode home today, he started crying. He was sad because he was having trouble learning to do that, and skate. He said….HIS words…”when I look down and see the ground, I am afraid I will fall.” God was speaking to me through my 6 year old son’s fears.

We talked about this very thing in my recent motorcycle safety class. We all wanted to look down at the lines, or the turns, or the obstacles we had to drive over or around. But, the instructors kept saying “look over here at me”. They were standing right where we needed to be, the other side of what we were riding through.

Of course, I can’t leave out one of my favorite examples of faith…Peter walking across the water. He did well, until he stopped looking at Jesus – where he needed to be – and began to look at the possibility of failure. Jesus said ALL things are possible, if we believe. A good friend of mine, at a critical time in my life, shared a simple poem with me. It said that when at the edge of a cliff, close your eyes and jump…either God will catch you, or you will realize you know how to fly.

What is God speaking for you to do, but you continue to look down…down at the possibility of failure…down at who might criticize…down at what you think is your lack of ability? Moses had this issue. Jeremiah had this issue. Elijah had this issue. Peter did…the lists goes on. What causes us to doubt even when God Himself is speaking to us? I have TWO things in my spirit right now. I know God spoke it, but I struggle with a fear that I will fall. I keep looking DOWN at what COULD be.

Join me today. I know for a fact that this is God speaking…it’s all in my spirit. Today we will purpose to stop looking down…and begin to look up. The only question is if God spoke it. If the answer is yes, than as Habakkuk  asked “shall he not perform it” or the angel to Abram “is there ANYTHING too hard for the Lord”.

Close your eyes….your natural eyes…and jump WITH me.

Don’t Die in Moab! by Sharon Acoff Frazier

Sharon Acoff Frazier March 22 at 10:28pm Reply

Ruth 1:6-7 Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread. Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.
A lot of people focus on Ruth and Boaz when they read the book of Ruth. But the real story of courage is in Naomi. Yes Ruth and Orpah had lost their husbands, but Naomi lost a husband and two sons! At a pivotal point Naomi makes a courageous decision. If you will allow me to take a little license and put words in Naomi’s mouth: Naomi decided: “I’m not going to be paralyzed by my grief! I’m not going to mourn myself to death in Moab. I won’t die in Moab! This is not where I belong!”
Naomi put her grief aside and decided to return to her homeland of Bethlehemjudah in hopes of being provided widow’s support by the kindness of her friends or even better have a near-kinsman redeem her husband’s property. Yes, Ruth should be commended for not leaving her mother-in-law but Naomi should be APPLAUDED for making a decision to keep moving even in her grief and dire circumstances.
Many of you are going through right now and I say to you, “Don’t die in Moab!” Continue to keep it moving while waiting on God to either change your situation or give you peace about it. There are times when we must stand still and there are times to keep on moving. If you’re in a storm keep moving and eventually you’ll move out of the storm.
DON’T DIE IN MOAB!
God bless you real good! Love ya!
Mama Sharon

The Rope by Adam Edelstein

 

http://www.facebook.com/thedoctor

A story is told about a mountain climber who liked to climb tall mountains for fun and to impress his friends. After years of preparation and training he felt he could handle any mountain terrain in the world, regardless of the degree of difficulty.

During a climbing trip, with five other men, he decided he would make the final climb to the summit, solo, so he could get there first and claim the glory, while the others slept. After the rest of the climbing party turned-in for the night, he put on his climbing gear and headed toward the summit. As he started his climb, he was very glad there was a full moon to help him see where he was going.

Although it was foolish to climb at night, alone, he did use a rope and put in good piton protection as he climbed. With the benefit of the full moon, he made rapid progress up the mountain, in spite of the fact he was climbing at night. His confidence soared as he neared the summit, but unfortunately, thick clouds were starting to build around the mountain, and visibility was deteriorating rapidly, as a winter storm developed. In just a few minutes visibility dropped to almost zero, as heavy clouds and fog surrounded him. It was now too late to turn back, so he continued to climb up the mountain, hoping the storm would blow by quickly.

While moving along a narrow traverse, now in total darkness, he got into some “rotten rock,” and slid down the side of the ridge and over the edge of a cliff. The good news is the protection he put in held, and he was still alive after the fall; although he now found himself dangling in the air, suspended from his rope, unable to see anything around him. The bad news is, he had loosely tied his outer heavy parka across the top of his backpack while he was climbing, and he now discovered he had lost it during the fall. Slowly the cold night air from the storm began to chill him to the bone through his lightweight inner jacket. After struggling to turn himself around in a circle, and not finding anything to grab onto, in desperation he cried out, “Oh dear God in Heaven, please help me!”

Suddenly, from above he heard a strong deep voice boom out, “Cut the rope!” “What?!” As the climber listened over the wind, once again he heard a deep voice say, “Cut the rope!”

Except for the wind, silence followed, as the climber continued to hang onto the rope, while hoping to be able to grab onto something that would enable him to climb to safety. Unable to see his true situation, the climber concluded, as most people would, that hanging onto the rope was his only hope.

The following day, the rest of his climbing party discovered him frozen to death, still dangling from his rope -- only eight feet above a large out-cropping of rock. Had the climber cut the rope, he would have dropped down to a relatively safe area, where he could have built a fire, using some of the surrounding scrub brush, and probably survived the night.

From this tragic, we can learn about trusting God. Do you look for security in a “rope” of some form? Or, are you willing to trust God with the many things in life beyond your knowledge or control?

Try to always remember: “For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13.