Holy Boldness

"And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. Acts 4:31 I've been hearing the words "Holy Boldness" in my spirit lately. I fear that, as Christians, we have been operating from a place of comfort and complacency. That is simply not enough! If we are to claim and proclaim the promises of God, we must act with boldness and grab hold of what He has for us. Our efforts to share the Gospel must be intensified. Time is short for Jesus' return and the world is a dark and ugly place. Sin is rampant in our nation and world. Abominations are paraded in front of us and accepted as the norm. Children and the elderly are dying at the hands of those who are commissioned to love, care for and protect them. Political corruption and racism abound. People are hungry and homeless. Where is the Church in all of this? We're sitting back on our blessed assurances and watching it all unfold, apparently unconcerned. If we are not concerned about those around us, then where is our love for our fellow man? If we are not doing somthing to improve their circumstances, are we not complicit in their demise? Are we living from a place of fear and timidity, or do we believe what the Bible says? Where do we find strengh, boldness and a call to action? "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16 "I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth." Psalm 121:1-2 We find our strength through time spent with God and in His Word. We find our strength in prayer and through communion with those of the faith. It isn't enough to simply talk about the issues, we must take action! We must exercise Holy Boldness. We must put on the full armor of God and be ready to engage in battle on Heaven's behalf. Change only happens when there is a change taking place. It's up to us, as God's ambassadors here on earth to bring about change. It is not the government's responsibility. Had the Church been the church, the governemet would not have had to step in. We are the body of Christ. We must get out of our comfortable, air-conditioned sanctuaries and hit the streets to escort in a time of change, not religion--simply being the hands and feet of Jesus, making Him known to a lost an dying world. There is hope! His Name is Jesus! It is up to us to boldly make Him known!

Looking for Love...

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 Those of us of a certain age will recall the country song, "Looking for Love" sung by Johnny Lee back around 1980--which seems like a lifetime ago now, although I was an adult when it came out. So, yeah--I guess I'm getting old. I've had that old song on my mind for some reason lately. Anyway--in it, he talks of looking for love in all the wrong places, playing a fool's game just hoping to win, telling lies & losing time and time again. Obnviously, he was looking for romantic love and apparently wasn't very successful. There's a spiritual parallel there. We waste valuable time in life trying to find fulfillment in what the world has to offer. There is a void within us that only God can fill, but we attempt to fill it with things that aren't made or meant to satisfy that great need we have. "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear." Isaiah 59:2 As for me--I tried to find fulfillment in the world. I sought to be popular and make myself known. I looked for fulfillment in romantic relationships. I thought a good job and being in a position of power would meet my needs. When that didn't work, I amassed possessions--which still left me empty. I tried drugs, alcohol and sex--but, they only caused more (and worse) problems in my life. Ironically, I had grown up in church and attended a Christian school. I knew God's Word. I just didn't want to heed it. In my mind, it seemed like a list of "Thou shalt nots" that would rob me of the freedom to enjoy life and all it had to offer. Still, life and poor choices robbed me of the same. "Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled;And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun." Ecclesiastes 2:11 I knew what I needed to do, I simply did't want to. I ran from the calling God had on my life, made a myriad of bad choices and sent myself into a cycle of depression and despair. However, when I hit rock bottom and had the presence of mind to reach out to God, He was there, waiting for me just as He had been for all those years. I couldn't run or wrestle with Him any longer. He wasn't willing to renegotiate--I had to do it on His terms. I surrendered and accepted what I should have many years before and could have avoided much pain and heartache if I had. "Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!" Psalm 139:7-8 He separated me from the old, called me out and made me new. He cleaned me up. He gave me purpose. "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." 1 Peter 2:9 Here's the truth of the matter--what He's done for me, He'll do for you. He offers us a free gift of salvation. Jesus gave His life and blood to make a way of reconcilliation for sinful man--and we are all sinners. All we have to do is receive the gift He offers. Like the father received back the prodigal son, God will willingly open His arms and heart to you. You've made mistakes. You've done terrible things. Maybe you're caught in addiction--to drugs, alcohol, porn, gambling, sex, codependency, etc. He already knows and He loves you anyway. The first step is siply calling out to Him. He is waiting for you, just as He waited all those years for me. Stop looking for love in all the wrong places--reach out to God and receive true, unconditional love like you have never known before. Become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) in Him. Let go of the baggage that the world has weighed you down with and fall into His overwhelming love an peace. There's also a line in the song that says, "You came a-knockin' at my heart's door. You're every thing I've been lookin' for." It reminds me of another Scripture, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me." Revelation 3:20 What are you waiting for? You're looking for love and love has a name, His Name is Jesus--The One Who gave His life for you!

We Must Trust Him

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV We say that we do, but do we really trust God? Sure, when life is going well and all seems right in our world--it's easy to trust God. But--when all hell is breaking loose, when family relationships are strained, when financial disaster occurs, when you're bound in addictions, when a marriage falls apart, when a child is disobedient and making bad choices, when death unexpectedly claims a loved one...do we trust God? Sadly, I have been in all those places. And, at times, I found it hard to trust Him. I've accused Him of being unfair. I've been angry at God. I've wanted to walk away. I've not wanted to live this God-given life. Fortunately, He has never given up on me--even though I've given Him reason to. He's been faithful. In the darkest and most painful times of my life, He's been with me. He has encouraged me to keep going. He's offered me spiritual strength, when I was completely tapped out. When I gave up on myself and wanted to throw in the towel, He never gave up on me. When I wanted to die and begged Him to take me, to end the pain for me...He carried me through and gave me a purpose for my life. "We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed--always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh." 2 Corinthains 4:8-11 NKJV When we can't see the light at the end of the tunnel (or when we're certain it's an oncoming train meant to knock us down once again), He gives us hope. He created us with and for a purpose. Every day that we awaken to is a gift from God, a new opportunity to make a difference in this world. How dare we minimize the Creator of the universe? When times are tough, that's when we need to trust Him more, to cling to Him more, to seek what we're to learn by going through whatever lies ahead. Let's face it, life isn't easy. Stuff happens. We get the wind knocked out of us time and time again by the attacks of the enemy of our souls. Yet, God is always there to pick up the pieces for us, to give us the strength to go on, to love us through life's pains and trials, even the consequences of our own poor choices. He finds a way to use those things, to weave them into the tapestry of our lives and to intertwine our lives with the lives of others. The reality is that nothing is wasted. Nothing goes unseen or unnoticed. Every dark cloud has a silver lining. The bad is somehow used to bring about good in our lives and for the Kingdom. He brings others into our lives who face the same struggles that, with His help, we have overcome so we can share our testimony of deliverance and restorataion with them, thereby pointing them back to The Father of Love. He means us no harm, He simply knows what is best for us and allows us to go through things that will grow & strengthen us. It is all part of our refining process to make us fit for battle in this world and preparing us for the world to come. Regardless as to what comes our way, we must trust Him... Blessings! Tony

Bumps in the Road...

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV Somewhere along the way, we all hit some bumps in the road on the highway of life. We plan, we prepare and we save for the future. But somehow, life just doesn't go as planned. We're speeding along and things seem good when all of a sudden, we hit a big pothole in the form of family issues, a death, a divorce, an illness, an addiction, financial concerns, etc. Some type of calamity or tragedy strikes and knocks the breath out of us, takes us to our knees. Well, on our knees is where we need to be more anyway, talking to God and seeking Him. Why is it that we trust ourselves so, when we know ourselves best and are aware that we don't know it all? Why is it that God always seems to be our last resort, rather than The One we run to first? He isn't caught offguard by anything, but we are. Why is it that we can talk the Bible talk so well but struggle so to walk the Bible walk? Why is it that we put on our masks and act like we have it all together when in reality, we don't? Why is it that we have so much trouble being transparent about our struggles and try to keep them hidden from others? Why can't we accept that God allows things into our lives to stretch and grow us, so that we learn from the event and are better prepared to minister to others as a result? "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." Romans 8:18 Why do we always feel that God is punishing us for some sin we've committed? I propose that the answer is that we rely far too much on self and far too little on God. We need to turn that around and put it in the proper order... We're supposed to be new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), but we don't act like it. We drag around our yesterdays with all their pains, problems & struggles like they are some sort of badge of honor that we can't let go of. When we're not doing that, we're wasting our time worrying about what might happen tomorrow, next week, next year, etc. The reality is that yesterday is gone and we can't change a thing about it. Tomorrow isn't guaranteed and we have no control over it. The best thing we can do is live our lives one day at a time and use them to honor God. All we have control over is the now. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1 I'm not one to say we should change God's Word in any way, but imagine if a comma were placed between the words now and faith... We need to have a "NOW" faith, not a yesterday or tomorrow faith. We need to trust God in the now. He has forgiven us our yesterdays (assuming we've confessed & repented of yesterday's sins) and He alone knows what tomorrow holds in store. We'll get there when we get there if we live to see it, as my Granny always said. May I remind you of a couple more Scriptures? "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." Romans 8:1 and "But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen." 1 Peter 5:10-11 God's goal is not to condemn us, but to make us righteous through Jesus and He uses that which seems like trials to mold, shape & perfect us into who He desires us to be. We shouldn't be surprised by those bumps in the road, He told us to expect them. We just need to rely less on self & more on God. He is the light in our darkness. He is our guide through life's wildnerness. All we have to do is push self aside and follow Him... Blessings! Tony

The Devil Made Me Do It..?

"He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother." 1 John 3:8-10 NKJV In our world today, everyone wants to do their own thing, to be comfortable in their SIN without having anyone call it what it is--SIN. How'd that happen? Well...we Christians sat back, kept our mouths shut, and watched society erode over time. It took decades to happen, but we slowly began to overlook SIN--to call it choice in the name of political corectness & tolerance. I mean, we don't want to appear judgemental or anything so we overlooked SIN and made excuses for it rather than exposing and eradicating it like we're supposed to. I'll date myself considerably here, but I recall a comedian named Flip Wilson back in the 70s who always said, "The devil made me do it!" He also dressed in drag as "Geraldine" & it was seen as funny. Of course, that was before men started dressing and acting like women & it being seen as a cultural norm. I remember when churches used to hold womanless weddings & beauty pageants as a means of bringing humor into the church--because it was simply seen as humor. Nowadays, the thought of such seems strangley odd because men & women seem to have no clear roles anymore and the world says it is all ok & everyone should be accepted for who they are (or who they perceive themselves to be) regardless of the genitalia they were born with. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we should publicly humiliate anyone or bring back public stonings--but, we need to call SIN what it is. The devil only has the power that we give him. He doesn't make us do anything. He merely presents the temptation, idea, rebellion, or whatever. We made the choice whether to dismiss the idea or act on it. There is no SIN in being tempted, it is SIN when we entertain and act on it. One cannot profess to be a Christian and live in habitual SIN, or condone the SIN of others. If you're attending a church that supports SIN, you need to find yourself another church. Still, no one is beyond the reach of God's Great Grace. Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord can be forgiven of their SIN and be saved. As Christians, we are doing people a disservice if we tell them otherwise. God is a God of Love, but He is also a God of Judgement and will not allow SIN to enter Heaven. Our job here on earth is to represent Him to the lost and help them see their need for forgiveness. If the concept of SIN is lost, then there is nothing to seek forgiveness for. My Bible says that "ALL have SINNED and fallen short of the glory of God" and "the wages of SIN is death." But God, Who is great in Mercy, made a way for SINful man to be reconciled to Him by sending His One and Only Son to sacrifice Himself in their place, to take on the SIN of all the world, to die a cruel death, to visit Hell and wrestle with Satan over the souls of mankind. And, He won! He overcame! He sits at the right hand of the Father in Heaven forever making intercession for us. So, let's not be so accepting of SIN. Let's be bold enough to call it what it is. Let's not give the devil any power--becasue the battle is already won! When you're tempted to use the line, "The devil made me do it," don't! By God's Grace & Power, SIN has no power over you, nor does the devil. Resist the devil and he will flee! Blessings, Tony

It Ain't Easy!

"Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:32-33 NKJV Let's face it, the Christian life isn't easy. In a perfect world situation, we'd simply surrender our lives to God & live happily ever after, spreading sunshine and joy wherever we go. But, it's not a perfect world & it's becoming more and more imperfect day by day. Times are indeed getting harder for people of Faith. We shouldn't be surprised though, Jesus warned us about it. We've simply gotten fat, lazy & complacent in our Christianity over the years. We have our rockstar preachers, our concert-like environments, our comfy chairs & climate-controlled sanctuaries. Most churches are so strictly scheduled that there's little room for the Holy Spirit to operate. And, we wonder why God seems distant... The fact is that as we near the end of the age & the return of Christ (which could happen any day and we really need to get our lives & houses in order to be prepared for), things are going to get increasingly difficult for the Family of God. The world is full of trouble, sin is rampant and now, it's condoned rather than seen as wrong. We look at the world in utter disgust. But, what are we doing about it? If the church operated like the church of old, we'd be out doing street preaching and evangelizing. We'd be supplying food to the humgry, clothing the naked, ministering to those who are imprisoned. We'd be taking care of widows & orphans. We'd be shing the light of God's love into the darkness of the world. Yet, we sit in our sanctuaries & talk about how evil the world has become & do nothing for the most part. Talk is cheap, people. We have to put feet to our faith. Will people question our motives? Yes, they will. Will they think we're a bunch of religious fanatics? Probably so. Won't they think we have some sort of angle? Most likely--but we actually do. We're called to be salt & light to the world around us and to share God's Love with hose we come in contact with. Will they reject us & God too? In some cases, yes--but in others, they will open their hearts to the truth of God's Word & become a new creation in Christ. That's where our reward is--the joy of seeing others come to a saving knowledge of Jesus and His Sacrifice for them. It takes work. It takes blood, sweat & tears. It takes getting out of those comfy chairs & burning some shoe leather, knocking on doors, talking to people who are different from us, overcoming our fears and being Christ's Ambassadors as we should be. Remember The Great Commission? It's a commandment, not a suggestion... It ain't easy, but it's worth it! Blessings, Tony

You Are Loved!

"May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word." 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 As humans, we all need to know that we are loved. Sadly, many in this world don't feel the love of or from others and it tends to make them feel hopeless and worthless. I can completely relate, because for much of my life and even though I was loved by many, I felt unloved & unworthy of anything good as a result. Why? Well, I made a lot of bad choices in life and frankly, I became embarrassed and felt foolish even interacting with others--much less expecting love and acceptance from them. In my drug and alcohol-induced state, I went through cycles of isolation and depression. But, I was really good at putting on my mask & appearing "normal" to those around me. When I came to the place in life that I amitted I had a problem, many were surprised because I had hidden it well to all but those closest to me. I wish I could say that I knew where it all began...I'm not really certain. I had a pretty good childhood. We weren't wealthy, but I didn't lack anything. But for some reason, I always felt less than, like I was an unnecessary burden to my family, like I just didn't fit in somehow. At an early age--like 12-13, I began looking for "my people" who would accept me & love me for who I was. I found them, or so I thought. I started hanging out with neighborhood kids who were significantly older than me & that introduced me to a world of drugs, alcohol & sex. I felt "grown" and liked this newly discovered world. Needless to say, it didn't take long before things began spiraling out of control. Somehow, I maintained that lifestyle for several years before I came to the point that I couldn't anymore. God had been calling to me all along, I just wasn't listening and I was determined to do life my way. I didn't want to live by a list of "thou shalt nots" and a bunch of self-imposed religious rules. My lifestyle brought me to the brink of death and it was at that point that I begged God to take me out of this world. But He didn't...so, I told Him my life was a wreck & if He could do anything with it, He could have it because I was done--done as in I literally wanted to die. Because my family had been impacted by suicide, I vowed I would never do that...but the reality is that I wanted to still. I had reached a place of emotional and spiritual bankruptcy and felt I had nothing to offer, nothing to give and no reason to live. In His wisdom, God had placed someone in my life who reached out to me, who told me about God, who tried to put a mirror in front of me so I could see what he saw & what God saw in me. As I laid on the floor, in a fetal position and begging for death to come--I remembered some of the conversations Chris (God's instrument and vessel) & I had and it was then that I surrendered. I remember suddenly feeling such peace...peace like I had never felt before. It was as if a weight had been lifted from me. I felt warmth and love, I had hope again--something I hadn't experienced for over half my life at that point. I got up, cleaned myself up and drove to a nearby church to talk with the pastor. Some of his people had recently visited my home during a neighborhood outreach and one of the men was a guy I had gone to school with in years past, so it was the first church that came to mind. The pastor was kind and he reassured me that I had done nothing worthy of God's condenmation and damnation, that those thoughts were from the devil instead. I became a regular attender of that church & eventually joined, was baptized and began working to minister to others there. Over time, I joined the choir, I taught Sunday School, I worked with the youth program and served in any way I could. I was quite literally reborn into another person altogether. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17 This verse was (and is) a reality in my life! I wish I could tell you everything has been easy since my conversion. I can't--there have been hard times, horrible losses, fractured relationships--but, God has walked with me through the hard times. He has comforted me and shown me grace & peace whether I was on the mountaintop or in the depths of a difficult valley. He has loved me through it all. God wants you to know that you too are loved! He sent His Son into this world for you. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 He loved each of us, long before we recognized Him. "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:10 He walks with us and places others in our lives to love and encourage us & for us to offer love and encouragement to. "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:23-25 God doesn't make mistakes. He has a life plan designed specifically for you and frankly, there's nothing you can do that will make Him turn His back on you. It took me many years and a lot of heartache to realize this. If He did it for me, He can and will do it for you. Just know that you have worth, that you are here for a purpose, that you are valuable in the Kingdom, and most of all that YOU ARE LOVED! Blessings! Tony