Life can be a roller coaster ride

Do you remember your first ride on a roller coaster? The nervousness in your stomach as the coaster climbed ever so slowly to the very top of the first summit. Then slowly it itched its way over the peak and then straight down.. it seemed to be in a free fall and your stomach was literally in your throat. All the way to the bottom the coaster went then right back up the next incline and then down again. Over and over throughout the ride you were left with a series of physical and mental feelings. Well life can be that way too..one moment we are thrilled, happy and joyful, the next we are in the depths of, depression, discouragement, worthlessness, dejection, feeling apprehensive, and alone. While you can choose not to get on that roller coaster at the amusement park, the ride of life is one we all ride. But while it is a ride we all get on daily, it is not one that we have to be dominated by. We can learn to ride it with a great deal more spiritual, mental, and emotional stability regardless of whether we are in the valleys, on the level places, or on one of the peaks. Spiritual stability is one of the blessings of our salvation in Christ. We experience it only as we learn to keep our focus on the Lord and His purposes and as we rest by faith in God’s person, principles, and promises.

Can you hear me now?

Do you ever feel disconnected from God or have a hard time hearing Him?  The older I get the worse my hearing gets and sometimes I feel disconnected from people because I have a hard time hearing exactly what they are saying..  In fact I have had to say to my wife...”what?”….”say that again”..  Then there are times she has said to me…’can you hear me?”  Well that’s the same question God often asks of us …“can you hear me now?” In fact that question was made famous as a result of the Verizon commercials.  But did you know that God is also trying to get our attention.  That’s right God wants to talk to you, He doesn’t want us to be disconnected from what He is trying to tell us..  Why?  Because God knows what lies ahead, the dangers in our path and He wants to lead us through them.  But in order to do so we must take time to listen to Him in prayer and through His Word.  When God speaks we need to listen.

But Do you know why it’s important to hear Gods voice?  Well for one it protects me from mistakes.  He will warn you in advance of traps in life.  That’s why He says in Proverbs “Listen for Gods voice in everything you do and everywhere you go.  He’s the one who will keep you on track”   He says in Psalm 32 – I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.  I will advise you and watch over you”

A Light in the Darkness

When I was a child my parents took our family to the Mammoth Caves in Kentucky.  I will never forget that experience.  When the group got way back deep into the caves the guide told us to stand still, not move, hold on to someone because he was going to turn off the lights.  Wow, I have never been in any place since then that was as dark as that.  Even after our eyes got adjusted to the dark you could not see your hand even when held right in front of your face.  One thing is for sure, you would not want to walk through the Mammoth Caves or any caves for that matter in total darkness…you would need a light to get you safely through.  Now for that moment in time we were in a very dark place.  The sad thing is many people today are in a very dark place, and I don’t mean because they are stuck in a cave…it is because they are in a dark place in their lives and they need a light to get them safely through it and out of it.  2 Peter 1:19 says “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts”.  The Word of God is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.. We need Gods Word and we need to pay attention to Gods Word if we want to walk safely through the dark…But there is something else in vs 19.  It says ‘until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts’.  That is speaking of the appearing of Jesus, until Jesus comes again, until we see Jesus we need to pay attention to the Word of God.  We pay attention to the lamp.  We live in darkness and we need the light of Gods Word.  Now, there is coming a day when we will not need the scriptures.  It is a day when we will exchange the scriptures for personal contact.  For example, I send my wife a text message and I tell here I am leaving town and will be home soon.  She writes back, “ok, drive careful”. When I get home what do I do?  I walk into the house, and come right up to her and then write another text that says “I am here”……No..I am there in person, I exchange the texting for the audible, the personal contact.  The same is true when we all get to heaven.  No longer will there be the need of Gods Word, we will now be with the Lord in person.  But until that day when all our dreams are fulfilled, we will continue to live in a dark world.  We need the light of Scripture to guide us and to confirm to us that we belong to Him and that all of the promises our ours….
…to be continued….

Pay attention to the voice of God

God wants me to pay attention to what He is saying.  He wants me to obey His instructions that are clearly written in His Word..I don’t need another version to figure it out or for Him to say it twice.  For example, my wife sends me a text message that says “get milk”..makes you wonder what that means doesn’t it?  So what should I do? I know, I will call her and say something like this..”Karen, I received this text message from you that says ‘get milk’, now just what does that mean, are you sure you want m-i-l-k milk, or did you mean milkshake because I like that better?”  Do I need an audible voice confirmation to clarify that simple request?  Of course not..and the same is true when we open the Word of God and read it.  You see, I have had a lot of people over the years tell me, ‘I sure wish God would speak to me’.  What they mean by that many times is that they wish God would speak to them in some audible voice.  Well Peter tells us 2 Peter1:17-19 that the Word of God is a more reliable verification of the teachings about the person, atonement, and second coming of Christ than even the genuine first hand experiences of the apostles themselves.  Why? Because Gods Word is the inspired Word of God.  That means that when you open the Word of God you are opening the mouth of God.  We have something that is powerful and totally authoritative in the inspired Word.  What is written is sufficient, we need nothing else to hear God speak.  I don’t need a second text from my wife to verify that I need to stop at the store and get milk, nor do I need to hear her voice. The text message speaks for itself.  And in a far far greater way so does the written inspired Word of God.

People today want warm fuzzy feelings before they do something that is very clearly defined in Gods Word. They say, well I want to pray about this or wait till I feel right.  Usually that is a smoke screen for delayed obedience..  If God says ‘repent’ – there is no need to pray.  When God says be a witness to Him – there is no need to pray.  I simply need to pay attention to His Word.  Remember the old E.F. Hutton financial commercials..’When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen’.  Well when God speaks we should listen..And to hear the mouth of God, simply open the Word of God”…..to be continued….