Behind the Storm

Oh Lord my God, You are my guide.

When hope seems gone and storms arise

I'll turn to You and grasp Your hand.

I'll let You work Your master plan.

Though others turn their backs toward me,

Though heartaches come and friends may flee,

I've found Your grace to be enough,

Your loving hand, Your gentle touch.

My heart has hurt beyond all thought,

But You my God, for me have fought.

Through every storm You are my guide.

On You I'll lean, in You I'll hide.

I've found Your footprints in the storm.

You want my heart to Yours conformed.

These troubles come that I may see,

You hear my cry and broken plea.

There is a cause worth fighting for:

To know your heart - to love you more.
So when the storms obscure Your grace,

I'll see past it - into Your face.

Is Revival Possible in the 21st Century?

2 Chronicles 7:14

This is a question that I have asked myself many times. I have heard scores of preachers preach from this text. And yet through it all Christians act as though revival is impossible in this dark period of our nation. If we decide it is impossible, than it is. Our country is not at the point it is today because of the lost and unsaved. Our nation is in the mess it is today because Christians have been apathetic for too long. We have been living with a video game mind set. If anything happens we’ll just start over. Friends, we do not have a reset button on our country. If we do not stand up now we will lose our country. I believe with all my heart that revival is possible in our day! But how? The word “revival” mean to be reawakened. To be reawakened or revived one must first have been alive. This lost world can not know a revival or reawakening because they have never been made alive. We should not be surprised at the wickedness of a nation that is dead spiritually! We should not be surprised at how lightly they view great wickedness. We should be astounded and disgusted at how lightly God’s people treat sin! We should be revolted at what Christians are condoning! If we want to know the cause of America’s problems we needn’t go any further than the mirror! Revival will never be possible unless every man decides that it will begin first in him. On his deathbed the great preacher and servant of Christ D.L. Moody is reported to have said, “The world has yet to see what God will do with and for and through a man who is fully and wholly committed to Him.” What is the problem with our country today? Christians have decided that revival is impossible. And yet it isn’t! It will take a person fully devoted to God. It will take a person that will give up the pleasures of this sinful world and boldly proclaim God. His identity will be found in God. He will be nothing on his own, and he will have no goal but to speak, and sing, and shout the story of his Savior and his salvation. Why have we not seen revival in our generation? Because we have not found that man. We have not found that woman.

Could it be that America is waiting for you to answer God’s call?

Mark 9:23
“Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”
Matthew 19:26
“But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”
2 Chron. 7:14
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
2 Tim. 1:7
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
Isaiah 59:19
“So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.”

Press Toward the Mark

About a week and a half ago, due to a little bit of insanity and peer pressure, I decided to start running again. The last time I ran was about six months ago, so I knew it was not going to be easy. The first time I ran about 2 miles of a 3 mile loop. It wasn’t bad for someone who hadn’t run for quite some time. I was not going to guilt myself for it.
The next time I ran I was a little bit more prepared. However, as I hit the two mile mark, where I had started walking the previous time, my mind began to get weak. Beginning to walk again here would not make me a failure.
It then hit me…I had forgotten how to run! I was running based on feeling. I was not pressing toward a goal. I was running like so many Christians run their Christian race. Why are so many of us weak and anemic spiritually? Why are we not the Christian warriors that Paul and John were? Why are we not like the great men and women of the faith that we read about and hear stories about?
Perhaps we fail to view this race as it is. I know that I have looked ahead at the future as a long stretch that seems to go on endlessly. We are running. So what’s the sin in taking a couple of detours? Maybe stop by a neighbor’s house…buy some water at the gas station… inspect the wildlife…take a quick nap…
The Christian was not meant to be a drudgery, but any runner with a goal will find that running eventually becomes a pleasant task. The thing about having a goal is that you are far less likely to be snared by the shiny things this world presents to you. If you stopped every time you saw something shiny, you’d be amazed at the number of aluminum cans on the side of the road. The world’s treasures are a lot like these cans. Shiny…but utterly worthless.
In Philippians 3:13-14 Paul says, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” There is a goal and there is a high calling. As important as the things of this world are painted to be, they are rubbish and filth when compared to the prize that lies ahead. Hebrews 12:1-3 charges us, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” There is a goal!

I refuse to be discouraged.

I refuse to mope and cry.

I'm a child of the King of Kings;

what worries now have I?

I'm covered by His precious blood.

My sins are washed away!

So many reasons to rejoice.

Why - I can even pray!

The clouds of doubt and jealousy

Have no place within my skies.
I gave my heart to Jesus Christ.

Great peace within me lies.

The world may flash its gems,

its jewels,Its artificial love.

but my hope comes from one who lives

And loves me from above.

Start Right

My foundation was built upon unstable ground.

The floors and the roof made a terrible sound.

The foundation was shaky, the walls were best in:

My future was hurt by my life's early sin.

I made the decision to start building right.

But why fix the foundation? It wasn't in sight.

I would build the second floor sturdy and strong.

Surely my right could outweigh my wrong.

If only I'd decided to start out right.

If only my sin had not cluttered my sight.

For now I see that my earlier trouble

Caused even my right to crumble to rubble.

So how many floors are you planning to build?

To what point will your foundation be filled?

Your beginning choices compose your first floor.

What you do now will show what's in store.

So the key to success is not to grow up.

To start when you're older will not be enough.

The decisions you make in your earlier years

Will make you strong or bring you to tears.

Amazing Grace!

Amazing grace! I have received!

Amazing grace! How can it be?

Amazing grace! A peace unknown!
I lay myself before God's throne.

Amazing grace! I have a song.

Amazing grace! Now I belong.

By grace I'm saved; by grace I'm free;

O Lord my God, who died for me!
Amazing grace, I'll ever sing.

Amazing grace, my Savior brings!

It satisfied a price so high,

And Draws me to my Savior's side.

Amazing grace, the sweetest sound,

This precious song that I have found.

No greater gift! No greater love!

Than that which comes from God above!

Move Up One More Pew

Move yourself up just one row:
An act of conscious care.
The Lord is calling.
Make this move to show Him that you hear.

He's calling to you, "Follow me."
He wants to make you knew.
What better way to tell Him, "Yes"
Than move us just one pew?

Make that pew your resting place
From the battles that you fight.
Lay your troubles on the Lord
Who maketh burdens light.

Pick up your sword: lift up your head.
Christ's calling now to you:
And when you're ready to go on,
Well...move up again one pew!

An Empty Tomb

If the story ended at the tomb
I curse the day I left the womb.
If on the cross my Savior died
And on the third day did not rise,
I wish the light I'd never seen;
I wish the air I'd never breathed.

For if Christ Jesus was but a man,
If His body lies in the sand;
Than hope is dead and peace a lie,
And every man will one day die.
Each soul is damned, forever lost -
If it ended at the cross.

My God did die upon the cross.
For you and me His life He lost.
But on the third day Christ arose,
And with Him joy and hope did grow.
For now man has a choice to make:
If God he'll choose or God forsake.

A Slave of the Savior

I'm a slave of the Father,
Set free by His blood.

I am bound to His service,

Washed clean in the flood.

What hope for me blossoms!

What love for me flows!

I pray that my joys in

His great service shows!

There's hope for the future

And joy in the past,

Because in the present

I'm bound to Him fast.
His yoke is not heavy;

His burden is light.

And under His cross

I soon will take flight!

Purpose

I am where I am for a reason,

Not merely by chance.
I am who I am for a purpose,
Not by happenstance

I am where I am for a reason,
Christ's Kingdom to enhance.
I am who I am for a purpose
A grain of hope to plant.

What I Cannot Lose!

When wasted for Christ and emptied of self
No greater joy could be known!
For what glory is there in wordly wealth?
When all that I have Christ bestows!


"A man is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose."

-Jim Eliot

Where Ever You Lead I'll Go

God,

Keep me tucked within your hand.

Hold me with your fingers.

Bring your loving presence nigh

And with me gently linger.

Where Thou goes't I will go.

Lead where thou will lead.

I seek not treasures, wealth, or fame;

Your presence only do I need.

Lead me up the mountain side

And through the valley low.

If thou will only hold my hand

Where e'er thou lead I'll go!

When through the darkest night we walk

The path I cannot see,

Speak and I your voice will hear.

Speak - the darkness flees!

Help Thou My Unbelief!

Oh God, I need your healing touch!
I want to see your love as such
That nothing in this world can shine
Above the fire of the refined!

Mark 9:23-24

"Jesus said unto him,

If thou canst believe,

All things are possible to him that believeth.

And straightway the father of the child cried out,

And said with tears,

Lord, I believe:

Help thou my unbelief."

God Still Speaks

Job 2:10
"But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips."

Have you ever suspected that God put a verse in the Bible just for you? Job 2:10 was for me. Have you ever wondered why Job's wife was so mean? She wasn't really. But God needed her to say what she said to Job, so that Job could respond, "Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh." God had Job say that so that a few thousand years down the road, a young woman name Rebekah would read it and think,"Oops!"
I have asked God for answers, been given them, and then been angry because it was not the answer that I had wanted. Thus Job's question becomes directed toward me. "What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" God help us to be more like Job and less like Job's wife. You see, Job's wife was one of those American Christians. She ate, drank, and slept the Health and Wealth Gospel. But the gospel of Christ is a story of love, hatred, death, and victory. Hard times will come. The winds will sweep over you. It is the winds that chisel and wear away the stones in the desert that make them beautiful masterpieces. "So let the storms rage high, the dark clouds rise. They won't worry me. For I'm sheltered safe within the arms of God. He walks with me, and naught of earth shall harm me. For I'm sheltered in the arms of God."
I chose the picture above because it is the sunset over the Kalahari Desert. No, the Kalahari may not be your first choice for an leisurely afternoon stroll, but even in that empty deserted wasteland, God's handiwork can be seen. And when you find yourself in the desert, remember, God is in it. "What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?."

"In all this did not Job sin with his lips."

My Anchor Holds

Sometimes when life seems gentle and blessings flood my way,

I turn my gaze away from You and soon forget to pray.

But when the sky grows darker and courage turns to fear,

My anxious voice cries upward with words you long to hear.

Lord, I need You when the sea of life is calm.
O Lord, I need You when the wind is blowing strong.
Whether trials come or cease, keep me always on my knees.
Lord, I need You. Lord I need You.

Lord, help me to remember I'm weak but You are strong.
I cannot sing apart from You, for Lord You are my song.
Although I'm prone to wander and boast in all I do;
Lord keep my eyes turned upward so I depend on You.

Lord, I need You when the sea of life is calm.

O Lord, I need You when the wind is blowing strong.
Whether trials come or cease, keep me always on my knees.
Lord, I need You. Lord I need You.

As much as I would like to claim this beautiful poem as mine, I can not. I did not write it, but Oh, how I needed its encouraging words. 2nd Chronicles 32:7-8 says,

"Be strong and courageous,

be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria,

nor for all the multitude that is with him:

for there be more with us than with him:

With him is an arm of flesh;

but with us is the LORD our God to help us,

and to fight our battles."

Recent circumstances have highlighted the fact that on my own I am incredibly weak. As much as I enjoy being in control, I truly have very little control over circumstances, and those that I do have control over, I usually mess up. As much as I would like to believe that I am alone in this, I know that I am not. Does not Christ say that He is the Author and Finisher of our faith. I may be tossed on the tumultuous sea, but my ship is not sunk. I may be battered by the harsh waves, but I have not drifted. My anchor holds inspite of the storm.

Death: The Final Passage

The final chapter in a book is just that - the end. And very much like a book, we have a last chapter in life. In these last days, hours, minutes, and seconds we must rap up a life of momentous victories and many mistakes. Sometimes our moments of preparation are short; some people are caught by surprise and will stand before their maker without these last few moments to prepare.
How will you pass on? What will be your final passage? What will fill your last few pages? The Bible tells us that our life is like a vapor; it appears for a little while and then fadeth away. We really don't get to choose which of life's chapters will be our last. How than do we prepare?
The Bible tells us that God knew you when you were conceived. God knows the number of hairs on your head. God knows you. But more than that, God wants to have a personal walk and relationship with you. God wants you to know Him intimately.
For the born again believer, the Bible says that God is the Author and finisher of our faith. God wants to write your final chapter. God wants to write your every chapter. The Bible says that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Will you be prepared for the words "The End." They will undoubtedly come. Your story will undoubtedly come to an end. It may come slowly or it may come abruptly. But however it comes you can be prepared. There is only one way you can be prepared and that is to prepare yourself for the life to come, and that is to give Jesus Christ possession of your heart. Jesus said, "I am the way the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me." Give Christ your pen. Let Him create a beautiful masterpiece with your life.