Teachable Spirit

Proverbs 17:10 (NLT)
10 A single rebuke does more for a person of understanding than a hundred lashes on the back of a fool.

Teachable Spirit … Teachable people, however you want to say it, is that you? I went to see Marylin yesterday (Our marriage counselor, we see her occasionally for tune-ups, we have been seeing her for eight years) you always hate to hear "how many times do I have to tell you this before you get it?" The sad thing is …… I do get it. What does it say in James?
4.17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
There are men in my life who speak into me, that have said certain things to me concerning my children and I agree with them. I say things like "I know I know" "your right I need to do that" Here lies the rub. I still think that what I know is better than what is being told to me. Do you ever agree with someone about your life or actions and then not do it? You agree just so they will shut up? I was reading this morning about Teachable people. Here is what it says.

You can tell him the same thing over and over again, but you will get the sane response every time."

How do you know you're teachable? Below are five good clues.

1. You know you are teachable when people give you input.
   When you are not teachable, people don't generally risk telling you stuff. Why should they? If you react abrasively any time someone instructs you or corrects you. Don't expect to get any input from others.
   
2. You know you are teachable when you see measurable growth and character development in your life.
   When good things start to happen in your life, you know you are doing something valuable with the info that you are getting. You know you are teachable when others advice produces tangible results in you.
   
3. You know you are teachable when you don't have to answer back to your critic with a defense. Example: finding yourself in a situation where you are speaking into someone, giving people input about a specific situation in their life. Something difficult that they have been struggling with and they receive it with an open heart. They just listen. The problem is when you do this and the person says "Now, hold it right there, you just hang on for a second. You don't understand ……….' I really dread those conversations, People who are receptive to God's transforming truth are the ones who flourish in life
   
4. You know you are teachable when you don't have to return the favor.
   The classic symptom of an unteachable spirit is after listening to someone's honest, loving counsel, you say, "Fine now let me tell you something." You got an unteachable spirit on your hands when he can't humbly receive your words and say "Thank you for telling me."
   
5. You know you're teachable when over time you hear something different for a change.
   If people have been telling you the same stuff for years but still see the need to remind you about it again, you're not teachable. You should be over that by now and on to the next lesson.
   

 

Wisdom is not something we know; it is something we do. Only when we allow God to give us teachable hearts will he show us what we need to know in order to change what we need to do. The biggest fool of all is the person who knows from God what to do and who won't do it. That person is not teachable.

 

Kevin says, "Maybe you are just flat walking in rebellion and what is rebellion? Disobedience and what is disobedience? Sin!" nasty stuff here.

 

 

How have you experienced one (or more) of these test statements in the last few weeks? If you read this and didn't once ask yourself, "Am I like that?" You may be in trouble. Take these questions before the Lord and say "Lord, show me--- teach me." Teachabilty means you are open to changing what the Lord reveals to you.

That was a lot of typing

Thanks for reading

Kevin

The Light

1
John 2:7-8
………………………………………………………………………………………This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before. Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.
NLT As I read this last Wednesday morning on Quest I was instantly moved. I can't tell you how many times I have read this, but this day I was impacted to my core. This passage was very freeing for me for the simple fact that I/we are a work in progress. Sometimes I just have to be reminded of that for myself. Holy Spirit does not say the darkness is gone but that it is disappearing. Even though I have darkness in my Life, The Lord is an overpowering light. I am grateful for being able to enter into His rest even though I have darkness. We sang a song on Quest from Lifehouse called "Everything"

Find me here, and speak to me
I want to feel you, I need to hear you
You are the light that's leading me to the place
Where I find peace again
You are the strength that keeps me walking
You are the hope that keeps me trusting
You are the life to my soul
You are my purpose
You're everything
And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?
So here is my question ….. How is your light?

Are you moved by the Lord?

Have a blessed day!

I did it again

A few weeks ago I sent out an email saying something along the lines that I felt I should not blind copy anyone anymore so they can respond to each other if they want to. I also said that if any of you do not want to be on the list just let me know and I would remove you from the list. Well I had a wife who wanted off who used to tell me she loved it. I emailed her and asked why? Then her husband emailed me and said she doesn't read it anymore and that he does not either and to take him off as well "nothing personal he said" He used to like reading it too. So I had to ask why does this bother me so much. Well I didn't hear anything yet. So I called a friend of mind this morning who will tell me like it is but also will let me listen to see if the answer will come to me and it did. I write the blog because it is my way of journaling and some people like to read what I write and there always seems to be a question at the end. During my conversation with my friend this is what I figured out and heard. I was rejected and because I was rejected I then became judgmental. I soooooo hate that crap. So once again the judgment and rejection reared its ugly head in my life. Here is the good part. I am healed and I am free. Several things happened here. My friend knew what was wrong but kept quiet and stayed out of the Lords way, so the Lord could reveal to me what the problem was. You can't ask someone to do something and then get bothered when they do it. When you judge you will cause your own pain. Last thing that is very important is "you must have a teachable spirit" You must be able to receive correction if you can't receive correction that is a major problem

I judged which caused my rejection to be worse which sent me into a tailspin, but by confessing and getting prayed over I am healed.

James 5.16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.NIV Matthew 7:1-2 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.NIV

The reason I got so bothered is because I attached a "why" to the reason they wanted off the list. I decided in my own mind the real reason they wanted off. Even though they told me, I decided there was more to it. I caused my own pain and suffering. It was short lived but never the less I caused it. I could have read the email and said no problem and moved on. That simple.

So as a follower of Jesus, have you decided why someone did something without talking to them and in turn it made you mad?

Getting Alone

Have you ever been alone with God? Oswald Chambers

When He was alone, the twelve . . . asked of Him . . .
Mark 4:10

Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant.NLT

His Solitude with us. When God gets us alone by affliction, heartbreak, or temptation, by disappointment, sickness, or by thwarted affection, by a broken friendship, or by a new friendship—when He gets us absolutely alone, and we are dumbfounded and cannot ask one question, then He begins to expound. Watch Jesus Christ's training of the twelve. It was the disciples, not the crowd outside, who were perplexed. They constantly asked Him questions, and He constantly expounded things to them; but they only understood after they had received the Holy Spirit (see John 14:26).
But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.NLT

If you are going on with God, the only thing that is clear to you, and the only thing God intends to be clear, is the way He deals with your own soul. Your brother's sorrows and perplexities are an absolute confusion to you. We imagine we understand where the other person is, until God gives us a dose of the plague of our own hearts. There are whole tracts of stubbornness and ignorance to be revealed by the Holy Spirit in each one of us, and it can only be done when Jesus gets us alone. Are we alone with Him now, or are we taken up with little fussy notions, fussy comradeships in God's service, fussy ideas about our bodies? Jesus can expound nothing until we get through all the noisy questions of the head and are alone with Him.

 

So as I read this devotion from Oswald it takes me back to Matthew 6:6

But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. NKJV My interpretation of this means, when you go to your secret place, leave all of your crap outside and then come in and close the door. The crawl up into your Daddy's lap to listen to the soft whisper and be comforted.
So I ask "What do you mean by all of this?" I hear "you don't get alone with me like this anymore you don't stop and just listen, yes you pray and yes you read, but you don't get quiet and just listen. I need you to focus on me." So now I am thinking I am hearing him right? So I feel this is Him drawing me into a deeper relationship than what I feel I have and to do that I am going to have to slow down and listen. Go to the secret place. I wonder if I am afraid of going there ….. Afraid of what He might show me. Now isn't that just pathetic. If you don't change ……. Then you won't change.

 

Trust Me

Trust Me

 

Have you thought about the sacrifice?

That was made back in the day.

It was his death on the timber.

An act we will always remember.

 

His death changed us forever.

What He did was inconceivable.

God's care for us . . . . . . Unbelievable.

We will not forget . . . . . never.

 

Could you die?

So some one else could live.

Such a tall order to fill

You could do this if it is God's will.

 

His love is unconditional

It matters not who you are.

Learn to trust Him,

And away goes your sin.

 

Nothing matches the glory of our Father.

Or the sacrifice He made.

So we could come to know Him,

Even as we live in sin.

 

Jesus says, "Come to me

And I will give you rest."

Only Jesus knows what is best.

He is the truth, and the way, that's easy to see.

 

So come to me with your shame,

Come to me with your pain.

I am the one, who comforts,

As your tears fall like the rain.

 

Your heart is broken and torn from the inside.

You look to me with no more pride.

You have nothing left but your broken heart.

You think all is lost and everything has fallen apart.

 

Behold I heal all wounds.

And I start with the heart.

With that we will never be apart.

My healing will give you a new start.

 

It is time to die to yourself.

Make the sacrifice to live the new life.

I will listen and answer when you pray.

Trust me; I will not lead you astray.

 

 

By Kevin Gwyn ©copyrighted 3/21/2003

Have you surrendered?

Strange how my devo came about this morning. I am leaving to go on a Quest next week and was looking at some old emails and was feeling like I needed to send something out, but realized that it wasn't for the questers but for me. I have an email called surrender that I sometimes send out. When I read it this morning, I looked up surrender on my software and this is where I landed Jeremiah 38:17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: 'If you surely surrender 
to the king of Babylon's princes, (or whatever is going on in your life right now)then your soul shall live; this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live. Here is what I know for me. My life is so much calmer when I surrender.

Surrender is always a tough one for me, what is the worst thing that could happen if you surrender?

Here is what François Fenelon the Archbishop of Cambria said in the 17th century. He was the spiritual advisor to Louie the 14th. He said this in a letter to the King about surrender. There is more in the letter but this is the main point.

Let me tell you what real surrender is. It is simply resting in the love of the Lord, as a little baby rests in his mother arms. A perfect surrender must even be willing to quit surrendering, if that is what the Lord wants. We renounce ourselves, and yet, God never lets us know when it is complete. If we knew, it would no longer BE complete, for there is nothing that bolsters the ego quiet so much as knowing that it is fully surrendered.

Surrender consist, not in doing great, heroic deeds about which self can brag, but simply in accepting whatever God sends, and not seeking to change it. Surrender is the source of true peace.

I have noticed for myself that when I have completely surrendered. (At least when I think I have) I feel at peace. When I think I have surrendered something but I am restless about it and I don't have peace, then I am still holding on to it. I don't like that.

The more you look at what you are not; the less you become who you are!

So here is my question or questions for you. Ask Holy Spirit right now. Stop what you are doing and get quiet. Lord, please show me what I am trying to control or change instead of surrendering and giving it to you. Lord what am I trying to change in thier life that is not my job to change?

Be blessed today. Almost forgot.

This is what I heard for me. Choose your battles wisely with Rebekah (my step daughter) she is a very picky eater and it drives me up the wall. When I pick at her it makes my wife irritated and makes me mad. So once again the Lord says "Be Quiet" He also said to quit bantering with her. I like to argue with her, but I when I do she feels she knows everything so I am never right. I could even prove that what she is saying is wrong and she way still argue. The Lord says "Be Quiet no matter how hard you try YOU CANNOT CHANGE HER! The sad thing is that I know that but I keep pounding my head against the wall. My friend would say …. So, how is that working for you? I hate that saying!

So this is what I heard, what did you hear?

Is God in Control

Is God in control? We all know the story of Joseph being sold to Potiphar an officer of Pharaoh. Can you imagine what joseph thought as he set in prison being accused of raping Potiphar's wife. I have done everything asked of you Lord and this is what I get? I am sure it never crossed his mind that the Lord was preparing him to be able to rule later in life. Today, we go through the same thing. Something hard is happening in our lives something we do not understand, something not going our way. We like to place blame, why? Because it is easier to place blame on someone else than to look at yourself in the mirror.

So here is my question for you? Who are you blaming for the circumstances that you are in?

We focus on the impossibility of the circumstances instead of the greatness of our Lord. As a result we are discouraged and need to blame someone, so we look for the one we feel responsible for our despair. When we face the fact that God could have prevented our whole mess – and didn't –we often blame him excerpt from the "Bait of Satan".

The whole point of this story is to show that Joseph never took up an offense…. He stayed in the will of God. He had many opportunities to pick up an offense, but he chose not to.

Nothing can come against us without the Lord's knowledge.

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man, and God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bare, but if you are tempted He will always provide a way out so that you can stand against it

1 Cor. 10:13

The cup

Every day this week I wake to John 17. I have read it every day but yesterday, but I am not sure what I am seeing 14-15-16-17 are some of my favorite books of the bible. The one thing I feel I am getting from this is in verse 26 I have made your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them. Do I love people as much as He loves me? Can I tell you that right now there are people that I know I don't love as much as He loves me? There is the rub. I don't want to pose in this area. I want to be real and genuine. So after I read chapter 17 I went on to 18 and stopped right here
So Jesus said to Peter, "Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?" So now as I ponder I wonder if the cup I don't want to drink from is loving others as much as He loves me. Keep in mind that cup could be anything.

Has the Lord given me/you something do and you have chosen not to drink?

 

Kee

 

 

 

 

    

Get out of the way

My devotion this morning took me to 2 Thessalonians 1, but it was verses 11 and 12 that got my attention. Then when I read it in the Message it spoke even more. I believe that once again it centers on trust. Will I trust myself to get out of His way to do what He needs to do so that my life will honor Jesus? I want to be honored. I want Jesus to be glorified in me. I want to be the person that when he walks in the room the spirit in the room changes for the better not worse.

Have a Blessed day!

Kevin

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
Because we know that this extraordinary day is just ahead, we pray for you all the time—pray that our God will make you fit for what he's called you to be, pray that he'll fill your good ideas and acts of faith with his own energy so that it all amounts to something. If your life honors the name of Jesus, he will honor you. Grace is behind and through all of this, our God giving himself freely, the Master, Jesus Christ, giving himself freely.The Message

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.NASB95

Trust

I woke this morning asking …. What do you want me to read? I hear John 17. So I get up and pray for the Lord to reveal himself to me in His word. Sometimes I just have to be reminded of what Jesus did. It is so easy to take for granted if you are not careful. I decided this morning that I would give the Lord my first time and not the leftovers. I got up and read and did not check my email or read the news. I spent time with Him. That is been my biggest problem as of late…. Finding time too fir Jesus in my day. You make time for what is important in your life. IF JESUS IS IMORTANT THEN YOU WILL MAKE TIME FOR HIM. So I read John 17 and then I read one of my devos and it took me to Psalm 37. Now let's back up for a moment to Church Sunday. During the worship I asked the Lord what is 2012 about and before I could finish the thought I heard the word "Trust" I immediately told Kelly that, and she said isn't that kind of generic? I thought for a moment and then I said "is it generic when the Lord speaks? She said no and then the Lord gave her a word and she begins to write. Now fast forward to today. As I am reading, several scriptures jump out at me Psalm 37:3 Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.NASB95 Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.NASB95 Psalm 37:9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.NASB95 Psalm 37:34 Wait for the Lord and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.NASB95. The whole Psalms 37 was a huge read this morning but theses scriptures really stuck out to me.

Trust and wait for 2012

The message Sunday was basically about how hard it is to fall when you are doing battle. David did not fall until he went home and stopped fighting. He sent Uriah the Hittite to fight for him. That is when he saw Bathsheba and then he made a decision and the rest is history. How many times do you think he saw Bathsheba before he made the decision that he did? We have to take the fight to the enemy. We can't sit around and send someone to fight for us.

So the question is this. Are you fighting? Are you Trusting and are you waiting?

Luke 17.4

Luke 17: 4 And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, "I repent," forgive him.

Question, do you have someone in your life that you are holding unforgiveness towards that has asked you for forgiveness but you have placed yourself above the Lord and not forgiven that person even though the Lord has? Better yet … said you forgave them but did not?

If you walk in unforgiveness you will be turned over to the tormentors, how is that working for you?

Christ died for you to be free, walk as He does

Stop right now and ask "Lord is there anyone that I have not forgave?"

The little dog pt. 2

The Little Dog this is the link to the story I posted on my blog June 26th. The question I posed at the end of my story was this "So here is my question to you. If my little dog lived in your home for a while would you have pee stains on your carpet?" I failed my own question. The dog whose name is Penny has gone to the bathroom all over my home for 5 ½ months. Why? Because I did not change. The quote that just sticks in my mind is this, "if you don't change …. Then nothing changes" it is that simple. I was in a meeting with a group of men Tuesday night last week. As we went around the room taking prayer request I said to myself "I'm good" I hear Holy Spirit say "What about your dog?" I say whatever! A few more men talk and I again hear "What about your dog? Now I have an attitude so I said fine I will bring it up! You see, I abused my dog that I day. I slung her out into the garage because she went to the bathroom all over the blanket again. I had this little 20lb dog so scared of me that she rolled on her side and crapped. Never in my life had I seen that before and never will I forget it. It broke my heart and I could not believe what I had caused. Now for my confession with the men. One of the men said "I feel like the Lord has a scripture for you" (something along those lines) Proverbs 12.10 A righteous man has regard for his animal ………………. Well I had an E. F. Hutton moment. The Lord spoke, I listened, and I changed. Here is what the Lord showed me in a span of about five minutes while I was being prayed over.

•    I was mad because the dog Penny had rejected me

•    I was Jealous because the dog was not mine anymore but my daughters

•    I passed judgment on Penny

I changed and so……… I changed. Wednesday morning I laid hands on my dog and prayed for her, confessed and asked for forgiveness. 9 if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Penny has noticed the change in me and does not hide any more. She comes to me and stays with me.

 

I am just amazed! 25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.

Glory

Romans 5

¹ Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

 

As I read this I have a question for everyone to ask themselves. Do you have Glory in your tribulation or are you blaming someone or something or circumstances. Are you doing the pour me? If you are, then are you taking away God's glory from shinning?

God’s seat

I put myself in God's seat again. I became the judge. You would think after finding out 18 months ago how judgmental I was I would be better and I am to a degree. Judgment reared its ugly head yesterday. Without going into detail I judge my son. He called me and asked me a question and I assumed he was asking for this reason and when he came over I found out that what I thought was not the truth, but my judgment that I had place on him. In turn by the time he got to my house I was pissed and had gotten myself all worked up over nothing. You see, I decided why he called. I decided why he needed the money. I decided why he did not ask his boss for money. I could have stopped all of the pain by simply telling myself, I will wait until I get his sided of the story before I make a decision. Therefore eliminating any pain caused by my judgment. A quote from chpt 2 on "how to stop the Pain" "The heart is desperately wicked: who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9 God is the only one who can truly know the heart. When people assume to know why, then their reactions are not based on reality; they are based on judgment. That judgment causes confusion, pain, and loss.

Matthew 7:1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

I attached significance to the situation; I attached a "why" to what he was doing. The moment I attached the "why" to the situation I then gave it all of the power and then I caused all of my own pain

Question? Who has judged someone lately; you decided why they did what they did without talking to them. You did the negative self-talk and got yourself all worked up over nothing. Then when you did talk to them, you were completely wrong and felt like dumb #$%

 

If you don’t change ……. Then nothing changes!

If you don't change ……… then nothing changes. I have written about this before, so I am writing again about it. I am 50 lbs. over weight. I have chosen not to do anything about it! My eating habits are horrible and I have no discipline in these areas of my life. I am not complaining, because that will not accomplish anything, it is really about the first line in this paragraph. I just need to get off my butt! I guess it is just not bad enough yet. If I don't change………. Then nothing changes. That goes for every area of my life. Scripture says your body is a temple, 1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own, 20 You were bought with a price [purchased with preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body. This is my Goliath! Sometimes I feel this is how my life is supposed to be. Well that is a lie strait from the enemy and I refuse to believe that. If I don't do something then in a couple of months I will weigh more.

If you don't change ……… then nothing changes I have ran into several people over the last couple of weeks who have had the attitude that if this is all there is then just take me home now …… I'm done. This attitude pains me; if you don't do anything to change your circumstances then you circumstances will never change. It is not God's job to change you it is your job. Just like me I can gripe about my situation or do something about it! God does not say anywhere in the bible that this life on earth would be easy. In fact He says to welcome the trials. Look it up! 1 Cor. 10:13, James 1:2-4, James 1:12 just to name a few.

I heard a speaker yesterday and he is a very anointed man. Here a couple things that he said that really struck me.

• If you really have made Jesus the Lord of your life then you will have trouble every day! Realistically I do have some type of trouble every day when I go back and think about it
  
• There is no exit strategy in your life except Jesus. What is your exit strategy?
  
• What would happen if you went back to your Egypt? If I go back to the Old Man or my Egypt, everything goes awry!
  
• God is not going to bless a retreat of rebellion. This one really got me!
  
• The children of Israel were fed miraculously because they were following the Lord. Are you been fed?
  
• If you choose to go back to your Egypt, where would you get your water? The fresh manna? How would you cross the Red Sea? Do you think the Lord is going to part the Red Sea for you?
  

These statements and questions are for me as much as they are for anyone else. I leave you with this scripture from
2 Corinthians 4:8 we are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. 11 Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. 12 So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.

.

1 Corinthians 3:7-9

1 Corinthians 3:7-9

7 it's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. 9 For we are both God's workers. And you are God's field. You are God's building.

So I am reading this morning and my devo took me to 1 Corinthians 2 but the nugget came in three, I had actually taken a little break and then got back in the word when I got this. This is something I am guilty of occasionally. I am good at planting and I am good at watering the seeds. I have to tell you that there are times that I think I can do a better job at making the seed grow ……. better than the Lord. Basically what I am doing is getting in the Lords way and then I turn into a growth inhibiter or I kill the seed all together. Like spraying a little roundup. The sad thing is sometimes I don't even realize I am doing it. I am a man and it is my nature to want you to succeed, but I want you to get it on my time not God's time. (Because I know better). Hear me on this, I don't make this a habit in fact it doesn't happen very often, but if it happens once then it is too much. Sometimes you just have to keep your mouth shut and trust the Lord in what you are seeing and hearing for someone.

I know it has been a while since I have written and it is because if you don't draw near to Him He want draw near to you. You may wonder why you are not hearing the Lord and it is because you are not spending time with Him and that is where I have been. I have not been in a bad place. Kinda just out there if you know what I mean. Not off in Nah Nah Land. I have been reading a devotion every day, but it is just not enough. So yesterday I purposed myself to read and today and look what happens I write … go figure. Thank you Lord!

Switching gears for a moment

I have been reading a book off and on called the 10 second rule that my friend Chuck Koll in Michigan gave me. What a great book. Essentially, what the rule is about is this ….. When you hear the Lord tell you to do something then you have to do it in the next ten seconds or most likely you won't do it. What a missed opportunity if you do not obey. Click the link 10 second rule It means for me that if I hear the Lord tell me to do something it doesn't mean pray about it and see if that was really the lord. It means just do it.

(Nugget from book pg. 107-108 our goal should be nothing less than becoming so familiar with the "mind of Christ" that we can anticipate what Jesus might do in almost any given situation so we can respond immediately.)

Which means no more WWJD it means listen and obey not ask? Kevin

Do you believe this?

John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"NKJV the last four words made me pause.

"DO YOU BELIEVE THIS"?

It is my opinion that to offer your body as a living sacrifice Holy and pleasing to God, (Romans 12:1) you have to believe this or how could you? As of late I have been really struggling with this. Offering my body as a living sacrifice is not something I do well every day, but I am getting better. It is not something I beat myself up with either.

So I guess the big question is this……. Has something come up in your life lately that Jesus has said? "Do you believe this"? Do you trust me in this area or not, are you going to handle this yourself or let me?

For me it has to be the issue with the man that dropped the f- bombs on me. I know what I need to do and I will. This is one of those areas where you see God work all the time, but there is that part of you that wonders … Will you this time?

Have you ever wondered that before?

Will you this time?

Persecution

My devotion took me to Matthew 5 this morning. A chapter I am very familiar with. Last week I had someone that I do not know send me an email and he made comments to me that were not nice to say the least. He had actually dropped some F Bombs on me. I did not do anything wrong, he is just responding out of his wound. It still hurt though never the less. Okay … let's be honest … for a moment it made me so mad I wanted to go to his work and whip his ASS! (Just for a moment) It took me a couple of hours to get over this, and I did. I had to continue to tell myself that it was not personal. I had two different people tell me "It is not you Kevin but the Jesus in you that he is mad at." This morning as I am reading I come across this.

Matthew 5:11-12
"Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. NASB95

Matthew 5:44-46 "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
"For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? NASB95

So my question is this. Have you been persecuted lately and if you have ….. How did you react?

 

1 Cor 6.15-20

I came so last tonight to getting on the computer and looking at something evil.  I was one click away ….. I sat there and thought about the post I sent out wednesday.  I did what I am supposed to do … I got in the word … I fought it, but I knew that is what I had to do.

For me,   the most pressure I feel is when I am alone at home when no one can see what I am doing.  Often times that is when I have my biggest victories.  That is when I have no one to rely on except Holy Spirit …. This is what Jesus says for those who feel alone.

¹⁵ "If you love me, obey^* my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,^*
who will never leave you. ¹⁷ He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you^[1]

So what is the deal … why am I having this thought process?    I am tired that is what  … what else?   My step daughter is here  from college for a few days and the jealousy is creeping in.    Read James lately ? 

James 3:16
For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. NLT

So I get out my bible and open right to 1 Corinthians 6.    God is so good.  So I am reading along when I get to verse 15 and I am floored.  Thank you Jesus. 

1 Corinthians 6:15-20
Don't you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! And don't you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, "The two are united into one." But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. NLT
So here is what I say about that "In Your Face satan!!!"

"Something is changing …….. so it is changing"

James 1:2

I am reading this morning's devo and I had to just pause a moment.  Thinking about the line that says you know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.  It made me think about the time I was late getting to church a couple of years ago ( I hate being late to church so I put this pressure on myself) So I am tailgating this car so they would get out of my way,  when I can finally got past them I floored it to make a statement.  So imagine how I felt when I got to church and he and his family pulled up next to me and got out of their car.  What a great witness I was.  It is so easy to hide in our car because we don't think we will see that person anymore, but the Lord sees us.  He sees the text message we leave or hears the message we leave on someone else's phone, He hears what we say in our cars when we are alone, which is what we wouldn't say if someone else was in the car with us.  .  For me,   the most pressure I feel is when I am alone at home when no one can see what I am doing.  Often times that is when I have my biggest victories.  That is when I have no one to rely on except Holy Spirit …. This is what Jesus says for those who feel alone. 

¹⁵ "If you love me, obey^* my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,^*
who will never leave you. ¹⁷ He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you ^[1]

James1: 2 MSG " Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.^[2]

James 1:4 NIV ² Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴ Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.^[3]

 
 

I don't know about you, but if we are being honest here I really don't like the trials that I have to go through.  Last year December I had surgery, February 5^th I was released to go back to work.  February 9^th I broke my leg in my drive way and was down almost three months.  Nothing like relying on other people to get you to places or to help you or to fix you dinner.  At the time I did not see, but I did do some growing during that time and maturing, but I am still lacking,   but I am getting there.    I have a long ways to go.

James 4.17

 

 

Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin. James 4.17

Proverbs 21.21

He who pursues righteousness and loyalty finds life, righteousness and honor. Proverbs 21.21

Radical obedience always precedes the miraculous.

I am reading in a book called the 10 Second rule. One of the quotes in the book really struck me this morning. It says "It dawned on my me why I wasn't making more progress in obedience. When I would fell a prompting of the Holy Spirit to do something I was reasonable certain Jesus wanted me to do ----- and then choose not to do it --- I was actually rewarding myself for being disobedient. I chose disobedience because I knew perfectly well that obedience would cost me something, at least in the short run – time, money, embarrassment, inconvenience. Or pleasure differed – you name it. If I chose not to obey Jesus, I can avoid all that grief and keep what is mine" I really do not like the thought that I am rewarding myself for being disobedient. My reward is in Heaven "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5.12
So I wonder if the prophets were persecuted for walking in obedience. So I wonder what was the last thing that you felt certain that Jesus wanted you to do and you waiting long enough for the feeling to go away so you didn't do it? The Lord didn't call us to easy, but he did call us to obedience. Obedience today …. Let tomorrow worry about itself. It is easy to walk in obedience when it does not interfere with anything. I returned one piece of door hardware to Home Depot the other day because it had been dropped and scratched. I was dishonest in the fact that I knew they would take it back. As soon as the lady gave me my money back I heard Holy Spirit say "What are you doing?" I fought it long enough to walk out of the store, Knowing that I was going to have to go back and re purchase the damaged knob. The point is … what if the cashier needed to see some brutal honesty that day and I walked in disobedience. The one thing she needed I denied her. I am not sure if that is the case but you get the point.

99 percent obedience is 100 percent disobedience …. Which one are you? Today?

Amazing Love

Amazing Love:

This is short and right to the point. I cannot explain it. I can only say that the Lord spoke to my wife through a movie. Through an act of love from her I am walking in complete freedom…. The desire today has been taking away and I am free. When I say the desire has been taking away that is what I mean. Just lifted …. "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

1 Corinthians 9

1 Corinthians 9:1-2
Am I not as free as anyone else? Am I not an apostle? Haven't I seen Jesus our Lord with my own eyes? Isn't it because of my work that you belong to the Lord? Even if others think I am not an apostle, I certainly am to you. You yourselves are proof that I am the Lord's apostle.NLT

Apostle (uh-pahsʹuhl), the English transliteration of a Greek word meaning 'one who is sent out.' An apostle is a personal messenger or envoy, commissioned to transmit the message or otherwise carry out the instructions of the commissioning agent.

So I am reading in my OC this morning which takes me to 1 Corinthians 9. Sometimes I like to believe I am not as free as everyone else. THAT IS A LIE! I am as free, I am an Apostle, and I have seen Jesus! After I have read the definition or the transliteration it makes perfect sense. The chapter really spoke to me this morning. There is so much in it. The chapter finishes off very well with 24-27.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27
don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
NLT

 

I leave you with questions?

• Are you as free as everyone else?
  
• Are you an apostle
  
• Have you seen Jesus
  
• Do you trust Jesus
  
• Are you disciplined
  
• Do you run with purpose
  

 

 

You are not disqualified!

 

 

Surrender

Spending time with Oswald Chambers this morning and his devotion came out of Hebrews 4 so I read Hebrews 4. The whole chapter spoke to me but these two verses especially. Hebrews 4.10 For all who have entered into God's rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. ¹¹ So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall. Obliviously the passage is talking about taking a Sabbath. A day off from work and just resting. We can't even do that most of the time. I will put another spin on it, How about just resting in His arms for 10 minutes. For me that is a hard thing to do. That is surrender
……. That is total surrender. How many of us will just flat not take the time to stop and rest? Get quiet? Be still? We are so stinking busy that we rationalize our time with the Lord. How many of you keep a daily planner? You schedule everything … from picking up the kids to school to your daily meeting with the manager of your work to your 10.00 conference call that you have every day with the owner. Maybe even your daily planner has your weekly appointment with your pastor, but nowhere on your planner does it have time with the Lord, why is that? I think for most of us, we just believe that we are going to spend time with Him and rest. The truth is that we just wave good bye in the morning on our way out the door and say I will catch you tomorrow and He just sits and rest and waits for us. Now I am not saying that everyone does this … what I am saying is that it is a common thing. I have done this myself. The flipside is if you do the very same thing every day then does it become religion? I don't think so if you are doing it because you love the Lord.

Here is what François Fenelon the Archbishop of Cambria said in the 17^th century.  He was the spiritual advisor to Louie the 14^th.  He said this in a letter to the King about surrender.  There is more in the letter but this is the main point. Let me tell you what real surrender is.  It is simply resting in the love of the Lord, as a little baby rests in his mother arms.  A perfect surrender must even be willing to quit surrendering, if that is what the Lord wants.  We renounce ourselves, and yet, God never lets us know when it is complete.  If we knew, it would no longer BE complete, for there is nothing that bolsters the ego quiet so much as knowing that it is fully surrendered.
Surrender consist, not in doing great, heroic deeds about which self can brag, but simply in accepting whatever God sends, and not seeking to change it.   Full surrender is full peace. If we are restless and concerned about things that are formally renounced, we have not genuinely surrendered. Surrender is the source of true peace. If we are not at peace. It is because our surrender is not complete.

 

Psalm 139

139:23-24 which says

    Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me and know my anxious thoughts;

And see if there be any hurtful way in me,

and lead me in the everlasting way.

 

The lie I like to believe is looking at porn is okay occasionally. ( I came up with a new term … Porn Binging.  Like an alcoholic that goes on a drinking binge) I know that is not true, but I want to believe it.  This is what my confessional project centers on.    I struggle with discipline in all areas of my life and it starts with the lack of discipline in my life and it has a trickledown effect in every other area of my life.  I have confessed and repented more times than I can count to the point of sometimes thinking  "What is the point?".  I sometimes feel like I am destined to be like this.  I have my good moments when I can go months without looking at anything.  I know the Holy Spirit showed me a couple years ago that my  biggest issue is it is my choice.  I have given you all of the tools to defeat this.  (Okay I just got my world rocked just now, what comes next is from Holy Spirit,  I have never heard this from Him before,  I am in tears)   but you choose not use everything I have given you  So really the choice is not the fact that I choose not to go there it means that I don't choose what He has given me to beat this thing. Now I can say PRIDE  He showed me that as well.  Sheer determination not to do something is like white knuckling it.  when it comes to not snorting cocaine after using for 5 years,  White knuckling will only take you so far…. I know this for a fact.  I have been there.  I have not touched cocaine since May 12^th 1988 but it was not because I white knuckled it.  Hear is another lie that was just revealed to me.  I did not rely on Jesus to save me from cocaine addiction, it was the fear of losing everything … namely my wife and kids.  It had nothing to do with God.  I am not saying god did not have anything to do with that.  In my mind it was sheer determination and going to the hospital that saved me.  I believe that is the root  ………………………………………………  Holy Spirit says yes that is the root!

The lie was I did it!   I beat the cocaine addiction (that was when there was only one set of foot prints in the sand) and now I feel I can still do it with the lust.  That is a LIE!

Galatians 6:7-9  As I have been mediating on this Wise words from Holy Spirit the last two weeks.  I have come to a couple of conclusions. 

• If I am not sowing to please the Spirit, then there is only one thing left that I am doing and that is sowing to please my sinful nature.  NOT PRETTY!
  
• I will reap a harvest if I don't give up!  I can tell you right now……. When It comes to ME fighting this battle I am weary.
  

Jesus says ….. comes to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest for your soul.  I am truly not sure if I have ever allowed rest for my soul.   I am going to say that I DID NOT WANT TO DO THE CONFESSIONAL PROJECT AND I WAS NOT GOING TO DO IT.  It was either be obedient or not… I chose the latter. 

 

Thank you Jesus

John 7.38

John 7:38 ^tHe who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ^uout of his heart will flow rivers of living water." I got this passage from Oswald Chambers this morning. He talks about the river of God flowing though us and when there are obstacles in our way, God will remove the obstacles or take you around them. At that point He will show up bigger. As I am reading this morning and being quiet. I hear just be yourself and don't try to be something you're not. What does that mean? .Sometimes we try to be something we are not when we are around certain people. Like going on staff on Quest. If you go because of how it may make you look then I believe you are creating an obstacle. You have to be going for the right reasons and just be yourself. I can't tell you how many times I have gone and felt like I wasn't doing anything and then after the event was over. Men would come up to me and say what a blessing I was. Those men would be the ones I did not connect with. God shined through me in spite of myself. So what I am saying is don't be someone you are not. It does not matter if you are on quest or doing life in the real world. Be who God called you to be.

Are you?

I’m Healed

1 Corinthians 16:13
Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.NASB95 I am ever so amazed at the Lord. It is 12.33 last night and I am dead tired. I crawled into bed and choose to read a little. Let me recap the day a little. I did some things and I got caught by my wife (and I was glad) I confessed and she prayed over me and I got HEALED! That is what scripture says …. Confess to one another so you may be healed, the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16.
It does not say confess to God ONLY it says confess to one another. How does this work ….. I don't know but it DOES! 30 to 40 minutes later I realized I was better! My mind was better, my heart is better and my soul is healed! Once again, the Lord speaks to me through His word and it penetrated my heart and that is a good thing. So this morning I decided to read a little more so I went backwards to chapter 15 and I got this word and it spoke to me as well. 1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.NASB95 The last thing I heard this morning is the word "Trust" I am going on Quest and I am right in the middle of two big jobs that I really feel that I have no business leaving at this critical time. I had asked the Lord for confirmation about going on this Quest and I received it the next day in a phone call. I have peace about going, but my flesh is gnawing at my flesh. I am leaving these two jobs in the very capable hands of a very good friend of mine who I trust completely. There is still the element of the flesh that wants to be here to oversee. So once again "trust" Yesterday I said "My heart does not feel prepared" After the confession and the prayer and your prayers and the words form the Lord I can say My HEART is prepared to go on Quest Tuesday.

Today my Heart is good. How is your Heart?

Psalm 139: 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Matthew 6.6

Matthew 6.6  But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

I have often said and believe that this passage means to me to go to the secret place close the door and leave all of your crap outside. No distractions…. Crawl up in your Daddy's lap and just listen and let Him hold you. Don't say a word. If you are talking you cannot hear. A friend told me this below today and I believe it is the formula for hearing the Lord.

Pursuing God's voice

1. Silence your body to hear your words

2. Silence your words to hear your thoughts

3. Silence your thoughts to hear your heart

4. Silence your heart to hear your spirit

5. Silence your spirit to hear God's voice

It is all about pursuing Silence.

Right now I am having the hardest time hearing I have so much going on in my mind. I have actually had to take Tylenol pm to sleep on a few nights. I am leaving to go on Quest next Tuesday and right at this moment my heart does not feel prepared. I know once I get on the bus I will be better. Right now I just can't shake that feeling. Please pray for me.

Thank you Lord for the RAIN!

Kevin

James 1:26-27

Anyone read James lately?

 

As I am reading this morning I can't help but be taken back to James 1:26-27 this is a life scripture for me.  Most of you have heard about the widows and orphans but not in the context that I will show you.  This goes right in line with your devo this morning.  In 2007 I went on an event and one of the passages I memorized was James 1:26-27.  How many times as men, especially those of us who are married are so quick to minister outside of our home before we minister inside our home.  Holy Spirit showed me through a man that I was making my wife and my children widows and orphans in my own home.  I said that is ridiculous I am alive!    He said "I understand that"  "here is what I mean; you are always doing outside of your home …. Church, men's group, Serving on Quest, Helping other people, but when it comes to your family, they get the crumbs or they do not get anything from you.  Well that did not sit well with me …… again.  As iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another.  A couple of nights went by and I was sitting at the table and my wife was helping me with memorizing this passage.  I told her what I just shared with you and said "are you a widow in this home?"  She looked at me and said without blinking an eye.  Yes I am pretty much a widow.  Then she said, "I never get the minister voice that I hear you speak to other men on the phone,   I want you to talk to me that way and you never do.  It was a sad day for me but a good day.  Now I look for opportunities to minister to my wife.  

 

So basically to me what verse 26 means is if you don't minister in side of your home then what you do outside of your home is worthless  ( doesn't taste good)

Verse 27 means minister to your family then you will be pure and unblemished in the sight of God and there will be not a widow or any orphans in your home (taste really good)

 

James 1:26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious (piously observant of the external duties of his faith) and does not bridle his tongue but deludes his own heart; this person's religious service is worthless (futile, barren).

27 External * religious worship [* religion as it is expressed in outward acts] that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this: to visit and help and care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need, and to keep oneself unspotted and uncontaminated from the world.

 

Do You have any widows or orphans in your home?

Humility

Here is what He is showing me. Humility! I have several construction jobs going on. When there are several jobs going I become like the juggler you see on TV who is spinning about 15 plates or so. You know who I am talking about. He is constantly spinning a plate to keep them all going. Right now that is what I feel like. I have fifteen plates spinning and I had about 8 of them crash to the floor and shatter this week. What the Lord showed me today is I am responsible for spinning those plates and if I would pay more attention to the details instead of the big picture then it would be easier to keep the plates spinning and then there would be no broken plates. Which means …… no mess to clean up or unexpected job expenses. He also showed me that I am the cause of the majority of my pain because I did not pay attention to the details. That is always nice when the Lord shows you that it was your fault and no one else's. Hmmmmmm

 

After the week I have had, I actually thought for just a moment (actually a couple of seconds) felt like everyone was out to get me. Is that a lie from the enemy or what!

 

I am alive

I am healthy

I am working

My family is healthy

The Lord loves me

I love Him

My son in law

I wrote about this a few days ago and it really hit me tonight. Always be prepared to give a reason for the hope that you have. Always be Jesus with skin on because you never know who is watching. I had the privilege of meeting a young man about 5 years ago. He is the daddy of my grandson and his name is Dantrell. I have not seen him in like a year or year and half … not sure. Dantrell and my daughter went their separate ways and it was hard on both of them and little Jeremiah. Last Friday we met Dantrell in Denton to pick up Jeremiah and take him to Amarillo to be with his mom. That was very hard for me to see those two saying goodbye to each other. It broke my heart. Tonight I get a text message from him out of the blue and it says I just wanted to tell you that you are the number 1 person in this world that I look up to and I wish my dad was like you. What an Honor. Very humbling. I got some more text from him and I really felt like I needed to call him. So I did …. He was in tears but it was good. I believe God has him right where he wants him. We talked about 30 minutes and I prayed for him. He said he would go on a Quest I just don't know if he can get off work. Please pray for him. I am trying to see if I can get him on August. We will see what Holy Spirit Says about that. The reason I share this is because you never know who you are going to impact with your actions or re actions so be Jesus with skin on and

 

Givem Heaven out there!

Are you prepared?

Romans 1:5 Through Christ, God has given us the privilege* and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.

1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

This is all about walking in who you are as an Apostle, being able to give your testimony in Love not bashing someone over the head as a religious person may do. When you are walking and living in His love, you will be bringing Glory to His name and not yours.

Are you prepared today to bring Glory to His name?

Hebrews 10

 

Hebrews 10.32 Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ.^* Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering.

Many years ago the Holy Spirit showed me to stay off the computer in the morning and my phone. To give Him the first fruits of the morning. No TV, no computer, no work …. Just him. I am amazed at how often I hear Him in the morning. It usually comes in the form of "What are you doing? That is not what I said do. How long are you going to continue to do this instead of listening to me? Or at night I hear "you going to pray? I just ignore. This morning was the first time in a long time I left everything off and just read and listened and it felt good. The passage above made me think about where I was 10 years ago …….. Lost and my marriage was going down the tubes and then it hit bottom. I started going back to church and was on fire for everything. I did whatever the church leaders told me to do and I did not question that. I was a baby craving spiritual milk. I went through some suffering but I remained faithful. Now I am ten years later, I am faithful but do I trust as much as I did 10 years ago? Am I as patient? Am I as passionate?

Are you?

Hebrews 10 ³⁵ So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! ³⁶ Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

Stand Firm

Isaiah 7:9 Israel is no stronger than its capital, Samaria,

and Samaria is no stronger than its king, Pekah son of Remaliah.

Unless your faith is firm,

I cannot make you stand firm." As I read this passage this morning it made me wonder. A company is only as strong as its leader. A country is only as strong as its leader. A marriage is only as strong as the husband. So many times I pray for strength or resolve or patience or discipline when in reality I already have these things I just don't stand firm. Enough said.

Isaiah 42

Could not sleep last night, I am feeling a little overwhelmed with all of the work I have going on. I was up for at least three hours last night. I could not shut off my brain. I have more work right now than I could imagine and it just keeps coming. I would ask for prayer for me to be focused and confident in what I do and to be better organized. 16 I will lead blind Israel down a new path, guiding them along an unfamiliar way. I will brighten the darkness before them and smooth out the road ahead of them. I take this scripture and believe that it is for me. It took two chapters to get there. I am not saying that I am blind but I am in uncharted territory. In the next two months I will have made more money that the previous 18 months.

The next word I got is familiar territory and that is not a good thing Isaiah 42:20 you see and recognize what is right but refuse to act on it. You hear with your ears, but you don't really listen." Here is the truth, I am overweight and I hate it, I am completely out of shape, my joints hurt, I hate to bend over. Everything is a chore. I know I need to eat right, but I don't , I know I need to exercise, but I don't. I wrote about this at the start of the year, and then I broke my leg. Still could have at right though. So the bottom line is I am walking in rebellion. James says that he who knows what to do and does not do it, that is sin to him.

So I confess rebellion and fouling up God's Holy Temple with the lack of exercise and not eating right. You know what to pray for. Bless you Kevin

A little dog

The power of a little dog. We adopted a little Jack Russell mix about five weeks ago. It has been an interesting time. The dog is two years old and house broken and was abused. We were told she was not abused, but we are finding out through my big burliness and voice that she was. I want to name the dog skitso because with me she has a split personality. James 3.5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. (OR MAKE A LITTLE DOG PEE!) I am convinced that the Lord has a sense of humor and brought this little dog to us. My wife has observed the dog react to my voice when my tone is in a bad way and she cowers even if I am not talking to her. If my tone in my home is how it should be, with honor and respect for the ones who live in my home then I don't have to worry about this dog leaving puddles around my home. In a way, I have to walk on egg shells at times and that is okay because it is about my tone around my family. This dog is here to help me and I receive that.

So here is my question to you. If my little dog lived in your home for a while would you have pee stains on your carpet?

Isaiah 40

Sometimes it is the most subtle word from the Lord that penetrates the deepest. So why do you think it is when you know the truth …….. People tell you the truth. You tell yourself the truth, but nothing clicks until you read it straight from the word of God. That is what happened. A word from the Lord this morning during my short time with Him this morning. Isaiah 40:2 ………..tell her that her sad days are gone and her sins are pardoned ………………….This is what I heard this morning and I receive it.

Amen

Just being Honest

The poem is one that I wrote back in 03. I found an old disk that had some files on it and that poem was one of them. I read it and it spoke to me like I wrote it today. My wife asked me a question yesterday and I did not know how to answer it. She said "Why do you hate yourself so much?" I did not know how to respond to that. I got really jacked up over something that happened a while back. I am not sure if I am entirely over it. It is not working for me. Pain is inevitable but am I choosing to suffer?

I really have to wonder if I am walking in humility? am I tending to my wife's garden?

I don't want to read ….. I don't want to pray …… I don't like that….. there is no desire and no passion in my heart right now. Just being honest. I don't want to go to Church because I don't want to be a poser. I have my friends that I am being real with. This is just where I am at.

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 Chronicles 7:14

Where I am at

You have a choice

 

There is a truth that we seek.

Without this truth we become weak.

There is a road we must all travel.

It is with Jesus or our lives will unravel.

 

Think of the Holy One

And the road He took.

The price He gave.

So He could rise from the grave.

 

He ascended to the Heavens

On that special day

Forever to be by His Fathers side

So He can spread His love worldwide.

 

Do you have His love in your heart?

Or does your life feel torn apart?

Do you walk with an Angel?

Or has your life become tangled?

 

He wants you to follow Him

He forgives you of your sin.

Even when you walk at night,

His light shines bright.

 

You have a choice when you live

Should you be into yourself,

Or should you give?

If you do not give, you will have no wealth.

 

Walking with Jesus is the way.

Speak to Him when you pray.

Thank you Lord for Your grace.

Then one day I will see Your face.

 

What a special day that will be,

Just think You were once a stranger to me.

I was never a strange to You

Your love was/is always true.

 

By kevin gwyn

Copyright © June, 1^st. 2003