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Thirst For Living Water

1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? ~ Psalm 42:1-2

We want revival, but again we refuse to spend time in prayer. We’re no longer panting like the deer; our souls are not thirsting for water.

We have lost our desire.

It is like when we want to lose weight, but we don’t have the willpower to eat properly and proportionately. We don’t have the discipline to exercise. Or we want to get good grades in school, but the desire to study is not there.

So, I urge you, consider the things you did when you first got saved and see if they equal what you’re doing now. Do you feel the passion that was there in the beginning? Has the desire to meet with God every day dwindled in your life? You can still get it back. You can still rekindle the dimming flame. Get out of bed and pray, even when you don’t want to. Worship when you feel like doing something else. Read your Bible instead of a secular book or watching TV. When we draw close to God, He draws close to us.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Thirst For Living Water.

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Face Your Giants

37 And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!” ~ 1 Samuel 17:37

David had experience. He had a history with God. When it came time to put his money where his mouth is, so to speak, it was full of confidence because God had done it for him in his private time, when no one else was looking. He was so confident that he convinced the king, who was terrified himself, and he was head and shoulders over all the others, if you remember.

The king said, go, and the LORD be with you. There was nothing else to say. You can’t argue with someone who has been in the presence of the LORD. Someone who has experienced God’s saving grace.

You see giants come in all shapes and sizes. Giants can be:

    1. Lust
    2. Cheating/lying
    3. Pornography
    4. Sexual immorality
    5. Diseases such as:
      • Cancer
      • AIDS
      • MS
      • Alzheimer’s disease

When David faced his giant of lust, he was enticed by the lure of excitement that seemingly had no dire consequences. All because he took a spiritual nap instead of being where he was supposed to be and doing what he was supposed to be doing.

But when he faced his giant of fear, he overcame him because he was where he was supposed to be and doing what he was supposed to be doing.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Face Your Giants Prepared.

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Want What’s Best

16 … The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. ~ James 5:16b

Ever asked the question, “LORD, why did You not answer my prayer?” The responding question would be, were your prayer effectual and fervent? Now that sparks the retorting question, “What is an effectual fervent prayer?”

That’s a fair question. So, let us break it down.

The word effectual, according to Webster’s New World Dictionary, means:

    1. , or able to produce, the desired effect
    2. having legal force; valid

Therefore, in order for your prayers to produce the desired effect, they must first be legal. So, are your prayers legal?

What I mean is that you can’t live any old way and expect to come into God’s presence, looking and smelling like filth because of your sin-ridden lifestyle. Just to be clear, you can’t steal someone’s wife and shack up with her or be someone’s mistress on the side, thus living in adultery or fornication and believe that God hears your prayers.

Well, He actually hears your prayers, but they are detestable to Him. Neither can you actively have sex outside of marriage, live a homosexual lifestyle, or any other type of sexual immorality and believe you can demand an audience with the LORD or that your prayers will be swiftly answered.

The Scripture says you don’t have the right to enter into God’s presence filled with sin.

This isn’t hate speech. This is a concerned fellow human trying to explain what God expects from us. He has standards and protocols. He doesn’t just accept any old leftover thing. He is God, not just that, but He is Creator God. He wants our best. He demands our best. He requires us to put Him first.

Don’t let the world deceive you with its sugar-coated poison. God wants what’s best for you, even if it’s hard to get there.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Want What’s Best.

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Invest In Your Eternity

19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ~ Matthew 6:19–21

Don’t waste your time working for fool’s gold. The only thing you will have in eternity is what you send on ahead. If you send nothing on ahead, you will have nothing.

Nothing added to nothing is still nothing.

Well, I’m sure you will have something, but nothing compared to what you could have.

We need to work now; we need to build up our treasure, don’t miss out on the best and most profitable investment ever, YOUR ETERNITY!

Paul understood the gravity of the situation when he told the Corinthian church that he worked harder, was imprisoned more, had more hardships than the other apostles. He was building up lasting treasure.

Paul was sure of what he had done. He did not waste his time with useless things. He did not get distracted with temporal wealth and position. He was hyper-focused on the eternal. Don’t let the deceitful fruit of the world take away your focus on the eternal.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Invest In Your Eternity.

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Follow Suit

13b But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained. ~ Philippians 3:13b–16

We’re constantly told that nobody’s perfect. That it’s impossible for anyone to live a constant holy life. But Paul, influenced by the Holy Spirit, had a difference of opinion. He said there are examples out there. Examples that can encourage us to do even better.

When we see others trying to be holy, trying to make a difference in the world, don’t roll your eyes and think, “Holier than thou.” Let them be an example to you, and stop letting Hollywood be your household example. These Christians are trying to live out that which they are called to live out. They aren’t caught up with the world; they’re focused on the Eternal. They’re focused on Jesus.

This is where we need to be. This is how we live a life of no regrets, by following those like Paul because he wasn’t just a great example of how to live our lives. He was a great encouragement that it’s possible to live our lives for Christ regardless of our past or background. He showed that it’s possible for the blood of the Lamb and the presence of the Holy Spirit to soften and change the hardest of hearts. Paul showed us that’s it’s possible to live for Christ with no regrets.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Follow Suit.

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Don’t Waste Your Salvation

7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing. ~ 2 Timothy 4:7–8

He was sure he had run the race successfully, and he had finished the course completely. There was nothing he had left undone. No regrets. Now, I realize that everyone has regrets. Things that they wished they had done, or things that they wished they hadn’t done. Paul didn’t have regrets after he accepted Christ as LORD and Savior, he was laser-focused on what God had called him to do, and he let NOTHING distract him.

He said, “I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also, I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.” He had one thing on his mind, doing God’s will.

Paul didn’t consider salvation to be a one-time thing and done. He understood that it took a lifetime. Every day we wake up and plug away to attain that which we were apprehended by Christ Jesus to apprehend. That is, eternal life and to bring others with us.

In the Old Testament, God said several times, “None shall appear before me empty-handed.” Every time He described or talked about the Feasts, He mentioned it.

None shall appear before me empty-handed.

Do you suppose that was written only for those Feasts that was only a shadow of that which was and is to come? No, it was written about soul-winning as well. When we stand before God, we must have something to show for our labor. Whether it was because of our prayers or because of our witness, we must not stand before the God of the Feasts empty-handed.

We are not saved to go into hibernation. No, we are saved for good works, for winning souls; we are saved to be a blessing to others. It is not about us; it’s about pleasing God by being a blessing to others.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Waste Your Salvation.

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Don’t Let Time Run Out

27b …it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment. ~ Hebrews 9:27b

Short, but powerful. It hits home. It is appointed unto man once to die. We do not have multiple opportunities to get it right. I realize there are religions that teach different concepts of reincarnation, where at death, the body dies, but the soul continues to live and comes back in a different life form or some other type of animal.

The soul continues the life and death cycles until it has enough merit that it reaches perfection and is united with “The One,” the ultimate being. But God, the Great Creator, said from the very beginning that we are all destined to die one time, and there is no coming back, but only the Judgement.

God does not give us any indication or suggestion that there are multiple lives. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it; we are all destined to die. As they say, “No one gets out alive.” What does that mean?

So, please, please understand that we have ONE shot at getting this right. ONE opportunity to get all of the ducks in a row, so to speak. The time is flying by so quickly now that it seems like one day is morphing into the next and that one right into the next, and so on, until it is just a blur.

Don’t let your life pass you by. We’re all given an allotted amount of time to get things right and build a relationship with God, don’t let that time run out. Today is the day for salvation; tomorrow is promised to no one.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Let Time Run Out.

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Think About Tomorrow

11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. ~ 1 Timothy 6:11–14

Paul instructed Timothy to “take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession.”

Paul understood that they only had the one opportunity to get it right. One opportunity to build up treasure in heaven that lasts for all eternity. People work so hard here on earth building up treasure and wealth that someone else will get instead of building up true wealth that lasts forever.

Jesus warns us not to work for wealth that fades but build true wealth so that we will have a good eternity. This life won’t last forever. Tomorrow is promised to no man. Today is the day of Salvation.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Think About Tomorrow.

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Think About Others

11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. ~ Joshua 7:11

There was no distinction between Israel and Achan. God saw the community as one, and if one fails, they all fail, and if one wins, they all win. I’m sure the Israelites began to question and deny doing it, and if you look at it from their point of view, they didn’t physically do anything. Yet, one man’s sin caused the whole community to suffer.

Sometimes we say, “It is my business; it’s not hurting anyone.” Or “He’s only hurting himself; leave him alone.” But on the contrary, no one lives to himself, but all are in this fight together. No man is an Island. We must be conscious of other members of the family and our community.

No one knew the reason; they just couldn’t figure out or understand why. How could this even happen to them? Who would do a thing like that? Who would take the dedicated things of God?

After the men of AI beat up the Israelite army, Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown before the ark of the LORD. He and all the elders of Israel stayed there until that evening. Then Joshua started questioning God about His intentions concerning the Israelites. And you know what God told him? That the entire community of Israel was guilty and had sinned because of one man.

Nothing has changed today. Today our actions still affect those around us. So, when we act, we have to think of the potential consequences that could fall on those around us.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Think About Others.

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Where’s Your Focus?

24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ ~ Luke 16:24

Just a few days earlier, he was ignoring poor Lazarus, who longed for the crumbs that fell from his table. The Bible didn’t say Lazarus ate, but he longed to eat. The rich man probably despised Lazarus. So, it is entirely possible that the rich man was so mean that he refused Lazarus even the crumbs that fell from his table.

Now when he is face to face with eternity, all his riches and all his wealth and the social statuses don’t seem so important anymore. He is now willing for that sorey, dog-licked finger to be dipped in water and to be touched on his tongue. What seems important to us now will not mean a thing one hundred years, ten years, two years, or even a year from now, much less ten seconds into eternity.

LORD God, help us to focus on Eternity rather than on the present world around us. Fill us with Your Holy Presence so that we may be able to live our lives for You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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