Tag: help

Lift Each Other Up to God

On By ForChristsSakeFellowshipIn Sermons

Let me tell you one of my favorite stories from the Bible. In Exodus 17, there was a war between the Israelites and the Amalekites. They were some tough opponents. It was such an important battle that instead of leading the armies, Moses went up to the top of the hill to pray for Israel. Moses knew that God’s help was the only way they could win.

As long as Moses kept his hands up and prayed, the battle would go well. If his hands fell, the Israelites would start to lose.

Of course Moses is human, just like the rest of us. So after a while his arms started to droop. He got tired. But Moses’ brother and a friend saw this. They ran over and helped lift up his arms. By the end, Moses kept praying and the Israelites won the war, all because of some people lending their helping hands.

This story holds a lot for me personally as a Christian in today’s world. Our first obligation is to keep in close contact with God. It’s about doing what God says is good rather than what the world says is good.

Our second obligation is to love our neighbors. To bring and keep our brethren close to Christ. How do we do that best? Through prayer.

We all come closer to God through prayer, which is a dialog between us and our Lord. In short, prayer is a child talking to their parent. Prayer is where we find out more about Him and thereby find out more about the life we were truly meant to have.

Unfortunately, we all get tired sometimes. We may even hit some dry spells in our prayer and our walk with Jesus Christ. Jesus wasn’t the only one who goes through a desert sometimes. However, that desert of sorts is exactly when the rest of us need to be lifting those weary people up in prayer. In doing so, we can all continue to fight the battle between good and evil.

When we feel led by the Spirit to pray and talk with God, we are blessing those we pray for. However, when we feel dry and walking through a kind of spiritual desert, our prayers mean so much more. It is those times that we don’t FEEL like praying that we have the most power in our prayers. We aren’t feeling led to pray, but instead we are praying because it’s what we ought to do.

Those times when we are free to pray or not are the times that we really strike back at the devil the most. True freedom is not just doing whatever we want; it is being able to do what we ought to do.

You can’t have it both ways. Either we are working for God or the devil. The Bible says two roads are set before you, one going to Heaven and one to hell. You can only walk on one path.

Know that when you say yes to someone, you are saying no to someone else. The devil wants us to use our freedom for the wrong things in order to tear down the kingdom of God. If we instead use our freedom to further the help and healing of the nations, we deal a serious blow against his wicked ways.

With every prayer, we can help change the story for another lost soul. We don’t always pick the right way for ourselves from day-to-day, but there are other good and faithful Christians lifting us up in prayer and that can make all the difference.

So go forth and do the same for others. Lift them up, no matter what your day has been like or whether you feel like doing it or not.

Some people are concerned about what to pray when talking to God. I say that if you can’t muster up what you think is a solid prayer, then pray about praying. God likes honesty and knows what’s in your heart.

If you are in a scary situation that kicks you to your knees and all you can get out is the name of Jesus, then pray that name, the name above all names. The precious name of Jesus is one of the most powerful prayers there could ever be.

The Bible says that God is our stronghold in times of trouble. Run to Him, no matter the circumstances.

One thing to note: Just because you had a rough day and maybe made some sinful choices, don’t think that God isn’t listening to the pleas of His children. Although you fail sometimes, that doesn’t make you a failure. God will never see you as a failure, even if that’s how you see yourself.

God knows His own and is ready to be a good father to us, even when we aren’t necessarily ready to be good children for Him.

No matter how strong we are or how holy we think we have become, we can always backslide if we aren’t careful.

The devil is a tough opponent and he will hit us just where we can be the most easily tempted. But God promises that we will defeat evil as long as we stick close to Jesus.

So don’t give up and don’t give in to the devil. And just because you and I may be preachers or good professing Christians, don’t you think that it can’t happen to us. We can all fall now and then. It takes the prayers of the faithful to keep the rest of us in the battle.

So please, you pray for me and I’ll pray for you and together we shall overcome this world. Stay close to Jesus and help others to do the same.

God’s blessings to you.

DH

Pathway to Peace

On By ForChristsSakeFellowshipIn Sermons

In Romans 3:23, it says that everyone has sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. Whether you think of yourself as a good person or not, none of us measures up to a Godly standard. There’s just no way to do enough good to help this fallen world.

The words ‘sin’ and ‘fallen’ don’t need to be what define us though. God has placed a remedy before us to bridge the gap between Him and us. That bridge is the cross of Jesus Christ.

Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection paid the penalty for your sins and mine. The Bible says that “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24).

However, just because the bridge is there doesn’t mean that we automatically get saved. We have to accept that saving grace. We have to cross the bridge and we do that when we accept and receive Christ through His personal invitation.

It’s much like taking an airplane. We are able to take that flight if we have a ticket, but it’s no good unless we get on the plane. It will leave without us if we don’t climb on board. To partake in the peace and abundant life of Jesus Christ, you must accept and receive it.

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” – John 1:12

Romans 10:13 says, “Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” That word “whosoever” means anyone. You and me.


To receive Christ you need to do four things:

  • ADMIT your spiritual need. “I am a sinner.” Just like in any problem, the first step is admitting you have one.
  • REPENT and be willing to turn from your sin. You have to pick a path. One leads to death, the other to eternal life. You at least have to be willing to turn down the correct path, but make no mistake, you can’t do it alone. You need Jesus’ help and that’s what He’s offering.
  • BELIEVE that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross. Romans 10:19 says that if you declare with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
  • RECEIVE, through prayer, Jesus Christ into your heart and life. Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in” (Revelation 3:20).

Whether you are a non-believer in search of peace in your life or even if you are a lifelong Christian who doesn’t feel like they have had that connection with Jesus, now is your chance to come to Him. He’s waiting for you.

Please pray this prayer with me:


“Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died for my sins and I want to turn from them now and forever. I want You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as Lord and Savior.”

Friends, if you prayed that prayer with me, I believe that you have just been saved, what the Bible calls being born again. If you didn’t ask Jesus into your heart, then what are you waiting for? The Bible says that today is the day of salvation; now is the accepted time.

I know that if I had a single doubt as to my eternal salvation, you couldn’t drag me away from here without accepting Jesus Christ.

Now, get into a good bible based local church, if you are physically able, and come to know more about the God who loves you and wants to be with you forever. You are now no longer at odds against Him, but instead you have returned to Him as His child who was once lost, but now is found. His arms are outstretched to welcome you home.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you always.

God’s blessings to you.

DH

Always Wear Coveralls to Work

On By ForChristsSakeFellowshipIn Sermons

My dad was an engineer. He would often wear a suit and tie to work back in those days, but I could tell when he was going to be out in the shop that day because he would have a set of coveralls he would bring with him. Those coveralls would protect his regular clothes and even his body from the dirt and grime that the work would bring. He wouldn’t leave home without them. Much can be said for that same attitude in our daily lives.

When we get serious about doing God’s work, we are apt get dirty. This world loves to throw dirt onto anyone trying to better themselves and those around them. When we are leading people toward the light, the darkness beckons us more than ever. We are more easily soiled and tarnished. The devil loves to see people succumb to sin.

Let’s face it, in today’s world, sin is easy to come by. Sometimes it’s even a little fun. That fun quickly turns into pain. The more dirt and sin that’s hurled your direction, the easier it is to become overwhelmed by it and fall.

‘Look out for number one’ and ‘those with the most toys wins’ are common phrases in this all-about-me type of world. If you are kind or thoughtful and you go to extremes to show Christ’s mercy and love to others, you are going to get lured by sin. So much so, in fact, that you will often wonder if it’s all worth it. “If I just spend money on myself and focus on me and my own pleasure, I would be rich and be having fun. Who cares about other people anyway?”

Who cares about people? God does. He loves you and He loves all of His creation. Whether you know it or not, you have the most high God as your Heavenly Father. So do all people, whether they realize it or want to admit it.

God’s plan for our lives is to do our best to take care of one another, from the least to the greatest of us. He loves us all. We are all God’s children. As His children, we are to take care of our brothers and sisters.

Sure, we could write a check when we see that commercial about starving kids in Africa, but God doesn’t just want your money. Truly caring for yours fellow person will involve our heart and soul much more than our wallets.

The apostle Paul said, “I fill up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ…” Col 1:24. Truly, Jesus lacks nothing. He’s God. What Paul wants to focus on is that he makes present the sufferings of Jesus Christ in order to help others. If it takes suffering and toil to help others prosper here on earth and to gain eternal life with God, that suffering is worth it.

The hard work pays off when you see the dead come to life in Christ. Through His blood on the cross shed to take our sins away, we are allowed eternal life. There’s no more important work in this world than to let others know about that love.

That work is tough. It’s hard and it takes dedication. The kind of dedication that will cause the devil to take notice of you.

Not too many people want to hear about God or salvation. It goes against the here and now approach of this world. They may laugh and scorn you. They may hate you for telling that truth and do all kinds of things against you, even to the point of death in some countries.

You will suffer like Christ suffered. After all, He’s the Master and the servant is no better than their master. You will face all kinds of mud-slinging. However, God loves you and promises that He will protect you.

As the Bible says, “but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31.

God will take care of His children, but you have to stay with Him. The Bible says to put on Christ like a garment (Romans 13:14). Through the power of His Holy Spirit living in and through you, you will do great and wonderful things for people that you never thought possible. You can set this world ablaze with the love of Jesus Christ, healing the sick, lifting the broken hearted, feeding the poor, and so much more than that.

Doing God’s will allows you to prosper in so many ways that truly matter. This world looks for money and fame to gauge prosperity. Those things are passing like dust. The prosperity that truly matters is the crown of gold that is laid up for you in Heaven. That prosperity is forever! It’s hard work, but it’s worth it.

So it is up to you. You can stay clean and safe if you want, or you can truly do the Lord’s work. Yes, you’ll probably do ok here in this life looking out for just yourself. But that all won’t matter when you are faced with the same death that comes to all of us someday. Then what will you have to show for your work?

God wants us to show love and to care for all people the way He cares for and loves us all. That takes work. Be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ, but don’t start that work before putting on the Holy Spirit. In those coveralls, you will be ready and well equipped to take on anything. Your soul will be kept clean of sin and all the dirt of this world.

If you do this, I believe and declare that on that faithful day, when your time here is over, you will step boldly into Heaven and hear Jesus say to you “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Now at last, enter into the joy of the Master’s house.”

God’s blessings to you.

DH