Tag: success

Am I Enough

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I will give to charity when I have more money. Once I read the Bible more, I can be a good Christian. When I get more time, I’ll help out at the food pantry. When I get better at praying, I’ll start saying prayers with my family.

Have you said any of these comments or maybe you’ve had questions like them?

Many of us are looking and hoping for the “one day”. One day when I have enough money, or one day when my life isn’t so hectic. Or are you even looking for that one day where everything about the Bible makes sense? “Oh boy, when that one day comes, I’ll be able to really do something for Jesus…”

I promise you that if you are waiting for that “one day”, you’re going to be waiting all of your life. Much like the old saying that if you wait until you can afford to have children, you’ll never have any. Your “one day” will never come.

So what’s wrong with right now?

You may think that you aren’t strong enough, not smart enough, or don’t have enough resources to help people. Nothing could be further from the truth!

God has created you to be you. Your skills, your talents, all of them have been handcrafted by the Lord Himself, the same one that spoke worlds into existence. The Bible says that you have been fearfully and wonderfully made. None of your positives or your supposed shortcomings took God by surprise. You are just what you need to be.

It’s no accident that you’ve been placed right here and right now. That’s the providence of God. He knows what He’s doing. You have been hand picked to be who you are and where you are for such a time as this.

If you have a hand, you can use it to give food to the poor or to pick someone up when they’ve fallen. If you have an ear, you can listen to a friend who needs a positive outlet for their feelings. If you have a mouth, you can be a witness to someone about the power of Jesus Christ in your life.

You may not have much, but you have enough. Food on the table, roof over your head, and clothes on your back equals out to more riches than many people in this world have. Use them to help others.

There’s a story in the Gospel of Mark about people who were giving to the needs of the church. The rich people gave a lot, which was a good thing, but there was this small, old woman who only gave a few pennies. It wasn’t much, but it was literally all she had.

Which one of those people went away fulfilled? The woman. In fact, Jesus praised her for doing all she could with what she had.

God, the maker of everything, doesn’t truly need for anything. But He uses each of us to be His hands and feet, so to speak. We are to help all of His children and deliver the good news of Jesus Christ to everyone throughout the world. Even if that’s just the person in line at the grocery store, that’s enough.

But don’t stop there. One person today, another or maybe two or three more tomorrow. Start where you can and do all you are able. You will start to see the power of Jesus flowing if your life like never before.

You may not feel like enough in this life, but when it’s you plus Jesus, that combination can take on the entire world. God is called the great “I Am.” Believe that I Am enough.

Don’t wait until you have enough money to help the poor, help them now with what you have or especially the time you can give. Lend a hand at a food kitchen or rescue mission. Donate clothes or toiletries to those in need.

Also, don’t wait until you know more of the Bible to spread the good news of Jesus. Take one verse, learn it well, then say it to someone else who needs a word of encouragement. Just one verse in the Bible contains the power of Jesus. As a famous preacher once said, “Jesus is a lion. And you don’t need to fight for a lion, just let him out of his cage.”

Please don’t wait to help. There is so much work to be done in this fallen and sinful world, but we must start somewhere. Start by living a better life yourself. Be the change you want to see in the world, then go out and make a few more changes in people’s lives.

I close with a story from the Gospels about servants who were given different amounts of money while their master was away. Some invested the money, but there was one person who hid their money away and just went about their own business.

When the master returned, the first thing he asked was what did they do with their money. The faithful servants who did something with the money were rewarded with much more, but the one who just hid it away was scolded. Even what he had was then taken away.

Don’t approach the last day of your life and hear Jesus ask, “Look at all I gave you. What did you do with it?”

The Bible says to redeem the time; make good use of it. You don’t need to be a Billy Graham or a Mother Theresa to do great things. You have the same 24 hours as they did, but what are you doing with those hours? Who are you truly serving?

Every breath is a gift from God, and even if that is all you have, then use it to pray.

My mom died of cancer. In her last days, people would say how frail and how weak she was. In truth, she wasn’t just sitting there. She was praying nonstop for others. Those prayers were the most powerful that they could be in those moments. Focused on nothing else but prayer for people and worship of God, she was absolutely breaking chains and pulling down strongholds. She was strongest in the Spirit when worldly reason said she was at her weakest.

So don’t think for a second that you can’t do anything to help others. Do what you can with what you have. If you do this, I believe and declare that you too will become that mighty warrior that God has created you to be. In Jesus’ name!

God’s blessings to you.

DH

Know the Will of God in Your Life

On By ForChristsSakeFellowshipIn Sermons

Many times in the scriptures we read about the Lord speaking to someone. The problem is that nowadays, we don’t much physically hear God speak to us. That really worries some people.

There are those people who say that until they physically hear God speaking to them, they won’t believe. Unfortunately, those type of people probably still wouldn’t believe even if God himself showed up in person and smacked them in the face.

On the other hand, there are other people that wish they could physically hear their Lord’s voice, but don’t. They long for that tangible interaction with their Savior, but they may never find it until they meet Him in Heaven.

I personally have never physically heard my Lord out loud in this big, booming “Moses” burining bush voice. I do, however, talk with Him often and He answers me plainly. Occasionally, I hear a still, quiet voice inside of myself and it leads me in a certain direction. Many times, I would not have entertained that particular direction in and of myself.

That’s the beauty of the Lord. If you truly leave yourself open to Him and His ways, you could end up accomplishing things you’d never thought possible.

Still, other times there are answers to my prayers and petitions that come in the form of solutions to problems. Solutions that were choreographed just too well. Things that were out of human control or comprehension.

The perfect example of this is our own twin daughters having an inescapable pre-natal problem that was resolved miraculously. I did not truly know what fervent prayer was until those weeks of angush and suffering. Our hope rested in Jesus and Him alone, because we didn’t have anything else.

It is a long story for another time, but I am overjoyed to say that Christ showed His miraculous self and we have beautiful children to stand as living embodiments of His grace and love. You may call it luck or coincidence, but I know that I heard my God as plain as day. I heard Him and saw His love.

The point I’m trying to make is that the more time you spend with our Lord, the closer you will be to Him. And the closer you are, the better you will distingush His answers to your questions. You will know His direction and you couldn’t help but take the path He chooses for you.

When you love someone, you try to know all you can about that person. You don’t just hear them speak, you listen to them. That’s a big measure of a Christian. You may not physically hear God’s voice, but you don’t have to. The more you spend time in His word and the more you pray, the easier it is to see and hear what He has to say. You will know when God is pulling you in a certain direction.

I hear people say, “How do I know that’s what God wants for my life?” You will know when God is answering your prayers or telling you to move in a certain direction with your life because of two things:

1. The direction will never go against God’s commandments.

2. The direction will be for the benefit of God’s people and not only yourself.

If you are confused about your life or not sure if God is speaking to you or not, spend time getting to know Him better. If you can’t find it in yourself to pray, then ask God to help you pray. Pray about praying. It sounds simple, but it’s true.

Next thing is to spend time connecting to God through His word. If you start your day with a “holy hour” with even just 15-20 minutes set aside for Jesus with no distractions, you will be better equipped to answer His voice when He calls. And trust that His plan for your life is better than anything you or I could ever come up with.

You can’t give a response to the Lord’s voice if you don’t know He’s talking to you. If you’re confused as to what God’s will is for your life, listen to Him. Truly listen. Spend time reading His word, meditating on it, and make yourself open to what He has in store for you.

You must be “IN” His Will before you can “DO” His will.

“My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.” – John 10:27-28

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