Quick Take - We cannot let the pressures of this world break us.  If we cling to the person of Christ, He will help us through it.  How, you ask?  By His power and His love for you and me.  There is nothing in this world that can take away your salvation.  God is there for us when times are hard .
 
… we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;
2 Cor 4:8-9 (NASB)

     Digging Deeper – Curiosity about God and your faith will never be enough to carry you through the hard times.  When we are negotiating our commitment to God, we are not going the find the kind of peace we need in this world.  We need to learn that trusting God comes first, before we see the blessings of it.  We cannot have the blessings of salvation until we place our full faith in Christ.  We cannot have the blessings of serving Him until we have the faith to start serving Him.
     More often than not, people want to see the results of believing God before they will actually do it.  Sometimes God does demonstrate His power to unbelieving people as He did in scripture, but that is different from His daily provision and care.  We spend so much of our life and service to God waiting for Him to prove Himself before we let go of all our safety nets.  We think we believe God, but we do not act on it.
     That was exactly what James was talking about when he said that faith without works is dead.  In other words, if we are not willing to act on our faith, then we really do not have it.  Too many Christians serve the god of circumstances.  They are more apt to act on what they see in front of them than on what God has promised to do for those He has called.  We sit by passively waiting for God to prove Himself and then congratulate ourselves for our caution.
     Read scripture again.  See the many men and women of God who acted on bold faith instead of timid fleshly caution.  Those who erred to the flesh were the ones God condemned as unbelieving and wicked.  What would happen if Christians really believed God?  I don’t mean like the health wealth and prosperity teachers talk about believing Him.  I mean believing Him and His calling in our lives.  I mean believing that life is best for us when we put Him, His call, His worship, and our service to Him first.  I mean when we believe that there is nothing in this world that can compare to following His will.  What would happen if we all believed that?  Oh, I don’t know … maybe the world would start believing our testimony.
     I am sorry I missed you all yesterday, the blizzard knocked out our ISP and we could not access our site.
Blessings, and have a God glorifying day!
Tim

     I hope you took the time as a good citizen (a.k.a. a Christian fulfilling their responsibilities) to listen to the President’s news conference last night.  I don’t know if we should be surprised or not that he answers the hard questions just like any politician.  Specifically, he ducks and dodges them and talks about everything else.  It seems that being a politician means you have an answer for everything except the question you were asked.  Those who ignored this great demonstration of avoiding the issues are the people who still think he is the ultimate answer to the problems that have plagued our country for decades.  Hello!  The problem happens to be the politicians in Washington regardless of their party affiliation.  That is why you and I must pray faithfully for our country and its leaders every day.

     President Obama started out with the usual plea for his programs as the answer to all our problems.  What strikes me is that these were the same programs he was espousing on the campaign trail a year before the economic problems surfaced.  Now, miraculously, the agenda and programs he was pushing are the very ones that will fix our economy.  What are the odds?  Only now, we need to spend a lot more money on those programs and right now!

     I am wondering how much longer everything will be the fault of the Bush Administration?  I believe that leaders need to get up and take the helm without looking back and blaming someone else for the work they have ahead of them.  He knew exactly what was going on and yet he still wanted to be the President of the United States.  So why is does he keep complaining about the work he asked to take over?  Did Bush make some mistakes?  Sure he did, and so will every other administration that lands in the White House.  It is impossible not to make the monumental mistakes we see the politicians making, but I will come back to this later.

     One of the things that really scared me was the issue of the Government taking over non-banking businesses when they “threaten the economy.”  I hope you recognized this as the incredible slippery slope it is.  I could not believe I was listening to our government talk about nationalizing businesses at will.  The plan calls for oversight by the Federal Reserve Board (http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE52N49J20090325?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews), but we all know how easily regulation changes with the partisan winds of Washington.  I don’t want the government running the firm who holds my 403b.  I have seen what they have done with  my social security and I am not impressed.

      The market and the law of the invisible hand still works, but we avoid their workings by intervening and helping people escape their consequences.  Instead of wrestling with the executives of AIG over bonuses, we should have allowed them to fail and those executives lose their jobs.  The government could have then salvaged the mess by finding responsible companies to take the assets over and we might have spent less money than we did.  Instead, the government wants to do what they do the worst, conduct business.  I hope you mention to your senators and representatives that the government does not need to be taking over businesses in the market.  Let them succeed or fail by their work and not our tax dollar funded bailouts.  If the government wants to increase regulation on these businesses, then do it because we all know they are really good at that.  It’s bad enough that you regulate them, but don’t make it worse by trying to nationalize them.

     It would have been nice tonight if we had the change President Obama talked about so much.  One nice change would be honesty and not treating the American people like they are stupid.  He was asked point blank if he would sign the budget if it did not have the tax cut for middle class Americans.  He never answered the question - never.  It would have been nice to have had some refreshing honesty, but we did not.  When pressed, he said he had not seen the final budget from congress.  That was not the question.  If he did not want to answer then he should have said so.  What has changed?

      So why do our politicians make such bad decisions?  Well, this is exactly what we have been talking about.  The mistakes are made because the politicians who become president do not take the job to meet the needs of the people, but to have a platform for their agenda.  Remember, the very things we need to fix all our economic problems are the very things President Obama wanted to do all along.  God was right about a national leader when He spoke to the nation of Israel in 1 Samuel 8:10-22.  God basically said, the king will be all about himself, and not you. 

     Mr. President, I fear you are becoming our king.

     Quick Take - I hear people share their opinions of God and what He is trying to do all the time.  I find it amazing that mere men can know what God is really like in contradiction of His Word.  Many people who are not Christians, and some people who are, would rather have their own opinion than believe that the Word of God is true.  We need to start taking God’s Word to heart and listening to ourselves less.
 
A fool does not delight in understanding, But only in revealing his own mind.  Prov 18:2 (NASB)

     Digging Deeper – Without realizing it, we do a lot of thinking for God either by commission or omission.  In other words, we decide for ourselves what we think God would want us to do or we just ignore thinking about what God would want so we do not feel accountable.  Either way, we are thinking for God and it is not what He wants.
     If we really delight in understanding, we will seek God’s way first.  I see believers all the time that put God in the back seat of their lives because they are afraid He will cramp their style if they listen to Him.  They desire to have their own way and do what they want.  They basically want to live out and reveal their own mind and not the mind of God.  It is just another form of narcissism and idolatry.
     Don’t you really want to have understanding in your life?  You cannot play games with the will of God if you want to really understand it.  It takes a mind and heart that is willing to place God first in all things.  It is the life that is built around God’s desires and not their own.  It rests safely in the knowledge that God can and will bring about the best in their life.
     Oh how the church and our nation would heal and rise up if we had men and women who really desired understanding instead of pursuing their own curiosities of pleasure.  How God would reveal Himself in a fresh and new way if we would just be quiet in our mind and listen to Him.  If we would just turn off all the noise of our own voice and what we want to do and start listening to His holy voice and what He wants done.  What sound do you hear today?  Are you listening to yourself more than to God?  Stop what you are doing for a moment and listen to Him.
Blessings, and have a God honoring day!
Tim

     Quick Take - People think they can keep playing games with faith.  Arrogance makes us think we can skirt the issue of giving up our life in faith.  We are arrogant about what we can do, our need for God, and how much time we have to make a decision about Christ.  It does not matter if we are dealing with salvation or Lordship; arrogance gets in the way of us surrendering our life to Christ.
 
A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, But a fool is arrogant and careless.   Prov 14:16 (NASB)

     Digging Deeper – Arrogance is a master of disguise.  It can masquerade as the most noble of looking things.  It can look like responsibility and self reliance.  It can look like diligence and hard work.  It can even fool us by looking like a strong sense of direction or keen ability to make up one’s mind.  All of these traits can be admired by others and, yet, be little more than arrogance.
     We tend to admire the strong and independent person in this world.  We like a take charge attitude and encourage it in others.  God, on the other hand, likes someone who is pliable and teachable.  He wants us to be men and women who are willing to surrender our will and have a humble attitude, which is the exact opposite of arrogance.  Everything the world admires is usually in opposition to what God wants to develop in us.
     Today, I want to encourage you to take the masks off of your actions and attitudes.  See if there is something masquerading underneath the things the world admires.  Don’t let self use the admiration of others to fool you. Learn to see arrogance in all its various forms and shapes.  Root it out of your life because God tells us that it will lead to carelessness.  You will become careless in your devotion, your commitment, and your faithfulness to God.  Fight back and seek the things God wants you to have first in your life.
Blessings, and have a great day!
Tim

p.s. I won’t be posting a sermon Mp3 this week due to a technical issue.  Basically, Windows Vista ate it.

     Quick Take - Do you want to be considered a very wise person?  Then agree with God and admit you are not wise or powerful enough to control the future.  You cannot control anything today; only God can.  We often do not spend the time we should WITH God because we are too buy trying to BE God.  Start your day by admitting to God He is in control.
 
O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty ; Nor do I involve myself in great matters, Or in things too difficult for me.   Psalms 131:1 (NASB)

     Digging Deeper – We all have trouble feeling sorry for someone who gets in over their head when they should know better.  Many Americans are upset that tax dollars are being used to help home owners who knew they were buying more house than they could afford.  Now that their home is being foreclosed on, we see no reason to help them.
      It is also hard to feel sorry for the banks who loaned all that money to people who either had no income or were not required to give any proof of their income.  Now we are using trillions of our tax dollars to buy those worthless loans and the bankers do not have to accept any responsibility or consequences.  Many of us would not feel bad if the federal government fired those people for their sloppy business dealings.  We just don’t feel sorry for people who knowingly get in over their heads.
     So that means you need to be careful that you don’t get in over your head today.  If you try to take control of things around you then you are going to be in over your head.  You are but a mere man or woman and you have no special powers to control the future.  Many times we try to and then things collapse around us and we want God to bail us out.  Often He does, but He could be like us and have no sympathy for those who knowingly get in over their heads.  Aren’t you glad you have a compassionate God?
     The best thing would be to keep your place under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  Don’t try to do a job you are not qualified for.  Start your day confessing to God His sovereignty and right to rule over you and your life.  Take your rightful place at His feet and He will guide and determine your steps today.  Remember Whose you are and you won’t get in over your head today.
Blessings, and have a great day!
Tim

      Quick Take - We have to understand that we will never find any lasting strength in our life until we are humbled under the hand of the Lord. I would rather God defend and provide for me than do it for myself.  Is your attitude the same as the psalmist’s?  God listens to us WHEN we show we are willing to follow Him.  The first step is humbling yourself.
 
O LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble ; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear   Psalms 10:17 (NASB)

     Digging Deeper – As we have talked before, humility is not something that comes easy to us.  The flesh does not like to yield to anyone.  The world teaches us to be our own person and not be subservient to anyone; especially God.  Everything around us preaches pride and God call us to humility.
     God wants to lead us and as we submit to Him and humble ourselves, He fills us with a strength this world does not know.  It is not a false prideful strength of the flesh, but real power that overcomes the greatest of obstacles.  God promises to protect and provide for those who will humble themselves before Him.
     Just look at our world today.  The United States has the most powerful economy in the world and people are losing their life savings.  We could do nothing to prevent the continual slide of the economy despite throwing trillions of dollars into it.  People now are without jobs, college educations are on hold, and people have had to postpone or forego retirement.  All of this is happening while the most powerful man in the world, the President of the United States, if vowing to fix the problem.  He could not even stop AIG from wasting millions of tax dollars in bonuses to the very people who are responsible for the collapse of the company.
     So, do you really want to trust the flesh and this world for power and strength?  Are you willing to trust your future to them?  I wouldn’t and I won’t.  But, if I am going to place my trust in God, then I have to humble and submit my life and my future to Him.  Today, I want to ask you to search your life for false pride.  Bow before God in prayer and admit your pride and ask Him to heal your spirit and help you to learn how to humbly walk before Him. Don’t trust yourself, your riches, your talent, or your position in this world for anything.  Trust God to care for you as you humble yourself before Him.
Blessings, and have a great day!
Tim

     Quick Take - There is nothing lasting about the flesh and the sooner we get over the gratification of the flesh the sooner we will give our life over to Him.  This life is fleeting and the only value we keep are those things which are hidden in Christ Jesus.
 
For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust. As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, And its place acknowledges it no longer.  Psalms 103:14-16 (NASB)

     Digging Deeper – I don’t know about you, but I find this verse in Psalms very humbling.  To think we are like the grass and once we are gone the world does not even remember we were here.  This world is like a bucket of water and our life like sticking your hand into that water.  Once you take your hand out, the water fills the gap as though you never placed your hand in it.  That is what our life is like in this world – fleeting.
     If we can comprehend and accept this description of our brief life here on earth, then maybe we can start to understand why we have no influence on the future.  If we cannot even leave a lasting impression on this world in the present, how are we going to ever influence it in the future?  We can’t.  So why do we worry and fret like we can actually do anything about it?
     God wants us to start taking our place behind Him and quit trying to usurp the lead.  We have to admit to ourselves that we are finite men that should be subjecting ourselves to our infinite God.  God should not have to follow our life; but instead, we should follow Him.  Walking in His footsteps is the surest way we will have a future that will glorify Him.
     It is going to take a lot for most people to start doing this.  Believers today are so wrapped up in the world that they cannot see the compromises they have made.  Our first prayer needs to be that God would open our eyes.  I don’t care how successful you are in business or ministry; you have blind spots when it comes to looking at yourself as God does.  We all have areas of our life shrouded in delusions of grandeur.  We need to pray that God will open our eyes and help us see clearly.  Let that be your prayer today- and then start looking for how you have taken over and pushed God aside.
Blessings, and have a great St. Patrick’s Day!
Tim

Listen as we learn from James 4 the lessons of the future.  Find out how to enter into the future with peace and security rather than fear.
Blessings,
Tim

Played: 10 | Download | Duration: 00:35:34

     Quick Take - God does not just want part of our life, He wants our whole life.  He makes no apology for being jealous of anything that takes us away from Him.  He wants to totally consume our life.  We need more Christians who are sold out completely to God.  Is there something in your life that God is jealous of?  Are you arousing the jealousy of God by keeping some part of your life to yourself?  Give it up.
 
"For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.  Deut 4:24 (NASB)

     Digging Deeper – We cannot give only the convenient parts of our life to God.  Those are the parts of our life that are easy to give up and don’t really cost us a lot.  There is often no sacrifice in what we give Him.  As a result, many believers gain no more value from their life in Christ than they do from any other activity of convenience.  That is why so many believers are marginal in their commitment and faithfulness to the Lord.
     Those things in life that cost us little are of little value to us.  That is why Christians do not find great value in their life with Christ.  They give up only that which is convenient and cheap to them and that determines the value of their relationship with God.  If you want to find a deeper and more meaningful relationship, then you have to give up more.
     It is not a case of getting and then giving up.  You have to surrender to the authority of God in your life first and then you will begin to see the great value.  We should all examine our lives every day and see if we are sacrificing anything for Him or not.  Can we be honest with ourselves about the convenience of our faith?  Taking up a cross to follow Him is not a very easy thing to do and it takes a sacrifice on your part.
     Know that your God is jealous and does want to consume your life.  Don’t keep anything back from Him.  Look at your day, the one you have all planned out, and find where you have planned to make any sacrifice for God in your time, talents, or money.  Don’t look at what you did yesterday or last week; look at what you are willing to do today.
Blessings, and have a great day!
Tim

     Quick Take - My mother has a refrigerator magnet that says: “God never panics.”  If we would trust God and His timing, we would never panic either.  So often, we worry because we do not trust God for doing things at exactly the right (our) time.  If He saved us at the right time, then He will meet all of our other needs at the right time, too.  Let God worry about timing and you concentrate on trusting Him.
 
For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.   Romans 5:6 (NASB)

     Digging Deeper – Time is a frustrating thing for the flesh.  We all know that our days are numbered on this earth and we often feel the pressure.  We are in a hurry to grow up, to get a job, to make a lot of money, to get married, to get promoted, etc.  We want fast food, fast internet, and fast refunds.  Time is getting away from all of us and we worry about how much we have left. 
     God, on the other hand, has unlimited time.  He has no beginning and no end.  There are absolutely no time constraints on Him at all because He is eternal.  I’ll bet a lot of things would change in your life if you had unlimited time like God.  I mean, if you were going to know you would live a thousand years, you would probably take more time off and pace your career and education.  You would spend more time with the kids and play more golf.  But, you don’t have that long so you have to hurry.
     The only way we will know peace in this life is if we start looking at things from God’s time perspective instead of our own.  We can have a peace about time if we realize that we are only a part of God’s plan and not the end all.  It also helps if we understand that we have all of eternity ahead of us through Christ so we do not have to feel so driven by temporal time lines.  No matter how much money you make now or how many hours you spend at work, you still will have a mansion in glory; bought and paid for with the blood of Christ.
     It is OK to be diligent and manage your time well.  It is OK to work hard and try to save some money for the future.  Just remember that the problem comes when you misuse time and your priorities get out of balance.  Take a few minutes today in prayer and meditation and see if your time is prioritized like God would have you do it.  Remember, if you don’t have enough time, just pray to Him because He has all the time in the world, literally.
Blessings, and have a great day!
Tim