Power of The Bent Knee

Have you ever wondered how a bird is able to sleep so easily as it is perched on a limb? It’s crazy! Why doesn’t it fall off backwards? How does it maintain its grip even when asleep? The tendons in a birds leg are designed so that when the knees are bent the talon contract to make a firm grip. As the bird lifts and straightens his legs, the claws turn loose. The bird’s greatest security and firmest grip comes from a bent knee. There is no greater power accessible to us than that which comes through prayer!

Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” In Luke 11:1, Jesus had been at his favorite place praying. One of His disciples came to Him with a request. He didn’t ask Him how to preach, how to teach, or how to heal. He asked Him how to pray! You see, the ones closes to Jesus knew where Jesus strength came from. It was His time in prayer-His communication with God, the Father! Think about it, if Jesus needed to spend time in prayer, how much more do we?

Men and women of God, our greatest strength and security comes from the bent knee, praying to our Heavenly Father! This is our wake up call Church. It’s time to lift up our nation, and our leaders in prayer. We don’t hold the answer to what is going on in this world, but He does! I will be the first one to acknowledge that I don’t pray enough. I am guilty! Lord, turn our hearts to you and heal our land. Use me Father to do your work and to share the love of Christ to people in this world. The power of a bent knee! Here is where you find peace!

You Are The Center Line

A scientist did an experiment to see how a frog would react to hot water. When he dropped the frog into boiling water, it immediately jumped out. Then he place the frog in lukewarm water and gradually heated it up. You know what happened, the frog never jumped out and he boiled to death. Just as the frog continually adjust to his environment, we to adjust to our environment. It is sad, but this is truth.

Satan won’t tempt you with something that you know is clearly wrong, because he knows you won’t give in. Yet Satan knows that if he can find some gray area in your life, he can gradually temp you with it and be successful. Do you give in and go along with the crowd, or do you stand strong for what you know is right?

Some high schoolers were out late on Friday night and they were up to no good. They decided to black out the center lines on a dark country road. Then they painted some new lines veering off the road. A short time later, a school bus full of students were on their way back from a football game, they traveled down this very same road. The bus driver confused by the new strips, lost control of the bus, ran off the road, and down the cliff! Everyone on that bus was killed. The bus driver depended on the center strips as a guide. Believe it or not, if you are a Christian, you are the center line for people around you! The greatest cause of unbelief is hypocrisy. When we are lukewarm, it affects not only your life, but also the life of those around you. Matthew 12:30 teaches us that we are for God or against Him. You either gather or you scatter. Which are you doing? What kind of changes do you need to make in your life today? God bless.

Tape Measure

Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend with family! I want to share a scripture found in Galatians 6:7-10. It read like this, “Do not be deceived: God can not be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunities, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

When God measures a person. He puts a tape measure around his heart and not his head. It doesn’t matter how much you know, but it’s all about who you know. There is coming a day when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. On that day, we will all receive want is due us. I want to encourage each one of you today to keep on fighting, and don’t give in to the temptation of Satan. It is worth the fight! Guard your heart, mind, and be aware of how Satan has attacked you in the past. Cover yourself and your family in prayer and stay in God’s Word. Do not grow weary of doing good.

I love what Paul said in verse 10, “Let us do good to ALL people.” Not just people just like us. Man, this world really could use a shot of God’s incredible Word and His amazing love today! What does God see when He looks at your heart? Does our heart measure up?

Is Your Life A Derailed Train?

Revelation 3:15-16 says, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold or hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” There are a couple of reasons why God would prefer Christians to be cold rather than lukewarm: First, it is important to realize how much God loves each of us as individuals. John 3:16 teaches us that God loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die for me! When I live a lukewarm lifestyle, it hurts Him when I only want part of what He sent His Son to die for. He came that we may have life more abundantly! But, there is even a greater reason why our lukewarmness bothers God enough that He would spew us out of His mouth. That reason is that He see a much larger picture of mankind and he sees the destruction caused by being halfhearted. Yes, Jesus dies for us individually, but He also died for all of us. 1 Timothy 2:4 says, “He desires all men to be saved.” The problem is that halfheartedness and inconsistency in our lives cause other people to fall away from God.

Let suppose we are in an area of the world where the main avenues for commerce are by rail. Suppose a train on a major railway were to halfway derail, part on the track and part off. In most cases it will take at least 3 days to get a crane to the area to clear away the wreckage, so that the track would be useable. But suppose this same train had completely derailed. Other trains could immediately continue on schedule. The first situation would probably not seem so bad, but it could cause 30 to 40 trains schedules to be cancelled and affect business all over the country. Hospitals could be waiting on blood or medications, and some waiting on food. In the second situation, although the train totally derailed, the only train affected was that one.

Your friends are watching and you cause the most harm to God’s kingdom when we are living a life that is partly on the track and partly off. In other words, are you keeping them from wanting to get closer to Christ? Live a life that would honor Jesus Christ. Reflect His glory and love to others today. God bless!

Dump The Load

In Psalm 32:3-5 David writes, “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in heat of summer. Then I acknowledge my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sins.”

Nothing is more addictive than sin, which seeks to enslave us. And without confession we miss the riches blessings of God’s forgiveness and grace. Without seeing the depth of sin, we will never understand the height of God’s love and grace. We put so much energy into running away, hiding, and pretending like it’s not a problem. Sooner or later we stop running, because we’re running out of places to hide, and we are physically and mentally drained. You finally come to the end of yourself, you swallow your pride, and the tears flow! That’s when you find the missing strength. Not in your strength, but the power of God’s arms wrapped around you!

What do you need to confess to the Lord this morning? That secret sin that no one knows about. That sin that you have hung on to for years, and can not let go of in your own strength. Is there someone who you need to forgive, or maybe you need to go and ask someone to forgive you? Carrying all that extra baggage will sooner or later wear you down! Psalm 32:1-2 says this, “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.” Drop that heavy load, confess your sins to Jesus, and begin to walk in freedom! God bless and have a great Friday!

What Really Matters?

One million years from now, what will be the only thing that will matter? Will it be: Who you dated in High School or who was the captain of the football team? Or who won the NCAA National Football Championship in 1990? Will it be how much money you made in your life time or how big your retirement fund is? One million years from now, the only thing that will matter is who is in heaven and who is in hell. If that is the only thing that will matter then, then telling others about Jesus should be one of our highest priorities. What are you doing of significance today that will matter one million years from now?

Romans 10:14-15 says, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared person. Let me tell you, Heaven is going to be unexplainable! We will worship and praise the Living God forever and ever. Truth will be revealed and all our questions will be answered. Everything will all make sense. Then there will be a union with friends and family like you have never experienced before. But, do you realize when you take your last breath, you will never again be able to talk with someone who doesn’t know Jesus? That maybe your best friend, you son or daughter, your sister or your brother. Take time to read Luke 16:19-28.

Who do you need to share your story with today? Who do you need to tell about Jesus and His amazing grace and love? What are you doing today that will last one million years from now? Invest in things that will last forever. God bless.

Run To The Shelter

I grew up playing ball, and I have so many fond memories of when I was a child. I remember playing football, basketball, and baseball with other kids in the neighborhood, and loving every minute of it. We would play during the summers from sunup to sundown. You didn’t have to worry about us getting off the couch! But I can recall a couple of games being interrupted by a thunderstorm. We didn’t want to stop playing, we wanted to finish the game. Yes, we would play in the rain, but when the thunder sounded and that lightning popped, we all ran for shelter! We had to get to a safe place. But when the storm was over, we went back at it!

Here is my question for you today? When the storms of life hit, where do you run to? Where do you find security and peace? Psalm 91:1-2 says, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” You maybe overwhelmed and weary today. The storms of life have discouraged you and caused you much fear. Run to the Shelter! Run to the presence of God. Don’t allow fear, frustration and worry beat you down. Look what Psalm 91:14-16 says, “Because he loves me” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.” Run into the arms of Christ and rest in His presence! He is the High Tower and our one true Shelter that will keep us safe in the storm. Trust Him with your worries today! Love you guys!