Walking by faith is anything but a stroll in the park. When we get saved we think and perhaps people have told us that all our troubles are over.  We now have a father in heaven who will handle all of our problems for us.  Then when problems come our way we are perplexed and perhaps even dumbfounded that we have found ourselves in circumstances worst than before we were saved.  You mean that has happened to you pastor? Yes, many times over I have found myself in situations and circumstances that I truly believed God was supposed to handle for me.  Then I happened upon this verse:

James 1:2-4 (NKJV) "2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."


The above verse says we are to count it all joy "when" we fall into various trials "knowing" that the testing of our faith produces patience and we are to let that have its way.  Emphasis is mine on the way this scripture reads.  I believe what God is telling us is He wants us to be mature and whole enough that when we go through things we will be able to have a confidence that says, "Ah, this isn't so bad. After all I been through I am confident everything is going to be alright."  Now I realize that is not how it feels--but that is the truth of the matter. God wants us to take what we've been through as practice for what lies ahead in our future.  He wants us to stack up all the rocks we've stumbled over and upon and build a wall over the obstacles and hard times to the victory and good times.  

There is nothing too hard for our God.  It is His desire that we become over comers in all circumstances.  We are to take whatever the devil means for our harm and allow God to work it for our good.  In the power of Jesus Christ we can do this.  We are not alone. We are not left to our own devices.  We have been bought with a price and it is no longer I that live but Christ that lives in me. When we realize that the greater one lives and moves and has His being inside of us we experience the victory even before we obtain it in the natural.  We see it before we conceive it, which is having the eye of faith.

Begin today to exercise your spiritual muscles stepping over what use to trip you up.  Begin to put those stones into a formation, a foundation you can build on.  Embracing what comes your way knowing that you are more than an over comer.  You are a child of the Most High God and He cares for you and there is nothing that is impossible.  Your steps are ordered so even if you stumble that was ordered to and He will see you through.  Be encouraged it is not over until God says it is over.

Riding my bike along the trail at Ohiopyle, PA  I got to see a Timber Rattler up close.
(http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/ohiopyle/)  
The snake had been stretched across the trail moments earlier and some much braver than I riders had scooted it off to the side of the trail.  Of course curiosity had kept them off their bikes and captivated by the now coiled in the leaves Timber Rattler.  As my friend and I drew close we could hear the rattle.  We stopped and were immediately filled in with all the details.  Obviously this upset reptile was quite famous in both neighboring towns.  They knew he was there in the woods as numerous persons had spotted him but no one had yet been able to find the nerve to kill him.  My bike safely off to the other side of the road I ventured over to where the two young men were standing.  They thought it funny that if they moved away the rattling stopped but if they ventured closer the rattling would begin again.  I was fascinated as well—until I returned home to tell my “snake story”.   It was only then I was informed that a Timber Rattler can jump a third of its length.  This snake was maybe 5-6 feet long, which meant who could have jumped 2 feet.  It’s easy to be brave from a distance.  

You may feel as though you are a long way from Judgement Day—a long way from being old and close to dying.  That being the case it’s easy to be brave enough (or stupid) to sin and think you will get right with God when you get old or sick.  I’d like to tell you ole Satan tells that to a lot of young people and unfortunately many of them do not get the pleasure of growing old or getting sick…they just die.  That day on the trail I could have easily died.  We were several miles from either city, on either end of the trail.  The wooded area was so thick with trees and water on the one side and a rocky hillside on the other it would have been impossible for a chopper to land.  If I biked after a venomous snake bite I probably would have pumped the venom into my blood stream and died and for the record no one was going to slice me open on purpose. Obviously it was not my day to meet Jesus though I was ready spiritually.  We do not know the hour or day that Jesus is coming, but He will come like a thief in the night. There’s a story in the Bible about ten virgins and five were ready and five were not. The ones that were not ready had to go buy oil for their lamps and while they were out the bridegroom came.  (Matthew 25)

Matthew 25: 12-13 (NKJV) “But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour, in which the Son of Man is coming.”

Yes, it’s easy to be brave from a distance the problem is we never know how close death is until we get home.  Where is home for you? If heaven is not your home perhaps today would be a good day to make your reservation? (Romans 10:9-10)

Today was one of my greatest joys of being in ministry.  Today I had the privilege of participating in the adoption of a precious little boy to a wonderful family. It was a bitter sweet experience because I had not been in a court room setting (the witness seat) like this since being mugged in Pittsburgh, PA when my daughters were small.  As I listened to the questions addressed to the foster parents I was amazed at what was asked and spoken.  The one thing that the adoption attorney said was, "you can not disinherit this child." At that moment trumpets went off in the spirit for me.  For a moment I stepped out of the court room and had a conversation with God (figuratively speaking).  It was as if God Himself came in to the court room on behalf of all of us that have been adopted into the family of God and said, "I will never leave you or forsake you..." (Deuteronomy 31:6) The information someone had shared with me earlier in the day was that you can disinherit a biological child but not a child that was adopted.  For all of us adopted into the family of God this is good news.  I later found out that the legal parents following today's proceedings would be issued a new birth certificate issued to them as if they had given birth to this little boy themselves.  This new birth certificate would replace the original birth certificate and nullify all the previous rights, decisions and privileges of the biological birth parents and give them entirely to the new legal parents.  When the legal mother shared this with me I could not ignore the similarities with those in the spirit when we are adopted into the family of God.  The devil no longer has any legal hold on us.  We are literally reborn and have a new family with new rights and privileges.

Romans 8:2 (NIV)  "...because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death."


The legal parents were asked if they could provide and care for this child.  Witnesses were  called to vouch for the character of these soon to be legal parents. Again my thoughts went into retriving all the scriptures I could recall.  When I returned to my office I searched to find all the passages about God our Father being our provider. There are 73 Bible verses about God being our provider. Here is just one:
 
Acts 17:28 (NIV) "...for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His children."

Today I want you to know you are chosen. You are wanted.  There is someone who loves you and wants to take care of you and watch over you.  God wants to be legally responsible for you and He wants to meet all of your needs according to His riches in glory.  Makes you want to shout, "I'm adopted too!"

Death is just a portal or a door we pass through from earth to our eternal dwelling place. The Bible tells us that for a believer to be absent from the body is to present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:1-10)  This gives me great comfort knowing that those I love who have made Jesus Christ their personal savior will be in Heaven when I get there.  My separation from those I love is temporary. Father God is a good father and His desire is to be with those He created for eternity.  He made that possible by sending His only son Jesus to take our place.  (2 Corinthians 5:21) My father was a wonderful father.  He sacrificed many times and many things that I might have the things I wanted or needed.  If I ask my Dad for anything he always found a way to get it. God our Father is like that. John 14:14 (NIV) tells us, "You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." We do not have to worry that God will not hear us and answer our prayers.  Nothing is impossible for God.  

Today as I drove my convertible to the grave site of my father I was reminded of how short life really is.  I remember my father young and strong.  I remember how he could so easily pick me up and throw me around.  I remember thinking my Dad looked like Prince Charming once when he was taking my mother out on a date.  The years flew by so quickly.  I remember when he bought me my convertible and I took him for a ride.  Then he was gone.  This life is a race we run and one day it will be over for us too.  

1 Corinthians 9:24 (NIV) "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize."

Today if you have gotten off the narrow way that leads to Christ may I encourage you that no one is promised tomorrow and life is shorter than we would like it to be. God loves you He wants to spend eternity with you so much so, that He sent His only son to die for us. (1 John 4:9)  Make this Memorial weekend memorable by making Jesus your Lord (Master) and savior. (Romans 10:9-10)  I will see you in Heaven one day and maybe even introduce you to my Dad.

The definition of memorial is defined as something, especially a structure, established to remind people of a person or event. Today as we remember those that have fought and died for this great country allow yourself the privilege of not just eating a hot dog or a hamburger and playing games and visiting friends, but thinking about what memorials you have set up in your own life.  Unfortunately many make vows instead of setting up a memorial.  Something tragic occurs and we focus on the enemy or the wrong that occurred rather than on the lesson learned and the victory we now have.  Due to the pain of the event we hold on to the pain and vow this will never happen again or I will never let myself be used, abused, damaged or whatever it may be, again. This is not how God wants us to live or how he wants us to pass information on to others. Listen to this scripture found in Exodus 17:14 (NAS) "Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven."

There are memories the Lord wants us to block out.  In His loving kindness the Lord wants us to remember the good and extract good from our experiences and battles rather than to make vows that keep the pain of events hidden below the surface; which only serves to surface and drag us down at a later date. Others may see the tip of the iceberg and think all is well with no knowledge that the bigger issues still lies beneath or smiles and well defined exterior. Choose wisely what you rehearse from the trials and tribulations of your journey here in earth.  Choose to recite the victories of life.  In my personal experiences the true men of war don't talk about the battle but the victory.  The only ones I have ever heard tell the gruesome and bloody stories are the ones who never really saw that part of the battle.  When you really go through some horrific challenges and not just survive but begin to thrive you become grateful and give thanks.  

Giving childbirth is not easy and it is painful but for the treasure of a child I went through it three times and would have done so many more times had I physically been able to.  The victory was worth the battle.  I do not remember the pain I only remember the face of those little children and how my heart grew when I looked upon their faces.  Their birthdays are memorials.  On my entry table lays a memorial candle of the life my father lived.  I do not rehearse the day my father died.  I rehearse the life my father lived.  I don't rehearse the days he was sick.  I rehearse the days he was well.

Make memories and then recite them in the ears of those that are following in your footsteps and begin today to do so the biblical way.

It’s been a great week.  I got to go see my brother, his wife and children.  My get-a-way was an unplanned spur of the moment trip to Daytona.  My brother lives approximately 1:45 minutes away from where I stay.  I called him on Wednesday as I watched the Atlas 5 take off and he said, “Hey come over for dinner either Thursday or Friday.”  He went on to say whatever works best for us.  We may not see one another for 6 months to a year and we pick up right where we left off.  I love my family.  My family loves me.  We are from a big family—a big family sometimes has big problems but we have a bigger God.  Through it all God is the common denominator between my brother and I.  We have traditions and we make memories.  We are growing old and the value of our relationship is growing more valuable.

Proverbs 17:17 (KJV) “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

You know the great thing about family is that it continues from generation to generation.  I hope by loving my nieces and nephews that they will love their nieces and nephews as well as others.  We live life out loud by our actions as much as our conversations.  That being said who are you doing life with? What kind of legacy will you leave?  Will it be said of you that, “I know they loved me”, “I know they loved God”, “I was important to them”. Do those you love know that you love God?  When you love someone there will be a corresponding action. 

John 3:16 (KJV) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

When you belong to the family of God it does not matter what the family dynamics of your biological family are.  You get born again and you have a Father in heaven who you mean the world to and you will come to have a family that celebrates you.  One day we will all be together and have a wonderful meal together.

Mirror Mirror on the wall who’s the fluffiest of them all? We don’t have to look very far to see that America has a weighty problem and it’s growing every day. The bible has a lot to say about this subject of eating.

 Proverbs 3:19-21 (NKJV) “Hear, my son, and be wise; and guide your heart in the way.  Do not mix with winebibbers, or with gluttonous eaters of meat; For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.”

However, In scripture (Ecclesiastes see below) there are several references to man eating and drinking, and enjoying the fruit of his labor.  It is a gift from God, and it is his heritage.  So if we are being productive and are honoring and obeying God, then He blesses the fruit of our labor, and blesses our food.

Exodus 23:25,26 (NKJV)”Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water.  I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land.  I will give you a full life span.”

It seems that more and more young women in America are experiencing fertility problems.  Doctors will tell you if you want to conceive and are overweight the best thing you can do is to drop a few pounds.

Ecclesiastes 9:7 (NKJV)”Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; For God has already accepted your works.”

This tells me that if you want to eat you've got to work—do something to create a healthy appetite so that the food one consumes replaces what was burn off during work. However, many in America don’t work either.  And as if that were not enough we have another problem.

The problem is when food replaces fellowship. The problem is when food becomes our comfort and we choose to eat over going to God with what is bothering us and allowing Him to comfort us.  The problem is when we eat because we are bored and choose to find comfort in food rather than helping to bring comfort and relief to those in need.

Romans 8:1-2 (NKJV) "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death."  

So where do we strike the balance?  What is the answer to our dilemma? It is found in the word of God.  Simply put “obey”.  One tiny word which has one large problem—us.  We want what we want more than we want what God wants and it’s killing us one bite at a time.  We can read in (James 1:23-25) that we can’t just read the word and then forget what it says; we must remember what we read and do it after we walk away from the mirror.  Let’s get back to the Bible and that mirror doesn't lie.

So get into the Word and then go do something to work up an appetite.  Enjoy life and eating... but not at the expense of life. 

 Proverbs 24:3 states, “By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established.”

This is true not only of your house; it is also true of your life. Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:24-27 a parable about two builders one wise and one foolish.  Jesus is telling us how critical it is to have a strong foundation.   Building a house is an analogy for building a life.  The point Jesus is making is that the foundation you choose is the most important part of your life. If you go to college or if you don’t, if you marry and have children, where you live, and whether or not you choose to have a relationship with Jesus Christ are probably the main foundation blocks that you will choose to lay.

One’s educational level usually determines the economic status of an individual and what kind of car, house and ability to provide one will have.  Marriage is usually who you do life with.  Not only do you do life with them but also you do life with their families.  Their level of energy, fun, seriousness, social ability and even their ability or inability to converse will determine where you go and with whom you go; not to mention how far you will go. Where you live makes a huge difference in lifestyle, will you have to manage the seasons, or is it always cold or unusually hot will determine how much you have to work on the yard, the house, and even the car. However here is the real biggie.  Who and what do you base your life on?  Where do you turn when things don’t go as they should?  If a couple is working out of two different books or operating on two different systems then they won’t walk far together. The Bible even tells us how can two walk together unless they are one. (Amos 3:3)

Matthew 7:24-27 (AMP) “24 So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them [obeying them] will be like a [a]sensible (prudent, practical, wise) man who built his house upon the rock.25 And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.26 And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a stupid (foolish) man who built his house upon the sand.27 And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great and complete was the fall of it.”

God in His word tells us not to marry someone who does not believe. When we choose to go against the word of God we may as well start building our house on sand because it will not be there for very long.

Deuteronomy 7:3-4 “You shall not intermarry with [the nations]; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you.” 

What are you building your house upon?  Seek to build a strong foundation.  Know what you want and don’t be led by current circumstances but be a long term planner and do your homework before building your house.

This week I am at the beach and watch the crowd make sand castles in the morning and they are gone by evening if they last that long.  No one is surprised because we all know no matter how pretty they are—they are built on sand.  Good decisions are made with much wise counsel.  (Proverbs 15:22)

Starvation can be as deadly as the ingestion of any lethal substance. Jesus condemned the Pharisees not for what they did, but for what they failed to do: "...you neglect the weightier matters of the law," such as mercy, He said. He also told his disciples that they would be judged not just according to their relationship with him, but also by their neglect of "the least of these" (Mat 25:35-45).

Neglect feeding your body and you starve to death. Neglect feeding our spirit and you backslide.  Whatever we feed grows.  Whatever we starve dies.  When we have a healthy diet of the word of God, Christian music, fellowshipping with others of like precious faith we are letting our roots go down deep and in times of adversity and storms we will bend but we will not break.  However, if our root system is starving and begins to die we may look good on the outside but when the adversity comes, we come tumbling down and people wonder what happened as if it were a surprise and in reality it was a long slow process.

If you feel yourself slipping and reeling from the pressures of life check your network and begin to do what you did in the beginning of your Christian walk. 

If our life was continually being monitored and each time we got off track we had to pay a toll we would probably pay greater attention to the direction in which we were traveling.   The lack of positive, spiritual input (prayer and Bible study), is just as detrimental to our soul as the introduction of evil influences and breaking the law.
We hear all the time no payment due for 90 days.  In our society we look for benefits now and pay later.  It has become the American way.  Our nation has borrowed money beyond what can be paid for many generations. No matter how many times you delay there will come a day when you must pay before you can go any further.  We may not pay attention to what we eat until we are fifty but the day will come when we will have a suddenly that is being created by delaying the disciplines of eating properly.  We will have to stop and pay the toll-the price we failed to pay.  When the cost is delayed it becomes much more expensive and probably has to be dealt with in a crisis setting.  The daily disciplines of paying as you go which would include your health, your finances, your marriages and even the raising of children requires us to deal daily and pay as you go.  


By the time you are sitting in the doctor’s office or the bankruptcy attorneys office or even the principal’s office at your child's school the value of daily dealing will become evident.  Today if you are in the position to do anything about any of these or other topics that require daily dealings I want to encourage you to face the toll and pay the price.  It will cost you less and be less of a crisis and be less controlling of your time, monies and energies.  Simply stated, those who fail to plan--plan to fail.

 In the book of Ecclesiastes 3:1 it is written (NKJV) " To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:” May God help you and give you grace for the season you are in.