He Never Sleeps

My Help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep (Psalm 121:2-4).

Isn't it great to know that the God who watches over us never slumbers nor sleeps? Even though we are human and require sleep to sustain life, God is not and does not. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Almighty One who's eyes are ever on our every move. I am overwhelmingly greatful that I serve such an awesome God! So whenever I am anxious or worried about something, I cast my cares upon Him. For I know that I can give Him my problem to hold onto while I sleep. For He will remain ever watchful over me and will carry all of my burdens. Praise God! Thank You Jesus for being so amazing!

His last Words

But you have an annointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth (1 John 2:20). I have been reminded several times this week that my job as a Christian is to share Jesus Christ with those who are far from Him. I think Kim Klaudt put it best last week when he was a guest speaker at my church. He gave a sermon entitled "The Last Thing He Said." For those of you who get the chance, here is the link to the sermon (it's pretty amazing!) http://www.vfgarner.com/media/audio/sermon_archive/sunday_12-02-07-2nd_kimklaudt.mp3



To summarize, Kim talked about how if we knew the exact date and time we were going to die, we would most likely make sure that the last words we spoke to our loved ones would be well thought out and extremely important. He reminds us that Jesus was most likely the same way. The last words He said to his disciples were pretty important words. He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation" (Mark 16:15). Yet so many of us neglect that very simple command. We forget that the last thing our Lord and Savior said while He was still on earth was for us to go and preach His Word. This is the last thing he asked us to do. How could we forget His last words?

I know that personally I have always been afraid that I am not "qualified" for such a mighty task. I am not as "churched" as other people. However, Jesus was talking to His disciples as well as the body of Christ when He gave His final command. He didn't say "some of you go and preach tthe good news", He was talking to all of us. pastor Mitch reminded me tonight of 1 John 2:27 which says, "As for you, the annointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you." Once we are saved, God's annointing is in us always. It doesn't just disappear or take a vacation. When I start to worry about how to share the gospel or what words I will use, I remind myself of what Paul said in Ephesians 6:19, Pray that I'll know what to say and have the courage to say it at the right time, telling the mystery to one and all (The Message).

It's time to practice simple obedience. Let us start by following Jesus' command to preach the good news to everyone. Let us go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19) To God be all the glory!

By Faith

By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace. And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; [note shift] and others were tortured, not accepting their release, in order that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground (Hebrews 11:29-38).

I desire to have the kind of faith that Abraham, and Moses, and David and Gideon, and Samuel all had. Amazing things happened to them because of their faith in God. I pray that someday I will have faith as strong and confident as theirs. However it is important to remember that faith does not have to be big for it to be beneficial or for it to cause great things to happen. As Jesus pointed out in Matthew 17:19-20, For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. The key is to have faith. Even the disciples were reminded of their little faith at times, but praise the Lord that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17. So whenever I feel that my faith needs to be strengthened I am reminded to spend some much needed time in the Word. Glory to God!

Have our own kingdoms

It is so true that many of us want to give our hearts to God and worship Him and to feel His presence in our lives... but... we want to do it in our own way. We want Him to come into our lives and for the Holy Spirit to guide us and give us direction, but only when it fits into the plan that we have made for our lives. We want Him to guide us so long as that means we do everything perfect, free of any mistakes or problems. We want Him to give us gifts so long as they are better and more convenient than everyone elses. We gladly welcome the special talents that God gives us so long as they benefit us and we don't have to use them to help others. We want to "hear from God" so long as He doesn't ask us to do something that makes us uncomfortable. Essentially, we all want to have our own kingdoms.

I'm not writing this so that anyone who reads this will be full of guilt and self-condemnation, instead I am writing this to point out the truth of how many of us, myself included, are living our lives whether we realize it or not. It is time for us to stop giving God our lip service and instead give Him not only our hearts, our minds, but also our lives. It is time to work to build His kingdom and stop building our own in His name. It is time to except the gifts God has given us and use them to bless those who are meant to be blessed with them. It's time to stop figuring out how we can use our gifts and talents to serve ourselves and instead start serving others with them. It's time we start thinking about others first rather than ourselves. It's time to lay it all down before the King and to ask Him what we can do to advance His kingdom. As Jason Upton sings, it's time to "lay it all down for the heart of Heaven."

What I find so fascinating is that we live in a country that was founded by people who were chasing hard after God and His kingdom, however, somehow over the centuries our country has gone from one based on God's laws to one that now publicly rejects those laws for fear of being politically incorrect. In the New England Confederation of 1643, the Pilgrims stated: “We all came to these parts of America, with one and the same end and aim, namely, to advance the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Yet today, our country insists on seperating church and state, even to the point of not allowing kids to bring their bibles to public school. Our country is on a very dangerous path right now which makes it increasingly important that we as Christians take a stand and make sure that the body of Christ is working together for the glory of God, not for themselves. If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV)

Burning In The Sky Lyrics by Jason Upton
Youve been too long upon this mountain
Its time you journey to the sea
Sometimes to trust in your false comfort
Is easier than trusting me
Some men only believe in what their eyes can see
Some men only believe in what their minds conceive
But believing's like conceiving
This child that were receiving
A gift beyond our reason
Its more of what we need, and less of what we know
It calls not to our mind, but cries out to our soul
That mountains burning in the sky
To the heart of heaven
Without the fire well never fly
To the heart of heaven
Can you hear Gods holy cry
From the heart of heaven
Lay it all down
Lay it all down
Lay it all down
For the heart of heaven

He'll never leave me

Though my father and my mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me Psalm 27:10). Praise the Lord that He never leaves us nor forsakes us. I love the fact that he is constantly sending me reminders of how much He loves me and that no matter how I feel at any given moment, I'm not alone. Sometimes it is so difficult for me to feel God's presence in my life. But it is in those times that I must remember to look to God's Word which is full of His promises to me. His Word says that I am not alone (Matthew 28:20, Hebrews 13:5-6, Joshua 1:9, Isaiah 41:10), therefore I must choose to live by faith (Hebrews 11:1) and believe. One of my favorite songs by Jason Upton is Emmas song. It reminds me that God is always there for me even when everyone else has left me alone and the world has grown dark and cold.

Jason Upton - Emma's Song (Not Alone):

Don’t be afraid baby don’t you cry
Daddy’s here it will be all right
You’re not alone you’re not alone
Don’t be afraid when you’re cold at night
I will keep you warm I will hold you tight
You’re not alone you’re not alone

Look beyond the window there
To the sky above to the open air
Look beyond what you can see
Close your eyes and just believe

The lion roars and the lamb lays down
They live together in a whole new town
They’re calling me and they’re calling you
From the cold hard facts that we’re on our own
To the age old truth that we’re not alone

Don’t be afraid when you scrape your knee
I’ve got a band aide waiting and a kiss for free
You’re not alone you’re not alone
Don’t be afraid of your blind belief
Because the more you fly the more you’ll see
You’re not alone you’re not alone

Look beyond the window there
To the sky above to the open air
Look beyond what you can see
Close your eyes and just believe

The lion roars and the lamb lays down
They live together in a whole new town
They’re calling me and they’re calling you
From the cold hard facts that we’re on our own
To the age old truth that we’re not alone

Don’t be afraid little warrior bride
Your victory’s on the other side
You’re not alone you’re not alone

So when you're feeling like everyone in the world has abandoned you, look to God and His promises. For no matter how badly we mess up or how much we don't deserve it, God never leaves us alone!

I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you(Genesis 28:15), For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own (1 Samuel 12:22), God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1), I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you (John 14:18), I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty (2 Corinthians 6:18).

I'm back!

Sorry for my recent absence from my blog. In the past week I have managed to do the thing that I have been trying so desperately not to do. I have made the things in this world take priority over the things in His kingdom. Like many others, I find that this time of year can be extremly hectic. Between the fast approaching holidays, the ever-pressing deadlines at work, the new year right around the corner. It is in these times that I know in my heart I should be seeking God in an unrelenting way, but in reality I find that I have given in to the noisy demands of the world instead. I know that the enemy uses distractions in the world to keep my focus on his lies rather than God's unfailing love. Self-condemnation is his weapon of choice. Well satan, I choose to stand firm against you and to seek my God for help in times of trouble. For my God is more than enough and with Him all things are possible. God is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19), and he has promised that goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life (Psalm 23:6). We know absolutely that anyone born of God does not deliberately and knowingly practice committing sin, but the One Who was begotten of God carefully watches over and protects him; Christ's divine presence within him preserves him against the evil, and the wicked one does not lay hold (get a grip) on him or touch him (1 John 5:18 - Amplified).


Lord, in this moment I pray that you consume me with your fire, let it cleanse me from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. Help me to lay everything down before you, to not ever feel satisfied in my current state. Give me clean hands and a pure heart. I ask forgiveness for all of the times I have given in to selfishness, my misconceptions, my laziness, my pride. Wash me clean with Your love. Whisper my name and hold me in Your hand. Break down the walls in my heart that keep me from experiencing Your love. Help me to tune out the world until all I hear is Your voice calling me to You. Thank You , Lord for loving me!

Just to be with You

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need (Matthew 6:33 NLT).

There is no better feeling than being in the presence of God! I, like many others, spend much of my time seeking God's presents when in reality the best "present" that He has for me is His presence. It has a way of making everything else just fade away into the background. Although Jesus' words in Matthew 6:33 sound so simple, they are indeed easily forgetten and even more difficult at times to do. Many of us set our hearts on seeking Him and do our best to live righteously, and then circustances occur in our lives and we tend to let those circumstances overshadow what God has asked of us. It is so important that even though circumstances come into our life, it does not mean we need to let them into our spirits. We need to fill-up on God's presence daily so that we have no room for circumstances. We must fight to keep them external.

We must set aside time everyday to get in the presence of the Lord if we want to maintain joy in our lives. For I have learned that just to be with Him fills me with inexplicable joy that washes away any negative emotions left by the world. Just to be with Him is one of the most amazing gift that god has given me. He has captured my heart for all eternity and I couldn't live a single moment without Him. Thank You Lord!

Time for Revival

It is time to get stirred up. Jesus' last words to his diciples were "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15 NKJV) Although most of us are familiar with the great commission, how many of us are actively following Christ's command? If we are, how many of us are personally leading people to Christ? Now is the time for revival. Not just for a revival in the church, but in the world as well. One definition of revival is "an awakening, in a church or community, of interest in and care for matters relating to personal religion" (dictionary.com), however, the revial we need is a "restoration to life, consciousness, vigor, strength, etc" (dictionary.com).

People need to be restored by God, and for this to most effectively happen they must hear about God. That's where we, as Christians must step in and fullfill our duties. How can we be considered Christians if we neglect to share Christ. We need to be sharing Christ with people who are far from Him. What good does it good to preach to those who are already saved. That is what church is for. Yes we should fellowship with fellow Christians and share our love for God with each other, but our main focus needs to be on sharing the gospel with those who have not heard it and with those who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

So let us now get stirred up. Let us actively seek to as individuals lead people to Christ. Not just as a one time thing, but as something we strive to do every time there is an opportunity.