Berean Journeymen

During her betrothal, the bride spent time studying what she needed to know to be a good wife and preparing for her new role in life. Part of this preparation was called Teshuva or repentance (Returning in the Hebrew).

This month, beginning at sundown today, is Elul which is a time to search one's heart and draw close to God in preparation for the coming Yom Teruah (Day of Judgment) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). Jesus entered the wilderness on Elul 1 in preparation for His earthly ministry. As we enter this new month, we, the Bride of Christ, can prepare ourselves for His coming by studying The Scriptures that refer to His coming. Here’s what we should be about this month:

· Avoid bad company

· Stop sinning

· Witness to what Jesus has done in our life

· Stand firm

· Give myself to the work of the Lord

· Commit to God

· Memorize the Word

· Do not grieve for believers who have fallen asleep

· Comfort one another with these words

· Let us not sleep but be alert and sober

· Put on the breastplate of faith and love and as a helmet, the hope of salvation

· Encourage one another; build up one another

· Appreciate those who diligently labor among us, having charge over us in the Lord and give us instruction – esteem them highly in love because of their work

· Live in peace with one another

· Admonish the undisciplined, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all men

· See that no one repays another with evil for evil but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all men

· Rejoice always

· Pray without ceasing

· In everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus

· Do not quench the Spirit

· Do not despise prophetic gifts

· Examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good

· Abstain from every form of evil

· Always give thanks to God for our brethren beloved by the Lord

· Stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught

· Pray the Word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified; that we may be delivered from perverse and evil men

· Keep aloof from every brother who leads and unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us

· Keep working night and day so that we are not a burden to anyone

· Work in a quiet fashion; eat our own bread

· Do not grow weary of doing good

· Faith – believe that God is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him

· Gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix our hope completely on the grace of Jesus

· Do not be conformed to our former lusts; be holy ourselves in all our behavior; “Be holy as I am holy!”

· Put aside all malice, all guile, all hypocrisy, all envy and all slander

· Long for the pure spiritual milk of the Word, that by It you may grow up to salvation

· Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence

· Keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame

· Be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer

· Keep fervent in your love for one another

· Be hospitable to one another without complaint

· Employ your gifts in serving one another

· No one who abides in Jesus sins

· Let no one deceive you, the one who practices righteousness is righteous

· We should love one another

· Remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ

· Build yourselves up on your most holy faith; praying in the Holy Spirit

· Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life

· Have mercy on some who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire and on some have mercy with fear

· Remember therefore from where you have fallen and repent and do the deeds you did at first

· Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Be faithful until death

· Hold fast My Name; do not deny My faith; do not tolerate false beliefs

· Repent of immorality; Hold fast until He comes; Judge sin in the church

· Be alert; Be ready; Be watchful; Overcome and be clothed in white garments

· Be faithful; Hold fast

· Be zealous; Repent; Open the door

· Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you

· The LORD our God is one LORD and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength and you shall love your neighbor as yourself

· By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be honored

Let me first say that this week has been a serious roller coaster ride. I am all about roller coasters but not when they are a pattern of life.

Earlier this week, I posted about my situation with the spiritual battle that was taking place in my life and in my marriage. It was a trial of heavy burden and caused me to seek the counsel of not only God but that of my fellow brothers in Christ. Brothers whom I have met through the Lord's ministry in the Berean Journeymen.

Today was the end of my trial and tribulation that I was walking in. Today is a day of a fragrant offering to God the Father who has blessed me in this trial of life and to whom I give all the praise, the honor and the glory.

I didn't understand why Jackie was attacking me spiritually these past two weeks. I didn't grasp much other than God has a plan and it is worth it. I held to that and through the encouragement of Scripture and the fellowship with brothers in Christ, God has proven his power over Satan yet again.

Jackie and I have been doing daily devotionals this week even while in battle. They were awkward to be totally honest yet we both committed to doing them. By doing these, it has illuminated my lack of spiritual teaching and uplifting of my wife in my responsibility as the spiritual leader. It has also made me aware of how together we can grow in faith and love in Jesus Christ.

Today hearing Pastor Dave's message was amazing. It spoke directly to my heart and I believe my wife's heart as well. It was very powerful and was wonderful. I felt like Pastor Dave was talking directly to me and my wife. Jackie has lacked a faith in Christ and I have not shown her what Christ has done in my life with faith.

At the end of the message, I asked Jackie to go to the altar with me... She at first was hesitant but then she walked up with me, hand in hand. We knelt down and I prayed for her and I. I shed many tears on the altar today and I felt the Lords hand on my heart. Nothing compares to my feelings of joy today. I was so overwhelmed I couldn't stop shaking after service! It was great :)

I have learned out of this trial in my life that no matter what, even if it's your wife... God has a purpose and He will be glorified. In standing in the trenches, I remained faithful to God and today He blessed me and allowed me to rejoice in His glory.

I know that I am going to face many more trials in my life and I know that it will be hard and I might loose sight of the finish but I know that as long as I remain faithful to Christ, He will use that trial to build me up to serve Him better. I also know that I can count on my brothers in Christ to help comfort me and give me godly wisdom to wade through the trench of that trial as now I know that I wouldn't have made it on my own.

Thank you all for the words of encouragement, accountability and comfort. Thank you for being obedient to Christ in your life and allowing Him to work through you and help a brother when he was down. Thank God for his mercy and grace that is sufficient to carry us through just for today. To Him be all the praise, the honor and the glory!

Amen

This is what I love about this website and Friday morning prayer... If it wasn't for this website and me posting my struggle I wouldn't have gotten several emails with encouragement and counsel. If it wasn't for Friday morning prayer and God bringing Tim and I together, I would have never gone to his house last night and been given godly advice from him and his wife. Nor would I have been held accountable for my thoughts and or actions.

Now, it's three in the morning and I can't sleep but found myself praying :) and God clarifying so many things for me. As Penny clarified for me again last night, it's not Jackie, it's Satan. Even though all this opposition is going on between us I forgot to look at the outcome and what is going to take place today. Even in Jackie's anger, she is demanding to do a daily devotional with me starting today and specifically at 10:30 AM.

I was reminded how focused I am on the spiritual things in our life. Yet it, at times has caused me to stumble because I haven't seen the other positive things in our lives. To me though, our walk with Christ is most important and nothing else truly matters . However, in my current trial, I cannot focus on that as it causes me to stumble. I need to focus on the good that we have together and allow Christ to do his work in both of us.

While in this trial, I can truly say that I understand Pastor Craig's heart poured prayer for this church and it's congregation. I understand and feel the tears that pour from his face as the backsliding of the church in general has caused him grief and anguish not against him but to our Father. I see that and feel that now and I understand those pangs.

Whats more is that I now have just a glimpse of the pangs I have caused Christ in my own life. I see how my walking with sin has caused Jesus to cry in grief and anguish. I see how Jesus truly loved me so much and how heavy his burden was that irregardless he still continued and gave himself up for me on the cross so that I may be forgiven.

I love my wife and I love my church and I love my Lord. It hurts to see our church suffering so much. To see the pains that people endure because they are walking in sin and how much it grieves the Holy Spirit. What I didn't realize is how much of that I bring home and put on my wife.

If this is the one lesson that God has in store for me in this trial of life right now, I fully embrace it and thank Him for teaching me. For allowing me to feel His pain and totally know that it is only a millionth of what He feels and has endured for me and for you. Now I get it! It makes sense.

Please continue to pray for me and my wife. Thank you all for your support. Thank you Lord for guiding us and teaching us. Thank you for everything...

I am really at a loss. Have you ever wanted something so bad that you would give anything for it? Add to that; believed anything to make it happen in your own mind? This is what I face myself struggling with this week, well even last week for that matter.

I would give up anything! I am dead serious ANYTHING if I knew that it would bring my wife and I together as ONE in Christ. My prayers, my thoughts, my actions have all been to lift my wife up. I thought we had made an amazing breakthrough but I guess I was wrong. Maybe I want it so bad that I have made myself believe things were truly happening in our marriage.

For the past two weeks it has seemed that I have been under attack by Satan and my wife has been his primary weapon of choice. Jackie has been using things of the past to bring me down. She has been making selfish comments and pride has been ruling her life.

I have not made mention of this to her because I knew it would only fall on a hard heart and make things worse. I have just continued to pray and try and live godly life as an example as I continue to get plundered by her attacks. I know it is Satan but even still when it comes from your wife, it hurts.

Jackie and I got into an argument the other night and my frustration was nothing regarding the argument it was about her spirituality and lack thereof. As I did not feel comfortable telling her these things until I had spoken with my mentor. I believe there are somethings that when said can further cause damage then healing if not done appropriately. Thus, I waited until I could seek godly counsel.

When Jackie and I went counseling at church last night the issue came up and we were able to have individual counseling with Mike and Carolyn. I explained myself to Mike and he gave me godly advise and assured me of my right/wrong thoughts. When we joined back together as a group (the four of us), Jackie couldn't let it go and had to keep pushing that button.

I got caught up in the emotion of things and lost my temper and became further under attack by Jackie wanting evidence of her wrong doings. The Holy Spirit captured me and I apologized before I made things worse. Yet, Jackie didn't seem satisfied and it finally came out of my concern about her spirituality. Mike politely tried not to tell Jackie about my spiritual struggles with her but she kept pushing.

Mike told her my concerns with her backsliding attitude. This was by her own admission several weeks ago when was asked about her spirituality, "I know I should be reading my Bible and doing things at church, I just don't want to." She was further informed how I long for spiritual unity with her in our marriage. How she has become a "stumbling block" in our marriage and spiritual relationship.

In the closing of the session that night, she blamed me for her backsliding from over a year and a half ago when we attempted to do a devotion one day. Today right before she went to work, we got into another verbal argument and it came out that it is my fault for her spirituality. Now because of the events last night, I am now a "holier than thou", judgemental, unloving, man. It was a back lashing like none I have experienced before on this spiritual of a level.

Never once has Jackie taken responsibility or accountability for her actions, she has always made excuses and blamed others for her faults of spirituality and some issues in life. She continues to struggle with pride, selfishness and control. I tell you these things not to make you think badly of my wife. My wife is a loving and caring woman. I know this because she led me to Christ. The thing that is important to see is that when she stopped walking with God, Satan stepped in and started planting seeds and they have taken growth.

Hear me please! I know it is not my wife that I am at war with. It is Satan and it is wholly spiritual. My struggle is with keeping that focus and not allowing her actions and words bring me down. I am at such a loss right now I really don't know what to do. I am so disappointed and so emotionally drained right now that even tears provide no comfort but just a further sinking depression.

I love my wife with all my heart, soul and mind. There is nothing that can prove that in her mind though. It is hard to walk when you are wrongly accused and persecuted especially when it comes from your wife. I don't understand why she can't realize or come to grips that its not me that wants her to change, it's Christ. She is so infused in this world with her stubborn pride that she can't seek Christ and admit her wrongs and faults. The last thing I would ever do is say, "I told you so". I would come to her side and rejoice with her in the coming home to her Lord and Savior. I just realized as I write this of how Christ felt when he was nailed to that cross. How He was wrongly persecuted by the ones He loved! Yet, I still struggle with finding comfort and just cry.

I miss my wife! There is so much that we could share together walking in Christ. My heart is so torn and I cannot find the comfort and joy in this trial. Though I know I need to turn it over to God and know that it is His will that be done and for His glory. I just wish I could have something for the pain. We are told to pick up our cross daily. Today, my cross has become heavier to the point that I cannot burden it much longer.

Lord, my soul truly aches. My bones are splintered and my burden is so heavy. Lord, I do thank you for this trial even not knowing what its purpose is for yet I struggle with finding your comfort. Lord, I don't want you to take this away, I need you to help carry me though. Please Lord, give me my wife. I lift her up to you Lord and ask that you sanctify her and heal her hardened heart. Lord, you know my heart and my soul. Continue to search me and pull the darkness into light that I may be righteous in your eyes. Forgive me of my anger and depression. Lord, teach me your ways. Guide me down your path of righteousness and give me your wisdom and discernment to make the right choices.

Lord I love you more than life itself and long for your coming. I know your purpose in my life and I know it is in your timing and not mine. Thank you for carrying me in these times of trials. Holy Spirit, anoint my heart with comfort. Lord, please just tell me that it's going to be okay. Not with what I want but because knowing what you have in store for me is greater than I can comprehend.

Please help me Father...

This is why we are meeting to pray on Friday mornings. This is why we must continue to place ourselves upon the altar of God each day. This is why we must seek His face in worship and at the altar after worship. Not just us men but everyone who is called by His Name.

See You at the Altar

Tom

Many of you brothers may know Joe Bowman. He has been visiting our church while he is working in Mansfield. He lives in Texas. He is hear working on a book on the history of Mansfield. He has been attending Berean, and has also attended morning prayer, and Men's Sunday School.

His 23 year old granddaughter Callie Bowman had a brain aneurysm yesterday and is in critical condition in Dallas, TX. He called me this morning and ask that our church and men's prayer group be praying for Callie, their family and him while he travels to TX.

Please share this request with others.

Thank you,


Tim

There is a great interest today in moving beyond studying and knowing about God to experiencing God and in living spiritually transformed lives. This process of spiritual fulfillment comes in the way of spiritual discipline. Spiritual disciplines are defined as the disciplines and practices that draw us closer to God. But what really is “Spiritual Discipline”? To answer this I want to point us to several understandings; what the spiritual life is, how to achieve spiritual life, and the nature to spiritual growth.

Dallas Willard said, “Distorted ideas about spirituality, spirituality wrongly understood, are one of the primary sources of human misery and rebellion against God.” So, what is the spiritual life? In Scripture we see Jesus spending time teaching people not what they needed to know but what they thought they knew. He changed their distorted thoughts. To begin to truly understand spiritual life, we need to seek and understand what spirituality is. That only comes through submission to the Father and the illumination of the Holy Spirit in God’s Word. The spiritual life is seeing our life from God’s perspective. Jesus came to talk about “life”. In John 10:10b, Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

We can achieve spiritual life through Christ but we need to first check our distorted thoughts at the door. First, we need to understand that to have a deep and meaningful spiritual life we don’t have to be religious scholars with a master’s degree or a PhD. In Acts 4:13, Luke recorded, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled.” Spiritual life only comes through Jesus Christ and the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Secondly, we need to get clarity of the gospel. We have all heard the term “Bar code Christianity”, if you haven’t let me explain. When you go to the grocery store and make a purchase, they have those nice “self-checkout counters”. Those work buy just passing the bar code of the product through the scanner and presto, it’s done. It’s quick and it’s easy. We fall into that same concept in Christianity. We know that to be saved, all we have to do is accept, profess and proclaim Jesus Christ (in short). Then we just stop, we don’t move on we continue to “sit in the bag”. Spiritual life is not a “quick fix”. Jesus Christ didn’t die on the cross for our sins to only have a “minimum requirements” Christianity.

Some other roadblocks that we can run into are of our own sabotage in this quick fix world. How many times have you said, “It’s to hard” and just give up? (I was one of those guys several years ago). Or, “I didn’t get any results so I stopped” (been there, done that and got the t-shirt). The latter is more common with the microwave generation that society has created. Are you starting to see why Jesus spoke truth in love? We have a vast amount of distorted thinking!

“Spiritual disciplines are a means to an end – not an end of itself.” We do not have spiritual disciplines to “prove ourselves to God”. If that is the case, we/you/I are on the wrong track. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. – Ephesians 2:8. James Dunn stated, “In Jesus’ day the vast majority of Rabbinical teaching focused on three areas of law: dietary, circumcision and Sabbath keeping.” These were all identity markers. They showed who was in “my group” and who wasn’t. An example of today would be a “rough looking” man with tattoos all over, wearing a black leather vest and boots. You would likely associate him with a “biker” or (my personal favorite) a “Harley dude”. God is calling us to transformation not outwardism.

Now that we have briefly covered the "what spiritual life isn’t", lets look at "what spiritual life is" and the nature of spiritual growth. We are plagued with “now syndrome” in today’s society. Spiritual growth can sometimes be fast in certain areas of our lives. The problem is that like a drug, once we have it, we want it all the time. In reality, true spiritual growth is usually slow. Like a newborn baby, you have to craw before you walk and it doesn’t happen over night. There are seasons of desert and rapid growth.

There are stages of spiritual development. It is the up/down roller coaster ride of life. They are labeled as consolation and desolation. Consolation is when we are on top of the mountain. Many have experienced this when they first come to know Christ, but it’s not just related to when we are first saved it is in our daily walk as we continue to grow in Christ (changing seasons). Desolation is our valley time. It is when we feel distant to God. It can come in many forms and temptations. The key to remember is that this desolation time is not necessarily our fault. Think of Jesus after 40 days in the desert of fasting he was then tempted by Satan. It wasn’t anything He did it was an example to us of spiritual development. It is in these times of desolation that it further emphasizes why we need to be involved in small groups, bible studies, prayer teams, discipleship, etc.

Spiritual growth demands authenticity. You can’t “fake it to make it”. On a personal note, when I first accepted Christ into my life in early 2002, I “faked it to make it”. I had no clue what I was doing and brought a lot of presuppositions from the Catholic Church. It wasn’t until Christ started to chisel away at the outer roughness to find the diamond inside. Now He is starting to fine cut, polish, and mold me into His image. Spiritual growth requires an authentic hunger for God in knowing and experiencing Him.

So when we discuss spiritual life, transformation and discipline, whose job is it? Is it Gods? Is it ours through a militaristic approach of rigid rules and regulations? It is a paradox. You can’t earn it yet it demands a response. It’s a both/and situation. You have to want it and be willing to work at it by seeking God’s guidance and submitting to Him. You can’t expect it to just happen and it requires discernment.

In closing I heard the greatest example of what spiritual life and discipline is and since I am a nautical man at heart it made since to me. The spiritual life is like sailing. When you are in a motor boat, you are in control. You control the speed and direction that the vessel travels. However when you are sailing you are not fully in control. It is not passive yet it is dependent on the wind. You have to move with the current and steer but ultimately the wind is in control. Without submitting to the current of the wind you might end up drifting into the rocks.

“How do you recognize and respond to God’s movement in your life?”

NOTE: The quotes in this posting were obtained in my counseling class from the lecutre notes of "Issues of Biblical Counseling, CCOU 202". The layout of this posting is from my learning experience both at Liberty University and that of my own knowledge and experience graciously given to me through the illumination of the Holy Spirit by the power of Jesus Christ.

• Praise for the changing seasons and the ability to see and know that God is in control of all things.
  
• Praise for working of the Holy Spirit in our Pastoral staff to embark on a new vision for the church.
  
• Praise for Brother Derrick and his new job as he feels it was through the anointing power of the Holy Spirit.

This semester in one of my classes, we are studying the book of Revelation. This is the second time I have done a thorough study of Revelation and I truly do enjoy it every time because I learn something new every time. I would like to share some things that I have learned thus far as I have found it to be very interesting.

In the second section of the book of Revelation (chapter 2-3) it contains the Letters to the Seven Churches. What is interesting to note is that these are personal epistles from the risen Christ to seven churches in Asia Minor. What I find interesting in these letters is the active movement of Christ as our heavenly High Priest. Not only did He die on the cross for us but now He is our resurrected and living Lord clearly communicating to these local churches. As the letters are personal to each local church, the principles dealt with are universal in nature and apply to us today.

I am not going to review all of the churches addressed however, I do want to point out several keys highlights that were of interest to me and that you as well might find interesting and useful. As these points of interest are reflected on the church themselves as a whole, I turned the table slightly and applied these thoughts & questions to my own life. I hope you will find this of interest as well.

Smyrna: The Persecuted Church

• Often suffered under the hands of the Romans.
• Majority of Jewish population was anti-Christian.
• Most revered and influential churches of its time because the leaders were willing to lay down their lives for Christ and the gospel. (Polycarp, Apostle John's personal disciple, is said to have died with calm dignity and unflinching courage as he was burned at the stake.
• The life of the church member was one of poverty, slander, imprisionment and death.

"It is difficult, if not impossible, for most modern Christians to comprehend what it must be like to risk all you have for Christ. Most of us struggle with concerns about public embarrassment or social rejection. We know little or nothing about laying down our lives for the gospel."
- Dr. Ed Hindson

Am I really willing to lay down my life for Christ? Am I truly ready to suffer poverty, public humiliation, imprisonment and even death?

Pergamum: The Political Church

• In this city, politics was religion and religion was politics.
• Christians were faced with constant temptation to compromise their beliefs and practices for political gain.
• False doctrine: The doctrine of Balaam and Nicolaitans.

It is important to see the challenge laid upon the church by Christ.

• The love for the truth - "We cannot tolerate doctrinal error under the excuse that we must love everybody. Fire and foremost, we must love the truth and let it b e the final authority in the church."
• Desire for holiness - "We cannot win a lost world with a worldly Christianity... Integrity is the missing ingredient in modern religion."
• Willingness to repent - "The Lord called upon this church to repent of their compromise. If He insisted they repent, how much more would He call upon us to do the same!"

How many times do I not stand up for the true Word of God. Do I just sit back and allow someone to pervert the holy, inspired and authoritative Word of God? Am I willing to "bend the rules" when it comes to the doctrine of Christ to make someone feel better? How is my integrity?

Laodicea: The Putrid Church

• Often identified as being the "black sheep" of churches.
• Centered on pride, self-sufficiency and dependence upon material wealth.
• Refered to as "lukewarm". As cold and hot water have legitimate uses but lukewarm water is distasteful and serves no functional purpose.
• Material prosperity wasn't even being used for God.
• Self-sufficiency kept them from reliance upon the total sufficiency of God. ("It describes vividly the respectable, nominal, rather sentimental, skin-deep religiosity which is so widespread among us today." - Leon Morris)

Am I backsliding? Have I become "lukewarm" to Christ? Am I allowing my pride and personal possessions to come between me and my Lord? Am I being sucked into a worldly flesh?

Yesterday was a lot of fun yet stressful at the same time for me personally. Jackie was working and it was just Audrey and I. We went to the ice cream social at Burton Park with the church and had a lot of fun. After we left there, we went to our friend’s house for a social event he was having for the fireworks. It was equally as fun to attend and we both had a lot of fun.

Your probably asking yourself by now, “Okay, how was that stressful?” In the midst of things I found myself distracted because my focus was on my daughter. I was always watching were she was at and what she was doing. Was she okay, was she getting into harms way, was she being polite with other people… the common things that parents worry about (at least I hope you other parents worry about that or I am just a worry wart). These things were constantly going through my head and it actually caused me to be side tracked in many things like saying hello to people and goodbye or not allowing my focus to be on their conversation but on Audrey.

In the Gospel of John, Chapter 1:12 it says, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”. As I lay in bed last night, I reflected on our day and wondered, is this what God feels like everyday? Maybe I was just having the “first child jitters” worrying about everything. I focused my attention on being a child of God.

I wondered how God feels about us at times when He is watching over us. In Scripture we read how we bring joy to the Lord, how we grieve the Holy Spirit at times through our wrong actions, how God sent His Son for us and yet some of us still turn away from Him even as “proclaimed” Christians. I know the emotions that I go through with my daughter and can’t imagine what God feels with all His children.

Then I remembered, God is omniscient (all knowing). He knows everything about us, around us, in us, and the future of us. He is omnipotent (all powerful). Everything is in His control! He has power and dominion over everything. There is nothing in creation that isn’t under His control. Lastly, He is omnipresent (everywhere). There is no place in creation that God isn’t! There is no place that God does not reside.

This brought me great comfort as I read Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Even though I as human flesh worry about my daughter and other things and question everything, God doesn’t. He already knows! I am called to trust in Him and Him alone and not question His ways (as it says in Isaiah 55:8-9, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways”.) When I trust, submit and obey… He will direct my paths!

So what is my point? Honestly, I have no clue! I just felt like sharing this with everyone. Maybe it’s just a bunch of rambling words to some, I don’t know! I just felt like writing it :)

Tonight, I felt the urge to go out and just go for a walk. I had a lot on my mind, and I wanted to spend some time just mediating, praying, and talking to God. I had read Dave's post earlier, and it had me examining my life, and my true faith in God. I, like Dave, and many others have been going through a lot of struggles over the past few weeks and months, in fact in this economy and society I think many are questioning themselves, their purpose, their lives, and their direction.

While I was walking, I could not take my eyes off of the heavens above. It was the most glorious site and feeling to see how vast and beautiful a universe our Father has created. Then it hit me, the past many years, I've been walking through my neighborhood, admiring the wonderful homes, and the landscaping, and nice sidewalks and quiet streets. Tonight I was looking up at one of the homes in my neighborhood, with the backdrop of the stars, and planets, and moon, and the crisp deep blue sky. The house didn't even compare, and I'm standing right in front of it. If I stepped back a 100 yards, or 1000 yards, or 10000 yards, then how insignificant would that house be, but the heavens and God's creation would be as significant as it was when I was in front of the house. We cannot back up far enough to not see God's creation. We can close our minds to it, and walk right by it, and focus on the insignificant things right in front of us, but God's creation, will tend to overwhelm the materialism and wealth over time.

Romans 1:20 states that we are without excuse for not recognizing God in his creation that he has placed all around us. In fact it states the God's invisible qualities, eternal power, and divine nature have "been clearly seen" through his creation. The definition of "clearly" is "without a doubt or question. WITHOUT A DOUBT!!! God's creation, that is all around us is so amazing and so divine and so eternal, and so vast, and so beautiful, that we should be "without doubt" of God's eternal power, and divine nature.

My question though is are we missing it? I've been missing it. I've walked by God's creation, day after day, and thought the cars, and homes, and business, and 401k and image, and reputation were important. Yet they don't even compare to God's greatness and vastness, and presence. They pale in comparison.

Imagine if you would, that you stack all of your wealth and belongings, and importance into your front yard of your home. Bring it all out there. Stack up your cars, cash, credit limits, boats and rv's and atv's, and jewelry, accomplishments and awards, stocks bonds and gold, artwork, electronics, and computers, don't forget your designer clothes and everything else that means something to you. Now imagine if you will, next to your house, and front lawn, is Bill Gates houses and all his front lawns (I'm sure he has several homes and several front lawns), and all his stuff. Next to him, your stuff will seem pretty insignificant. Yet, lets take a few steps back, lets keep backing up until we are 5 or 10 miles from the two lawns. What do you think you would see? God's creation would overwhelm both of your homes, and all the belongings. In fact all of your stuff would be so insignicant when surrounded by God's creation, you probably would struggle to see it at that distance, yet God's creation would be jumping out at you and be saying "Look at all I've created and done compared to one of your biggest and richest man on earth". Jeremiah 10:11 states, "Tell them this: 'These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.' " Yet, in our society, we focus on people like Bill Gates, Tiger Woods, and other super rich celebrities and we aspire to have all that they have. We believe that if we had all those things we would be satisfied and happy and have peace in our lives. I believe God is saying, "Why would you want that, when it's so insignificant to what I created?" I venture to say that most of us, given the opportunity to have a friendship with someone like Bill Gates, or Tiger woods, or some other super rich and famous celebrity or icon, would jump at the chance. We would probably think being friends with them, might have it's financial perks and benefits. But, the last time I checked, these two and most others like them are not reaching out to be friends with the general public. According to God's word these perks and benfits would be worthless anyhow, Jeremiah 10:14-15 Everyone is senseless and without knowledge; every goldsmith is shamed by his idols. His images are a fraud; they have no breath in them. They are worthless, the objects of mockery; when their judgment comes, they will perish. Yet, the creator of the heavens and earth, the creator of all things, and all life does want to have a relationship with us. He wants to have a relationship with everyone of us. A personal relationship!!! One of the greatest things about a relationship with Christ is that it does come with perks and benefits. The most imporantant being our salvation and eternal life! Can anyone else offer that?

Are you missing it? Are you focusing on what God has to offer, or what the world is offering? Believe me, this is a struggle for all of mankind, and the bible shows us, it has been a struggle time and time again. Do not let satan convince you that because you struggle in this area that you are unworthy of a relationship with God. Do not let satan convince you what the world has to offer is real and tangible and what God is offering is not. Take a few steps toward God's way and away from the world's way, and see if God does not reward you and bless you and make his face shown to you.

See You at the Altar,

Tim

It seems over the past several weeks many guys have experienced a heightened level of difficulty in their lives; whether it be higher levels of stress at work, marital challenges, family struggles, lust battles, financial uneasiness, physical ailments, you name it. Goodness knows my hat has been thrown into that ring as well.

Unintentionally I allowed some of these things to wash over me a bit and was feeling a bit overwhelmed; and the more I felt overwhelmed, the more I seemed to focus on the issues I was facing. Thankfully through words from a few Christian brothers, through the Word of God, and through the Spirit’s silent whisper during this morning’s prayer gathering I was reminded the true issue at hand was the object of my focus.

Friends, we all know in this world we will have troubles, so where we end up following the difficult times comes down to our response during those times, and our response will be borne out of where we place our focus and trust.

When I am pressed, will I focus on the difficulty or will I intensify my focus on Christ? When I feel struck down, will I dwell on the potential pain caused by the issues or will I place my trust in God’s faithfulness to make good out of my difficult situation? Let me dig even deeper…can I honestly say I really trust all the words of the Bible? Am I willing to trust Christ, regardless of how bad I perceive my situation to be? Do I really believe in God’s promises for those who trust and obey Him?

Friend, do you really trust the words of the Bible? Are you really willing to trust Christ, regardless of how bad you perceive your situation to be? Do you really believe in God’s promises if you trust and obey Him? I would encourage us not to look at our initial response to uncover the answer but examine our actions and attitudes both in the face of trials when doubt can emerge as well as in times of ease when complacency is all too prevalent.

If our actions and attitudes during these times reveal an honest answer of “most of the time”, then do we still pursue repentance during the other times and feel an urgency to hold even more unswervingly to the hope we profess? Or are we patting ourselves on the back? What will it take to move us beyond where we stand today if we do not choose to change ourselves?

If our actions and attitudes reveal an honest answer of “sometimes” or “not usually”, then do we recognize the dire need to step back and really examine where we stand and acknowledge that a change is needed? Last week I asked a Christian friend of mine how his relationship with Christ was progressing, he responded rather nonchalantly that it was in essence pretty much so-so but that he was fine with that and comfortable with where he was. I definitely appreciated his honesty but was struck by his apathy. Yet how many times have I found myself feeling that way if I’m really being honest? How many guys at Berean regularly feel that way inside right now? What will it take to move us beyond where we stand today if we do not choose to change ourselves?

Pruning, discipline, trials…heightened levels of difficulties…regardless of their source (spiritual warfare, flesh, etc.), God allows them for a purpose; do we trust in his purpose despite the pain? If a difficulty in our lives will ultimately bring us close to God; and if being united with Christ such that his joy is in us and our joy is made complete; then is not God’s allowance of the difficulty the most loving thing He can do?

Friends, let us examine where we stand…do our thoughts, actions, attitudes show we are engaged in the being of a “Christian” or do they reflect that we merely enjoy the idea of it? Where do you stand?

What a wonderful day of prayer this morning. It is so uplifting to be with men that whole heartedly pray for the glory and honor of our Lord, Jesus Christ. I am so blessed when I come away from a Friday morning. Thank you Lord for such a wonderful opportunity to be with these men! What an honor it is to be apart of Your ordained ministry and feel the presence of the Holy Spirit working in our lives!

PRAISE:

• For brother Ken - His wife is starting to read the Bible more now
  
• For the church - As we are starting new fiscal year, it is wonderful to see how God is working in our lives and speaking to out hearts.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• For Sister Sharon and Brother Tom - As they start a new school year teaching that the Lord will speak to their hearts and give them the words to share with their students as testimony for Christ. Also, that they may continue to be godly role models to our adults of tomorrow!
  
• For Brother BJ and his wife, Heidi - For safety and wisdom as they partake in a mission trip in Peru August 14th through August 24th. May God's Word be lived out through their lives and the Good News spread to all who hear.
  
• For Brother Tom - That God will continue to care for the crops and provide rain for a plentiful harvest.
  
• For Brother Ken - That God will continue to give him wisdom and knowledge in his life and marriage. For his wife that she will draw close the Ken and seek the Lord in her life.
  
• For Pastor Nates son (Matthias) - As he is now a teenager this week, as he matures, that he would devote himself more and more to Christ Jesus, understand Him and love Him more.
  
• For the Children's Ministry - That Pastor Nate and Jenni will have the guidance of the Holy Spirit in training the new teachers and that there will be an abundance of volunteers.
  
• For the Ukraine missions team - That their debriefing and evaluation for this coming year will be filled by the Spirit and offer clarity of thought and insight into what they could do to reach more for Christ with His love.
  
• For Pastor Dave - As we embark on a new vision of Berean, "All for ONE: ONE for all". The word ONE is capitalized because it stands for Christ. All for Christ: Christ for all. The vision is a calling to follow Christ through three words that represent discipleship: GROW, SERVE, SHARE.
  
• For the upcoming THIRST conference in November - That God will do a mighty work through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives and that we might catch the vision to be united, loyal followers of Christ through Berean. Also for the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon the Life Action ministry team that will be coming for a four day conference on spiritual renewal: THIRST. We all need a THIRST for God.
  
• For our government - For godly leaders that they may seek Christ for godly wisdom, strength, and discernment to lead our country, state, county and cities in a way that is pleasing to our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Thank you all for coming again this morning. I pray that as we continue to seek God in our lives and completely submit ourselves to Him that we will truly come to know Him and give Him all the praise, honor and glory.

SEE YOU AT THE ALTAR

Pray and doubt;
you'll do without.
Pray and believe;
you will receive.

Good afternoon brothers, grace and peace to you all. I hope that you have been able to go outside and enjoy the creation of God our Father. It has been a beautiful day outside all day! May you continue to be blessed and lift those up who are down and help them as you are lead by the Holy Spirit.

PRAISE: