Deceptive Times

We are all at risk of being deceived from following Jesus.  Even more so if we are prideful.  This is nothing new.  God promises that the world is going to get worse.  

"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanders, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.  And from such people turn away!"  -2 Timothy 3:1-5

The last times that Paul is talking about are any days after Jesus.  So, we are in the last times right now.  What is amazing, yet expected, is how many of these things are alive in the Church right now.  Unbelievably, Paul cautions Timothy (a young pastor) to avoid people like this.  Let me clarify, we aren't cautioned to avoid people like this in the world that we are to influence, but, instead, we are cautioned to avoid people in the Church like this. 

If you read on, Paul mentions that people will be "always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 3:7).  This seems so evident in our culture.  We have access to a ton of knowledge, but it doesn't seem to affect the way that we live.  

"And Jesus answered and said unto them, 'Take heed that no man deceives you'" (Matthew 24:4).  

Measure everything against God's Word and be careful that no one decieves you...

You probably aren't going to enjoy this one...

There is a fear that I struggle with that consumes me constantly. It keeps me up at night. It bothers me to my core. That fear is, how much time left do "lukewarm" Christians have?

"Lukewarm" Christians (which is an oxymoron if you think about it) attend church fairly regularly, give money (as long as it's safe and it doesn't impinge on their standard of living), choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict (they desire to fit in both at church and outside of church), care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their hearts and lives, don't really want to be saved from their sin (they just want to be saved from the penalty of their sin), are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ (yet they do not act), rarely do they share their faith with others out of fear of being rejected or making others uncomfortable, compare themselves to others instead of Scripture, say they love Jesus and He is a part of their lives (but He isn't allowed to control their lives), they love God (but not with all their heart, soul, and strength), they love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves, will serve God and others within limits, think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven, are thankful for their luxuries and comforts (yet rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor), do whatever is necessary to keep themselves from feeling too guilty, are continually concerned with playing it safe, feel secure because they attend church, were baptized, come from a Christian family, vote Republican, or live in America, they do not live by faith, probably drink and curse less than average (but besides that, really aren't much different from an unbeliever)...THE TRUTH IS, THEIR LIVES WOULDN'T LOOK MUCH DIFFERENT IF THEY SUDDENLY STOPPED BELIEVING IN GOD.

It appears that most of the American Church is made up of "lukewarm" Christians. Unfortunately, "lukewarm" Christians will not be going to heaven.

I have really been wrestling with this: "'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, 'I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,' and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked...'" (Rev. 3:15-17)

Sounds familiar doesn't it? You may immediately think, "Wait. I'm not rich." The answer is yes. We almost all are rich in America. That doesn't mean that people do not go through financial turmoil, but, as far as I know, we all earn more than $2 a day (which is what 53 percent of the world earns). The Bible was written to the world, not just America.

We feel like we're really doing something great for God by going to church for one hour a week and giving reluctantly once in a while. Then, we go through a week without spending much time thinking about Him. Instead, we devote more thought to money, work, bills, people, reading, exercise, etc. How can we not think about the God who created this huge universe more than these other things? What's wrong with us?

Let me first say, I don't mean for this to cause true believers to question their salvation. Understand this, WE CAN'T EARN OUR SALVATION. Only Jesus could do that. Otherwise, no one would be able to follow Jesus. "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them" (Ephesians 2:8-10). But, Scripture does say that our actions prove if we are true believers or not. "Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself" (James 2:17). Do your works prove faith?

I know this is hard to hear. Be honest with yourself. And if you see that something needs to change, ask God. He is willing. He is waiting. He loves you so much. Confess and listen to Him. If you seek Him with your whole heart, I promise that you will find Him. I know that this may produce fear or guilt, and that is not the purpose of this message. Let your unfailing love for Jesus motivate you to pursue Him with your whole heart.

Overwhelmed...and happy about it?

I keep forgetting that God is as big as He is. He's more powerful than I ever knew.

God created the earth, sun, planets, stars, moons, and galaxies. Our earth is pretty big, but in comparison to the sun, it's small. The sun is pretty big, but in comparison to the milky way galaxy, it's small. The milky way galaxy is pretty big, but in comparison to the size of the universe composed of all the other galaxies, it's small.

If you doubt that God created this, what other explanation do you believe? Do you believe that the universe just exploded out of nowhere? To me, it takes a lot more faith to believe in that theory than in God. Who made the earth start spinning? Did you know that without the moon being perfectly in its spot, we would have serious issues with the ice caps, and therefore, earth would not be able to sustain life. How do you explain the vastness of our universe? How about the complexity? What about the details? On our earth alone, the attention to detail is incredible. Did you know that a caterpillar has 228 separate and distinct muscles in its head? That's an insane amount for a bug! What about the fact that the average elm tree has approximately 6 million leaves on it? I have met some pretty creative people, but I'm having trouble finding someone who can create a universe. That would definitely jump out on a resume though.

I'm overwhelmed with a relentless love for this God. God is amazing, and He loves you...just wanted you to remember that today.

Desperately Desperate

I’ve never been more desperate then now. I've seen so much in so few years. The more time progresses, the more my desperation increases. I seek to do more and more and more to make things happen, but I’m not satisfied. I’ve never been more desperate to introduce people to Jesus.

You and I can debate God's existence until we are blue in the face, but no one can tell me that the healings, miracles, and breath-taking events that I’ve witnessed personally aren’t real. I’m not talking about miracles like God’s creation, breath in my lungs, or anything like that (even though I do agree that those are miracles). I’m talking about unusual, strange, and unexplainable events.

For example, a few months ago I was at work helping a client and felt compelled to give my undivided attention to her. As I listened, she was telling me about some health problems and other life situations that were going on, and as she was mentioning some things from her past, I could feel God speaking to me. I don’t know how else to explain this other than this way. I saw the word David in my mind. I honestly didn’t know what to say or do. I wasn’t even sure that it was from God. So, I prayed, “God, was that from you?” I felt my heart start beating rapidly like I just drank 3 Red Bulls. Every time I feel this feeling, something interesting happens. I decided to give the name a shot. I said, “Does the name David mean anything to you?” Expecting a funny look, I glanced at her and she gave me a deer in the headlights look. Then, she said, “That is my ex-husband’s name. There’s no way you could have known that. His name isn’t on any of my information. There’s no way you could have known that. How did you know his name?” Then, she started crying hysterically and expressing to me how he abused her, treated her terribly, and how it has affected her life. I felt God nudge me to tell her how he was ready to heal her emotionally so she didn’t have to keep living in the way she was. She said that must have come from God, because there was absolutely no way that I could have known that. She left with an extreme peace.

I have more stories like this (some involving people getting healed physically). How can this be debated? Or explained?

The relevance of Scripture to everyday life amazes me. Check this out, there was a man that was born blind and Jesus healed him. Afterwards, people didn’t believe that the former blind man had been healed, even though he could see! They questioned the man and still did not have faith. So they said, “We know that this man is a sinner.” The blind man who had been healed said, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (John 9:25)

It breaks my heart that no matter how many miracles Jesus performs people still refuse to believe him. Reality is, I’m going to look pretty foolish on this earth. But, when we all die I’m definitely not going to look foolish. I’m going to say, “I’m with Jesus!” This is why I’m desperate. I want others to experience this with me and not the alternative.

Arms High and Heart Abandoned

It's so easy to be focused on myself. It's so natural. It's so easy to get busy trying to bring God into my activity that I don't even notice Him at work around me. He seeks to redirect my attention, but it's so easy to fall into the trap of evaluating everything by how it affects me. This is the epitome of selfishness.

I'm much less selfish than I used to be, but I'm nowhere near how selfless I want to be.

"But wait a minute, you're a follower of Jesus. You shouldn't be selfish." I know, I know. I'm not perfect, and I'll be the first to tell you. I've never claimed to be. I preach Jesus, not myself.

"Okay, that is hypocritical." I disagree. I never claimed to be perfect. In fact, I admitted that I wasn't. If anything, this increases my passion for Jesus. I know that everyone else is just like me. Human. Everyone else struggles with imperfection too. This is one of the reasons I worship Jesus with arms high and my heart abandoned. Come join me...

SAFETY LAST: Why do you live?

Why do you live? A person? Money? Something else that you own?

Where do you find safety?

John 14:6
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

SAFETY LAST: How do you use money?

If your money could talk, what would it say.

If it could tell how you spend it or save it, what would it say?

SPENDERS AND SAVERS
We often struggle with extremes. Some of us struggle with spending, and others of us struggle with saving. You're probably thinking, "Okay, I understand the spending thing, but struggle with saving? Yes, some people are in bondage to the security that money gives. In other words, some people struggle with storing up money without a purpose out of fear. Money gives the security that is needed instead of God.

THE STRUGGLE FOR SAFETY
This is definitely a motivation issue coupled with a wisdom issue. God doesn't want you to just store up money for no reason, and He also doesn't want you to feel guilty for spending (if it is in balance). If you are wondering where I got this check out Luke 12:16-20. Now, money isn't bad in and of itself. Money is a neutral tool. It can be used for good or evil. God doesn't want us to be in bondage to material y or to the security that money gives.

"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24).

Money comes and goes, but God remains stable. We are safe in God, not money.