Even a Dog Finds Shadows

God continues to teach through Psalm 91. Today, I have spent time focusing on verses one and two. Trying to commit them to memory.

“He who dwell in the shelter (secret place, KJV) of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, ‘my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.”

As I was praying and seeking God, Mary Anne’s dog, Marley, walked around me and moved from laying in the sun to the shade. Even a dog knows where to find shade when the heat is on. God is calling us, to “dwell” (stay) in Him. He will be so large in our life that we can abide (stay) in His shadow. We will be so close to Him that the dust of His feet will be on us. As He moves, we move. As He stops, we stop. We stay with Him. When the heat is too hot, the dangers are ever present and you feel that you are about to be defeated, look around. Are you dwelling in the secret place? Is He your refuge for safety? Is He your fortress for protection? I am reminded of the words of Christ in the later parts of John 6. He had been doing some hard teaching and people were leaving Him. In verse 67 Jesus says, “Do you want to go away as well?”. Peter seemed to most always have good answers, “Lord, to whom shall we go, you have word of eternal life” (v68). We can only be in one place at a time, let us choose the right place.

Drinking From the Fountain of God

This is going to be long so read it when you can finish it. Please do not read it in part only.

This morning I went to Men’s Fraternity at 1^st Baptist Church. Randy Fuller was the speaker/preacher. I did not want to go and even got up and was going back to bed but I had told Randy Tuesday that I would be there so I went. Had Randy not came and talked with me when I was on the elliptical and trying my best to breath I probably would have stayed home this morning and slept to the sound of the rain and thunder. Well, I guess it goes even further than that. Had God not had me and Randy at the gym at the same time, he would not have come to talk with me on the elliptical because I or he would not have been there. So, I believe God had me and Randy at the gym on Tuesday at the same time and had Randy come and speak to me about Men’s Fraternity and I said I would be there because that was what I was suppose to say.

Before I drove out of my driveway this morning I tweeted this at about 5:20am, " Headed to Men's fraternity at First Baptist. I pray I drink from the fountain of God today and not the flesh or world. Let us drink together."

God opened the fountain and I thought I was going to drown.

Read Psalm 91 before preceding. I have included it for your convenience.

Psalm 91

He who dwells in a the shelter (secret place) of the Most High
will abide in b the shadow of the Almighty.2 I will say [1] to the Lord, “My c refuge and my d fortress,
my God, in whom I e trust.”3 For he will deliver you from f the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.4 He will g cover you with his pinions,
and under his h wings you will i find refuge;
his j faithfulness is k a shield and buckler.5 l You will not fear m the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.8 You will only look with your eyes
and n see the recompense of the wicked.9 Because you have made the Lord your o dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my c refuge [2]10 p no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
q no plague come near your tent. 11 r For he will command his s angels concerning you
to t guard you in all your ways. 12 On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you u strike your foot against a stone.13 You will tread on v the lion and the w adder;
the young lion and x the serpent you will y trample underfoot.14 “Because he z holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he a knows my name.15 When he b calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and c honor him. 16 With d long life I will satisfy him
and e show him my salvation.” ESV

This was the text Randy used today. Randy, the Holy Spirit and the Word of God ripped my clothes off and beat the crap, dung or whatever word you would like to use, out of me. I was exposed and beat up in a good kind of way. I am going to share my notes then I am going to share my heart.

My Notes: (I assign each point of emphasis with an omega symbol). Some of these are from Randy and some are thoughts I had or the Holy Spirit prompted me with.)

Ω Devotion is an attitude of the heart.

Ω Ps. 91:1 – Secret Place

Ω Matthew 6:5-6 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love x to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. y Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, z go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. a And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Ω Jesus even had a secret place.

Ω God is always in the secret place.

Ω Religious activity should not be confused with intimacy with God.

Ω We serve a God who is knowable and desires to be known.

Ω “The most important thing a man will ever know is what he knows about God” A.W. Tozer

Ω No man’s spiritual life will rise above his prayer life.

Ω Nothing of eternal significance is accomplished without prayer.

Ω No church’s spiritual life will rise about its prayer life.

Ω Church Growth Strategy

o Pray until you get along with each other.

o Pray until you want everyone to know Jesus.

o We are a living body not an organization.

Ω We don’t let Jesus come into our life we are called to come into His life.

Ω The church is carnal and the world is corrupt because of prayerlessness.

Ω Prayerlessness is not a time problem it’s a love problem because every man does what he loves.

Ω God becomes powerful in our life through prayer. All things are possible with God. Unlimited potential.

Ω Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God m must believe that he exists and m that he rewards those who seek him.

Ω All the promises of God are yes in Him.

o 2 Cor 1:20 For l all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our m Amen to God for his glory.

Ω When is the last time you thought of yourself as a weapon of God? A might man of God?

Ω Man becomes privileged Ps 91:14-16 “Because he z holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he a knows my name.15 When he b calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and c honor him. 16 With d long life I will satisfy him
and e show him my salvation.” ESV

Ω “A man partnered with God can do anything God can do.” Henry Blackaby

Ω If this does not change your prayer life (going to your secret place), it was useless.

This study had me do some deep reflection into my own life. My secret place has been neglected. If God were inside my secret place waiting on me to bring Him a meal, He would have starved to death by now. My secret place is where it seems I go when I feel I have nowhere else to go or no one else to talk to. My mind can take me only so far which is not far at all. My neglect of my secret place has affected my life and yours. I say, “I’m sorry!”. God is doing a work in me that I pray takes me, my family, my friends and our church to a place that is closer to God. Often, people tell me how God spoke to them and is working in their life and it does not really impact me and you might have the same experience with what I have shared with you. But I pray you will seek God in your secret place and find Him and He find you. When that happens, we will all be closer to where we should be going.

People In - People Out

We all have people who come in and out of our lives. Some are friends. Some are family and some you are really not sure who they are. When people come in your life you might like them, love them or hate them. When people go out of your life you might like them, love them or hate them. When people come in and out of your life you feel a multitude of emotions. When people come in and out of your life questions are asked. When they come in questions are asked in an effort to get to know each other. When they go out of your life it seems the questions are of a different nature. The questions for many become more personal. “What did I do wrong?”, “What could I have done differently?”, “Did I dress wrong?”, “Did I comb my hair the wrong way?”, “Why am I taking it so personal?”. Or, “Why did they have to leave so soon?”, “Can I go with you?”. As a child, my parents divorced and I remember the times my father went out of my life. As a child, I watched my mother struggle and die. As a pastor, I have seen people in – people out. I have learned a great lesson it the people in – people out events of life. Make sure you ask the right question. “What impact did God want them to have in my life while they were ‘people in’?” So today, see how God is using you in other people’s lives and how God is using them in your life.

Tiger Woods, Mistakes and Choices

As I watched Tiger answer the questions of the media yesterday, I was glad he took the time to answer questions. I am not sure why I had those feeling because I do not know Tiger and he owes me nothing. There is one point that grinds within me. I keep hearing people (not Tiger) say that he made a mistake. Well, to me a mistake is something that is done inadvertently. Let me give you a few examples:

· A child riding his bike runs into the car in the drive way. That is a mistake.

· A house burns because the iron was left on. That is a mistake.

· A cook drops a pan in the kitchen. That is a mistake.

Mistakes happen all the time. But, when someone does something with a clear understanding of what they are doing it ceases to be a mistake.

· The same child gets spray paint and paints the car he hit by mistake. That is a decision.

· The house burns because someone set it on fire. That is a decision

· The cook gets mad and throws a pan across the room. That is a decision.

The lesson we all have to learn is the serious nature of sin. We must quit minimizing it as a mistake. Few of my sins are mistakes. Most are very conscious decisions. Tiger did not end up in bed with a women who he thought was his wife. He knew what he was doing. It was no mistake. It was a decision, sin, wrong. Tiger said what he did was wrong and he is correct.

So, what choices are we making that are sin?

If there are any misspelled words in this blog, please know it was a mistake.

Consumerism and Christ

There are so many opportunities in America today it is amazing. Many boast that they can change your life for the better. Commercialism seems to be at an all time high. Sex sells almost everything. Everything from sex pills to chewing gum will bring you the ultimate fulfillment in life they say. According to the commercials if you will just use their product you will find the ultimate fulfillment in life. Their desire is to make you dissatisfied with what you currently have. If they can achieve this, you will buy. Well, I am thankful that Christ does not continue to change what He is offering and on this symbolic day in 2010 we celebrate His substitutionary atonement offered through His death on the cross. Christ’s offer is a one-time, no returns deal. You accept Him as Lord and Savior and no one can offer you anything better. Have a great Good Friday.

Forgiveness

Today is referred to as Maudy Thursday. It is sandwiched between Holy Wednesday and Good Friday. It commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. Matthew writes this in his account of what Jesus said, “And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” Forgiveness of sin. Isn’t it amazing that all the wrong you have ever done was covered by the blood of Jesus. It was for the forgiveness of sins. Make sure today you spend time in thanksgiving for the price He paid because of your failures. He took our punishment and there is no more punishment for those in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Betrayal

Have you ever felt betrayed? I mean when someone very close to you turns their back on you. Someone leaves you. It hurts. It is most likely that on Wednesday Jesus was betrayed by Judas and Peter (Luke 22:47-62). These were two very different men yet much the same. It is clear that Judas had an agenda to make sure that his relationship with Christ was turned into a personal benefit at any cost. Peter was a man who loved Christ and had proclaimed he would die for Him. Judas betrayed Christ by saying ,“I know Him”, while Peter denied Him by saying “I do not know Him”. Judas’ “I know Him” was tainted with “but He means nothing to me”. Peter’s “I don’t know Him” was tainted with “but I really do”. Neither man made the second statement but history tells us of the truth of them. Judas sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Peter denied Him to save his own life and to fight off pressures. Judas went out and hung himself. Peter went out and wept bitterly. Judas’ life came to a bitter end. Peter’s life turned and made a huge impact in the early church. Will you live a Judas life and try to use Jesus for your own advancement or will you live a Peter life and repent and make a huge impact in the church of today. The choice is yours.