Have you ever found yourself doing something over and over and over. And not gaining any ground? Some of it is habit, some of it is stubbornness, some of it is ignorance. But for whatever reason you just do it the same way every time knowing there will be no value to it.
***I used to make this beef stir fry. I had a nice wok pan, I sliced the beef nice and thin, chopped up some vegetables. And went after it. I cant tell you how many times I made this dish, to numerous to count. But, what I will tell you is every time I made it. It always turned out the same. (Not so good)
Even the family when they saw the wok out they would come and explore to see if it looked as if I was making Beef stir fry, so they could call a friend and ask if they could go over for dinner. (Yes, they invited them selves out) Until one summer when we happened to bring in an intern for the summer. Her name was Lina Yap, she was from Tucson studying in Biblical studies and was Chinese. Well, Rhonda and I invited her to the house for some filipino food and while she was there I began to pick her brain. (she was a great cook) I learned I was doing so many things wrong and if I wanted to succeed I needed to change my methods. Today my Beef stir fry is awesome. Not because of me but because of the changes I made. Now I could have after the first time went back to my old ways. But who wants bad stir fry? So I have implemented those changes into that dish and many others now that the value is so great I don’t want to go back.
New Years resolutions are like that they tend to “go in one year and out the next.” They tend to be a good idea, but because we don’t have the tools or the know how to get it done. It is all to often nothing more then a feeble attempt at doing something good. Well, today I’d like us to consider adopting a Bible verse as a resolution.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
This verse presents three purposed elements to the Christian life.
1) The Relinquished Life: Galatians 2:20 tells us the Christian life is a relinquished life: “I have been crucified with Christ.” In receiving Christ, we come to the old rugged cross and gaze upon the dying form of one who suffered there for us. We see his hands nailed fast to the wood. We see the spike in his ankles. We see the blood flowing in streaks down his body, and, deeply moved, we turn aside from the kind of life we once lived and take our stand beneath the cross of Jesus. We die to ourselves and to our sin. We die to the world, the flesh, and the devil, and we identify with the cross of Christ. When James Calvert went as a missionary to the cannibals of the Fiji Islands, the captain of the ship sought to turn him back. “You will lose your life and the lives of those with you if you go among such savages,” he cried. Calvert only replied, “We died before we came here.”
2) The Exchanged Life: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” Missionary Hudson Taylor called this the “Exchanged Life.” None of us can live the Christian life in our own strength or resist temptation solely by our own will power. Only Christ can successfully live the genuine victorious Christian life—it is, after all, His life—and when we come to Him in full surrender, He begins living His life through us. This also involves two important elements:
· Christian Living: Christ lives His life through us, producing the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:20), which represents the character qualities of Christ Himself.
· Christian Service: Christ does His work through us. In Romans 15:18, Paul said: “I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me”. In 2 Corinthians 5:20: “We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us.” In 2 Timothy 4:17, the apostle said: “But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me.”
3)The Trusting Life: “...and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” “This is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4). Romans 1:17 tells us that the Christian life is one of faith from first to last, for the just shall live by faith. Isaiah 26:3–4 says: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.” Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.”
I want my life, I want your life to be a victory in Christ Jesus and I want you to be successful in reaching and maintaining your goals. And most of all I want you to be effective and have value. May I suggest to you this year that Galatians 2:20 is the right method and the right ingredient to get you where you really need to be. A New Year, A New Method
A Resolution to be all that the Lord created me to be in Christ Jesus.
In Christ,
Pastor Dean
Thursday, December 22, 2011
The Message of Peace was for “ALL”
Luke 2:10, 11
behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
We often forget this message of great joy don’t we? The message of peace, of joy of good news. The Lord is not short on blessings and this news was a blessing that will last for all of eternity for those who will receive it. “For today there has been born to us a Savior. That is great news. I cannot imagine all that would take place for you and I to experience and to be given such a gift.
The journey to Bethlehem was necessary to fulfill messianic prophecy (Luke 2:4; Micah 5:2). Jesus was born in either an enclosed courtyard or, as tradition says, a cave, because there was no room in the inn (Luke 2:7). An Inn would not have been an Inn as we know it today. It would have been perhaps a large room for travelers to stop and rest. But it would not have consisted of many rooms and the privacy that we are accustomed to today. However, it would have been a place out of the elements of the day. That would not have been the case of the manger where Christ would have been born. Although there may have been some cover and some shelter from some of the elements it would have definitely been exposed, open and airy. The idea of sharing the place in which Christ would be born would be two fold. First to fulfill scripture and secondly, to point out that Jesus was born in obscurity and poverty as a son of David.
The study of Jewish Tradition the “Mishnah” indicates that some flocks around Bethlehem were out all year, and those to be used at Passover were in the fields thirty days before the feast.
Shepherds were of low social status and were a people shunned by the rich and famous. Notice who the Lord would make the announcement too. “The shepherds”. This was certainly one of the ways the Lord illustrates his importance for “all”, “everyone”.
The thing that makes one exalted in God’s sight is faith and obedience, not worldly power or might. See, for example, Mary’s song (1:52–53). Notice the importance of divine signs in Luke’s Gospel so far. Signs have been given to Zechariah (1:18–20), Mary (1:34–35), and to the shepherds (2:12). Those signs further Luke’s purpose to establish certainty and assurance concerning the coming of Jesus the Messiah. God’s message of peace was directed to “’ALL’, whom God favors” (2:14).
So, be of Good cheer during Christmas this year. For unto us a Savior is born. Hallelujah!
behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
We often forget this message of great joy don’t we? The message of peace, of joy of good news. The Lord is not short on blessings and this news was a blessing that will last for all of eternity for those who will receive it. “For today there has been born to us a Savior. That is great news. I cannot imagine all that would take place for you and I to experience and to be given such a gift.
The journey to Bethlehem was necessary to fulfill messianic prophecy (Luke 2:4; Micah 5:2). Jesus was born in either an enclosed courtyard or, as tradition says, a cave, because there was no room in the inn (Luke 2:7). An Inn would not have been an Inn as we know it today. It would have been perhaps a large room for travelers to stop and rest. But it would not have consisted of many rooms and the privacy that we are accustomed to today. However, it would have been a place out of the elements of the day. That would not have been the case of the manger where Christ would have been born. Although there may have been some cover and some shelter from some of the elements it would have definitely been exposed, open and airy. The idea of sharing the place in which Christ would be born would be two fold. First to fulfill scripture and secondly, to point out that Jesus was born in obscurity and poverty as a son of David.
The study of Jewish Tradition the “Mishnah” indicates that some flocks around Bethlehem were out all year, and those to be used at Passover were in the fields thirty days before the feast.
Shepherds were of low social status and were a people shunned by the rich and famous. Notice who the Lord would make the announcement too. “The shepherds”. This was certainly one of the ways the Lord illustrates his importance for “all”, “everyone”.
The thing that makes one exalted in God’s sight is faith and obedience, not worldly power or might. See, for example, Mary’s song (1:52–53). Notice the importance of divine signs in Luke’s Gospel so far. Signs have been given to Zechariah (1:18–20), Mary (1:34–35), and to the shepherds (2:12). Those signs further Luke’s purpose to establish certainty and assurance concerning the coming of Jesus the Messiah. God’s message of peace was directed to “’ALL’, whom God favors” (2:14).
So, be of Good cheer during Christmas this year. For unto us a Savior is born. Hallelujah!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Keys to lasting Peace
The Key to Lasting Peace, “Thankfulness”.
The Bible talks about peace in at least three ways.
1. The peace of God that comes with salvation,
Rom. 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2. The peace of God that come through total surrender to God in all things, Phil. 4:6-7;
John 14:1, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives
do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
3. The peace on earth that will come when Jesus Christ comes back to reign in glory and power,
The passage before us today deals with the peace of God that comes with total surrender to God in all things.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving
let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts
and your minds in Christ Jesus.
It is the peace of God in the times of trouble.
It is the peace of God that overwhelms our worries and that helps us to rest in the will of God even when we cannot see what lies ahead.
The key to having this kind of peace lies in One Thing; Possessing a thankful heart.
Thankfulness is an important theme throughout the Bible. It is mentioned over 140 times.
The key to experiencing this peace, The peace mentioned in verse 7 again lies in the possessing of a thankful heart. I want to share with you about The Key to Peace.
I. WE ARE THANKFUL WHEN WE LOOK UP
Verse 6 references the cares of this life. The word “careful” (KJV) means “to be anxious or worried”. That word reminds us that sometimes the cares of life can make thankfulness difficult.
We all go through those times: John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
When we take the time to stop in our struggles and look to God for His assistance, we will
discover that we have many reasons to be thankful.
***Our modern Thanksgiving observances grew out of the experiences of the early pilgrims to America. The first Thanksgiving Day celebration was held in 1611, after the winter of 1610 had reduced the number of settlers from 406 to 60. They prayed for help and God answered in the form of a ship filled with food and supplies from England. They thanked Him!
In 1621, another band of 46 Puritans and 91 Native Americans held a special day of thanksgiving to praise the Lord for a bountiful harvest. The previous winter had reduced their number from 102 to 46. We may wonder what they had to be thankful for: they were thankful for God’s grace, His provision and His mercy! The Pilgrims looked up; God’s blessings came down, and they were thankful.
When we learn to pause in our pain to look up to God, we will discover an ever present God and
will be Thankful.
II. WE ARE THANKSFUL WHEN WE LOOK AROUND
Verse 6 suggests a life that is lived in a close, intimate and fully dependent relationship with God. When we take the time to stop and look at all the blessings we enjoy because of our relationship with the Lord, it is easy to see why we should be a thankful people. We need to stop and take a spiritual inventory of all the blessings we enjoy in the Lord.
Psalm 103. In that Psalm David catalogues the blessings of the Lord and calls on the people of God to remember those blessings, and to praise the Lord for those blessings.
III. WE ARE THANKFUL WHEN WE LOOK AHEAD
Verse 6 mentions anxiety and worry. Anxiety and worry flourish anytime there is doubt and fear.
The area of life most often consumed with doubt is the future. We just don’t know what tomorrow will bring and that lack of knowledge fills us with fear over the unknown. Doubt cringes and cowers in fear over the disappointments, losses and troubles tomorrow may hold.
We Look ahead by Faith. Faith, welcomes the future with grateful optimism. Faith looks to the future with confidence because faith know who controls tomorrow, Faith knows the God Who plans tomorrow, Faith knows the God Who safely leads His people through today and through all the tomorrows of life.
Thankfulness is the key to lasting peace.
When you look up you will find abundant reasons to be thankful
When you look around, we see even more reasons to be thankful
When you look ahead, you can do so with thankfulness when you know Who holds your tomorrows.
The Bible talks about peace in at least three ways.
1. The peace of God that comes with salvation,
Rom. 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2. The peace of God that come through total surrender to God in all things, Phil. 4:6-7;
John 14:1, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives
do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
3. The peace on earth that will come when Jesus Christ comes back to reign in glory and power,
The passage before us today deals with the peace of God that comes with total surrender to God in all things.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving
let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts
and your minds in Christ Jesus.
It is the peace of God in the times of trouble.
It is the peace of God that overwhelms our worries and that helps us to rest in the will of God even when we cannot see what lies ahead.
The key to having this kind of peace lies in One Thing; Possessing a thankful heart.
Thankfulness is an important theme throughout the Bible. It is mentioned over 140 times.
The key to experiencing this peace, The peace mentioned in verse 7 again lies in the possessing of a thankful heart. I want to share with you about The Key to Peace.
I. WE ARE THANKFUL WHEN WE LOOK UP
Verse 6 references the cares of this life. The word “careful” (KJV) means “to be anxious or worried”. That word reminds us that sometimes the cares of life can make thankfulness difficult.
We all go through those times: John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
When we take the time to stop in our struggles and look to God for His assistance, we will
discover that we have many reasons to be thankful.
***Our modern Thanksgiving observances grew out of the experiences of the early pilgrims to America. The first Thanksgiving Day celebration was held in 1611, after the winter of 1610 had reduced the number of settlers from 406 to 60. They prayed for help and God answered in the form of a ship filled with food and supplies from England. They thanked Him!
In 1621, another band of 46 Puritans and 91 Native Americans held a special day of thanksgiving to praise the Lord for a bountiful harvest. The previous winter had reduced their number from 102 to 46. We may wonder what they had to be thankful for: they were thankful for God’s grace, His provision and His mercy! The Pilgrims looked up; God’s blessings came down, and they were thankful.
When we learn to pause in our pain to look up to God, we will discover an ever present God and
will be Thankful.
II. WE ARE THANKSFUL WHEN WE LOOK AROUND
Verse 6 suggests a life that is lived in a close, intimate and fully dependent relationship with God. When we take the time to stop and look at all the blessings we enjoy because of our relationship with the Lord, it is easy to see why we should be a thankful people. We need to stop and take a spiritual inventory of all the blessings we enjoy in the Lord.
Psalm 103. In that Psalm David catalogues the blessings of the Lord and calls on the people of God to remember those blessings, and to praise the Lord for those blessings.
III. WE ARE THANKFUL WHEN WE LOOK AHEAD
Verse 6 mentions anxiety and worry. Anxiety and worry flourish anytime there is doubt and fear.
The area of life most often consumed with doubt is the future. We just don’t know what tomorrow will bring and that lack of knowledge fills us with fear over the unknown. Doubt cringes and cowers in fear over the disappointments, losses and troubles tomorrow may hold.
We Look ahead by Faith. Faith, welcomes the future with grateful optimism. Faith looks to the future with confidence because faith know who controls tomorrow, Faith knows the God Who plans tomorrow, Faith knows the God Who safely leads His people through today and through all the tomorrows of life.
Thankfulness is the key to lasting peace.
When you look up you will find abundant reasons to be thankful
When you look around, we see even more reasons to be thankful
When you look ahead, you can do so with thankfulness when you know Who holds your tomorrows.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Is 40:31).
I am for ever impressed with the Magnitude and awesome sovereignty of God. Let me share with you the powerful presence of the Lord!
This past week March 8th, 9th and 10th,we celebrated a time of Renewal in the Church and although spiritually it seems that we are (for the most part) healthy, our inner self is decaying day after day.
This is the state of the church! Outwardly we seem and sometimes even look healthy and genuine, while inwardly we are wasting away with Pain, fretting , distrust and worry. I have been praying with broken families and individuals since I arrived in Wickenburg. It is no surprise that people hurt. But since the summer of 2007 I have ministered to folks who have been inundated with brokenness, dysfunction, thoughts of suicide, loss, addictions, divorce, Pain, Pain, Pain…
In Late November my Associate got a call from an acquaintance of his Dr. Moses Caesar who happened to be traveling to Phoenix for a couple of ministry opportunities. My Associate asked if we might entertain the thought of having him speak, since he was close by. So I reviewed his material and thought, based on the content it would be a great subject matter for our people, after all it was dealing with, Pain, Fretting, Trust , Peace , Worry it seemed that it might be a good fit. Perhaps even, orchestrated by the Lord. (I had Know idea)
Dr. Moses Caesar Came in late Saturday night. I met and talked with him for the first time Sunday morning at 7:40am just before our 8:00am service. He seemed to be quite humble, balanced and genuinely glad to be with us.
At the start of our service there was an atmosphere of worship that had only been a memory of the past at this point and what would begin as a stirring of the Holy Spirit would soon become a full fledged movement. That morning we had worship that I had not remembered for some time and our speaker was yet to speak and when he did, it seemed as though the Lord had blessedly harmonized His spirit with ours. (We were engaged) the next few services were but a blur. I know truth was spoken, I know worship was automatic, I know hearts were in tune and most of all I recognized the presence of God. WOW, what a time of refreshing and renewal.
The Amazing part was it was not something people “may” have needed to hear; it was exactly what people needed to hear. It was not only orchestrated, but ordained by the Lord. I am reminded of the verse in Isaiah “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Is 40:31).
We are soaring because of what the Lord has done for us. It was absolutely set up by the Lord and I am so grateful that we listened and didn’t miss this awesome opportunity to be renewed and refreshed.
If you have pain, fretting, distrust and worry call me I would love to share with you the truths that have been shared with us. If you are reading this and need some encouragement perhaps the Lord is still showing us His might and His sovereignty.
Seeking God’s Best, P. Dean
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Praise the Lord
Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord let everything that has breath Praise Him. It is a good day to praise the Lord. Let me tell you a little about my morning.
Ps 106:2-3
2 Who can tell all the great things he has done?
Who can praise him enough?
3 Happy are those who obey his commands,
who always do what is right.
I woke up this morning and stubbed my Toe first thing.(Right on) I then went into the kitchen and found my little scruffy dog had got into the trash(He never does that), after cleaning it up, I went out to the large trash can to throw out the trash. As I went to throw it into the can, I failed to get the lid up all the way, so I dumped it back on the ground. After I picked it up again, I went into the kitchen washed my hands and began to make coffee. Now for whatever reason there are times when our coffee container, while the coffee is dripping will get a bubble in it and instead of going into the pot it runs out onto the counter(Yeah, it decided to DO THAT! this morning) So, after wiping up that mess, I decided I would cook me some scramble eggs for breakfast. This was going relatively well until I went to place them on the plate. The handle on the other side of the pan hit the knob on the stove and instead of dishing the eggs onto the plate, I dumped them on the counter(I still ate them! Not off the counter, but shoveled them onto my plate).
After breakfast things seemed to calm down for (15min) and my prayer was that all the clumsiness of the morning would replace any others that may have come in the following days.
So, I went to get ready for work and my son Jason came by with his baby girl, (Jaelie) before he had to drop her off at the sitters. I came out of the room fully dressed in slacks, nice shirt, smell good, hair combed and I picked up my little grand baby, (she really wanted me) I said my good byes and gave kisses and thought I would lift her over my head one more time before leaving her. As I lifted her up and looked up at her, immediately with absolutely no warning out came her breakfast right in my right eye, in my hair, mustache, onto my shirt, down my pants, onto my boots and ultimately the floor. (Lovely)
I am not trying to exaggerate the story (This was my morning from 6:30am to 8:15am).
After cleaning up and changing. I realized that I had gotten so busy with the morning and all the hickups that went along with it, that I had yet to get my praise on. So you can bet that is what I did! (Praised Him)
You know it is 9:40am about an hour after all those events and things seem to be running pretty smooth.
Praise the Lord!
Ps 106:2-3
2 Who can tell all the great things he has done?
Who can praise him enough?
3 Happy are those who obey his commands,
who always do what is right.
I woke up this morning and stubbed my Toe first thing.(Right on) I then went into the kitchen and found my little scruffy dog had got into the trash(He never does that), after cleaning it up, I went out to the large trash can to throw out the trash. As I went to throw it into the can, I failed to get the lid up all the way, so I dumped it back on the ground. After I picked it up again, I went into the kitchen washed my hands and began to make coffee. Now for whatever reason there are times when our coffee container, while the coffee is dripping will get a bubble in it and instead of going into the pot it runs out onto the counter(Yeah, it decided to DO THAT! this morning) So, after wiping up that mess, I decided I would cook me some scramble eggs for breakfast. This was going relatively well until I went to place them on the plate. The handle on the other side of the pan hit the knob on the stove and instead of dishing the eggs onto the plate, I dumped them on the counter(I still ate them! Not off the counter, but shoveled them onto my plate).
After breakfast things seemed to calm down for (15min) and my prayer was that all the clumsiness of the morning would replace any others that may have come in the following days.
So, I went to get ready for work and my son Jason came by with his baby girl, (Jaelie) before he had to drop her off at the sitters. I came out of the room fully dressed in slacks, nice shirt, smell good, hair combed and I picked up my little grand baby, (she really wanted me) I said my good byes and gave kisses and thought I would lift her over my head one more time before leaving her. As I lifted her up and looked up at her, immediately with absolutely no warning out came her breakfast right in my right eye, in my hair, mustache, onto my shirt, down my pants, onto my boots and ultimately the floor. (Lovely)
I am not trying to exaggerate the story (This was my morning from 6:30am to 8:15am).
After cleaning up and changing. I realized that I had gotten so busy with the morning and all the hickups that went along with it, that I had yet to get my praise on. So you can bet that is what I did! (Praised Him)
You know it is 9:40am about an hour after all those events and things seem to be running pretty smooth.
Praise the Lord!
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