A God Who Brings Us Through The Storm

10The thief comes only to steal and(A) kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly

John 10:10 ESV

Have you ever noticed that when God wants to work through you, it seems that the enemy comes at you with force. It seems that when you are making headway in your spiritual journey, that adversity comes and to knock you down. Satan does not want us to succeed! He would like nothing more than to let us fall, to steal our joy, and to render us ineffective. But isn't our God great! He not only defeats Satan, but He brings life. He not only brings life but brings it more abundantly. Take comfort friend in knowing that even though we struggle for a while, joy comes in the morning. Know that all things are filtered through the hand of God.

13Consider(A) the work of God: (B) who can make straight what he has made crooked?
14(C) In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other,(D) so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.

Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 ESV

God has created both, both are in His plan. Nothing takes God by surprise. Satan doesn't act and then forcing God to react. Everything is planed out! Even though trials come, and they are attacks from Satan, he has to go to God and ask for permission. Know this, God allows circumstances to occur in our life, but he ultimately restores us, He brings us through. We can't on our own, but must check our reliance on Him. Just look at Job. He will ultimately bring us through the storms of life.

Don't Let The Cat Get Your Tongue

In trying to keep posts up every few days, I have found my self being distracted more. I pray for better time managment on my part, and less distrations on the perimeter.



In reading this week, I came across James 3.

1(A) Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2For(B) we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says,(C) he is a perfect man,(D) able also to bridle his whole body. 3If we put(E) bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. 4Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5So also the tongue is a small member, yet(F) it boasts of great things.

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6And(G) the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members,(H) staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life,[a] and set on fire by hell.[b] 7For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil,(I) full of deadly poison. 9With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people(J) who are made in the likeness of God. 10From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers,[c] these things ought not to be so. 11Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

This is one of the greatest charges that James gives us in my oppinion. How are we to praise God if we cut down our fellow bothers and sisters. I have developed a sharp toungue in my life. I can be witty at times but like a small spark, I have set off forest fires. Words can divide or unite. Most wars are started not by acts of violence or aggression but with words. They are like arrows. Once they are released, they can not be taken back. They are gone landing where they were aimed.

How often do we share this duplicity of mind like Paul talks about to say that we sing and praise God on Sunday morning, we may pray before we eat, we may even be responsible to teach the body of Christ, but we revert back to the old way of speaking.

I realize that non of us are perfect. But we have to stive for a singleness of mind. James makes it clear: 10From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers,[c] these things ought not to be so. 11Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

I pray we the members of the body of Christ would continue to "die to our old self." And that we would purposefully watch our words as to not let the 'old man' have dominion over our words.

Our Jerichos

Joshua 6

The Fall of Jericho

1Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. 2And the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. 3You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. 4Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him."

-ESV

What must it have been for a people to listen the God speak through one man to say that you are going to take siege of a fortressed city not by force, but by faith. This was it this was the promise land! The Nation of Israel was promised this land from the git go after leaving Egypt some 40 years+. But they were not to take it like they have other cities. They were an army that was out armed, out maned, and out matched, by human standards. They were a people wandering in the desert without a home, like nomads. They were the underdogs by our standards but they had God on their side.

They could now take the land. But wait, they had to do it Gods way. They had to march around the city for six days, just marching once a day. It was the seventh day they had to march seven times, and on the last march of the last day they let out a monstrous war-cry.

What take away can we learn? God has promised us many blessings though his Word.

Matthew 7:11

11If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!-ESV

We have to have the faith and obedience to wait for His timing and do it His way. So many times we want to skip to the end and not go through the process. What would have happened to the Israelites if they had not waited for Joshua's command? They would have more than likely be taken capture, enslaved (again) or worse: killed off/scatter through the utter most parts of the Earth.

Don't rob God of blessing you by not being patient to follow His will.

Our Childrens Gatekeepers

As you can see from my bio, that I am a dad of three boys. Ben is the oldest, he is almost 6, then Josh who is 3, and then comes Isaiah who is 18mo. All three are at very different stages developementally and physically. Ben just finished Kindergarden, Josh has just entered into potty training, and Isaiah: everything so is cool and new to him. My point is that even though all three are at different ages and stages, they are oh so impressionable.

My Pastor Sunday, preached on parenting. One of the key points in his message was Deut. 5: , "Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, and strength..." It is one of the most, if not the most important job or task of a parent to instill this into your children.

What is very disturbing about today's culture is the amount of filth that we allow through the ear gates and eye gates of our children. Case in point, we were recently out with some family, and the boys were watching TV. A certain citcom was on involving two boys who were strictly told not to go see a specific movie. The show depicts one boy saying to his brother that "mom said not to go see this movie" The response of the other boy was "well mom is not here." (DANGER #1). He cooerses the other boy into giving in (DANGER #2). When confronted by their mother later, they did what everyone does once they sin, lie to cover (DANGER #3). You may say that well it's ok, they got caught in the end and learned a lesson. True but not before teaching their young audience (our children) a lesson first. Kids see this a fun and exciting, as entertainment. The sad thing is some adults do too.

How can we take on the charge of Deut 5 if we are not going to be our childrens gatekeeper? Satan comes to steel, kill, and destroy; and we are letting him, by letting him in to our homes though TV, music, books, the freinds that our children associate with. He has all sorts of methods of attack. Am I suggesting we lock our kids away to keep them safe? Certainly not, but we need lock away the vices that creep in "unsuspectedly" into our homes. We need to stop being our childrens "freind who won't dicipline them," and be a parent. Am I my childerns friend? You bet, you ask my two oldest boys who their buddy is, and they will tell you. Why? Because I love them, and even though I may not let them do what they want when they want and they get diciplined from time to time, I am not an oger.

Do I have all the answers, am I the best parent? Absolutly not! I have a been doing this for 5 years and 11 months and 1 week. Friend, I have made many mistakes. But what I do know is that if we as Christians sit idle and do nothing, Satan will rip the hearts and minds of our dear loved ones right out of our hands. This leaving us wondering what happened to our little Jonnies, and our little Suzzies.

My Dad, who passed away exactly 3 years ago in May, had a philosphy that now I finally understand: "I would rather you hate me now and love me later, than love me now and hate me later." My dad was my best freind, and when he went to be with our Lord, it was very hard. I loved him all of my life, but he diciplined me when I needed it, encouraged me when I needed it, and loved me all the time.

Friends understand this, we live in a post modern culture. The pop culture is what is fuling the fire that is consuming our youn people. We can put the fire out before it is too late!

A Beginning

This is it, the beginning. You are asking, the beginning of what?

This blog is in answer to what I feel is a calling. Some may ask, can one be called to blog? The answer is yes! Before there was youth ministry, there had to be someone called to be a youth pastor. Before choir directors, children's pastors, prison chaplains, and the list goes on, there had to be some who were called. This is simply a new platform for God to reach His people with His purposes.

Posts for this blog are just as the title bar states: Godly posts for a post modern world. Some ask, what is a "post modern world?" Most briefly, “postmodern” describes a current trend within our culture that began in the late 20th century that is relativistic in its thinking concerning truth and knowledge. 1 This is where truth is relative. We pervert what IS truth to what we FEEL is truth. We then enter the very slippery slope of a water down Gospel, and a loss of any resemblance of an absolute.

Our culture needs to get out of this mindset, and the Church needs to grow a backbone and not be afraid to stand up for the Cause of Christ. The Church has to be willing to stand for the very one who stands in intercession for us to the Father for a culture to change. So many times I have found myself saying: "This is what I feel that the bible is saying" or "This is what I think this means." Instead we should be seeking from God, what He has to say about His Word. After all, He wrote it. 1 Tim 3:4 says that all scripture is God breathed or inspired. This means that it came from Him. Who are we to put our spin on it!?

Am I the one to "take on the world" with this charge? I don't know, I don't think so, but hey, maybe. I just feel led to share the inspirations that God has laid on my heart.

What truths have you given way on to say: "well that may be for me, but that but not for everyone"?

Please stay tuned for other posts on this blog as well as other blog ideas that develope.

Please feel free to leave comments/suggestions.

1. Micheal Patton: "Representing Christ to a Postmodern World"