Your Dreams can live Again!

Almost everyone in America can tell you what Easter is about. They know Jesus died on a cross and many believe He rose from the grave, some don't. The Bible says in James that the devil even believes this. It goes on to say that just believing this does not make you a Christian. While most can tell you something about Jesus' death and resurrection, they do not understand that resurrection can happen to dead things in our own lives. Dead marriages can be resurrected. Dead dreams, dead friendships, dead hopes can come back to life just like Jesus did. The bible says Jesus took back the keys to death, hell and the grave from the devil. That means the devil is not in control any longer IF we are willing to give Jesus the control of these situations. Jesus is not Santa Claus. His job is not to give us everything we can think of to make us happy. Jesus defeated the devil. The devil's job is to steal (our hopes, dreams and talents, etc.) from us and to kill (relationships, families, etc.) and to destroy (our lives). In other words the devil's job is completely opposite from Jesus job. Make sure you know the real meaning of Easter and put it in effect in your life and in the lives of those you love. If they do not see the truth yet pray that the blinders that are preventing them from seeing this truth be removed. Let's not be cheated out of all God accomplished when He rose from the grave. We get eternal benefits because of God's love and power. We can experience new life in what we believe was dead. The story that best shows this is Lazarus who rose from the dead after being in the tomb for 4 days. Most believe Jesus came back from the dead but you now have the privilege of having a Lazarus experience in your life with things that seem too dead to live again. How do you get this benefit? By believing that Jesus has come to give you abundant life as His child. This is serious and needs to be considered seriously but the benefits are getting your hopes, dreams and relationships back in the hands of the life giver. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge God and He will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

Where is Your Jesus

John 20:15 Mary is at the empty tomb crying because Jesus was missing. She was staring at the grave and talking to what she thought was a gardener. She asked, where did you take Jesus? She was talking to the one she was looking for and did not even know it. I believe there are times we miss Jesus too because our problems look so big. We can either focus on Jesus or our trouble but I don't think we can focus on both at the same time. The disciples were locked in a room afraid of being arrested. There are times we sit "locked in fear" waiting on bad things to happen. Instead of getting arrested, Jesus appears to them in the room, answered their questions and calmed their fears. If we will call on the Lord during our trouble instead of allowing ourselves to be terrified we will find Him standing with us too. The end of the story Peter is so discouraged about Jesus' death, he decides to "go back to what he was doing before he met Jesus". There are people we know, maybe even us, that choose to go back to things we did before we came to know the Lord. We can always be drawn back to the "old natural urges" if we do not proactively work to avoid that. Jesus did exactly what He told His disciples He was going to do and He will do the same thing with us. Put all of your confidence in the Lord and find your self celebrating His faithfulness instead of standing around an empty tomb crying about a problem that does not exist. You and I will still face problems and have to guard against fear and giant looking circumstances but if death could not defeat our Lord I promise nothing we face can defeat Him either!

Saddest Day in History

The day after the crucifixion and before the Resurrection. Even those who truly believed that Jesus was the Messiah had 2 days to wait before what they hoped came true. You may be at a point in your life between hoping and seeing your dream come to pass. The only place to find peace is to put your faith in Jesus and His love for you. If you put your faith in your dream (even though it may be from God) you will never have the peace that comes when we are completely trusting in Him. The truth is some dreams are our dreams. They may be good dreams and we may or may not get to see them come to pass but when we are trusting in Jesus, regardless of whether they do or don't come, you will be filled with His love and His peace. If your dream is from God it likely will take much longer to come to pass than you ever imagined. Many give up on their dream during this period. Many accept less than God had planned for them because they assume they are not good enough to "earn something this good". Truth is, none of us are good enough, but God's love is rich enough to go way beyond what we deserve. Like all good parents the Lord promises to not hold back on any good thing to those who are His children (Ps. 84:11). I encourage you to pick your dream back up, hand it to the Lord and allow Him to refine it, He may just give it all back to you with a promise that if you will trust Him with all your heart, you may be just like the disciples who arrived at the grave early Sunday morning and discovered He was not there. He was in the process of bringing all the pieces together to fulfill the dream of His Father, to provide the grace necessary to bring dream after dream "back from the dead". Sunday did come. Jesus did come back from the dead and your dream may well come to life again too. Not even death could hold down God's awesome power. He is alive and I think I hear your dreams rattling the stone that has kept them in the grave for too long. Don't give up, God has good planned for you and He does not hold back to those that are His!

Holy Week

One of the temptations of living in America is to "enjoy the holidays" and forget the meaning of the Holidays. I recommend we take each day of this "Holy Week" and remind ourselves what Jesus went through. He had many chances to change His mind about His mission on earth (you and I will too). He could have gotten tired of the rejection (you and I will too). He could have decided that the tasks were too hard (you and I could too). He could have said if no one is going to help me or appreciate what I am doing I am going to quit (you and I may feel the same thing). Jesus accepted the plan of His Father and stayed faithful in spite of all the problems He encountered, I hope you and I will too.
Jesus did not get out of any hard things because of who He was. In fact, He made sure that He went through everything you and I will during our time on earth so that at any point we could go to Him and ask Him "do you know how this feels" and He could answer "yes I do, I went through the exact same thing". Jesus went through every temptation and He did it without ever yielding to sin. He knew you and I would not be able to do that so He made a plan with His Father that He would accept His sacrifices for all our sins. Take advantage of God's love today and everyday. Make sure this Easter season is not just about eggs and bunny rabbits but God's desire to have us as His family. What an amazing love that keeps Him faithful to us even when we are not faithful. The best Easter of your life is the one you realize God had you on His mind when He was on the cross!

Don't Forget

Deuteronomy 31:20 and following, the Lord is giving Moses final instructions before Joshua takes over the leadership of Israel. God is telling Moses to warn the people that when they get in the promised land and have grown "heavy" from eating fruit and produce that they did not plant and living in houses they did not build that they will forget all the Lord did to get them there. We need to remind ourselves constantly that God has provided for us. Yes we go to work daily but without God's blessings we could see drastic changes in the next hour. We don't deserve God's blessing because of how good we are. There are people who are doing much more for the Lord than many of us. Think of the missionaries living in poverty; people like Joni Tada, a woman paralyzed from the neck down, who draws beautiful pictures with a pen in her teeth. I could go on but you get the point. During this Easter Week take time to remind yourself how good God has been to you. You probably do not have everything you want at this point but you are most blessed by Him and we should be more thankful than we are most of the time. Don't fall into the trap of only being thankful when your prayers are answered exactly like you want them to be. God knows exactly what He is doing and He is doing it at the exact right time. The sooner we believe and live we beleive this the happier we will be and those around us will be too.

God's Work

One of my favorite scriptures is Psalm 90:16-17 "Let your work appear to your servants, and Your glory to their children. Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us, yes establish the work of our hands." I love that God is not just watching over us but He is establishing our work. This does not mean we will never have problems or sickness but it does mean that every step we take He is near and willing to lead us into His plan. Instead of "wondering where God is" when you have difficult seasons, allow His word to transform your mind. Settle the fact that He is always good and always right even when we see nothing good and nothing right. The day will come when we see Jesus face to face. He will wipe away every tear. We will have all the answers to the serious and difficult questions in life and you will be so glad you trusted Him when you could not see Him. I love the saying, even when you cannot see God's hand, you can always trust His heart!

"Run it Again"

A few months ago I wrote about a funeral service I conducted and there were 3 people in attendance. The person was humorous but at the same time used their humor to criticize and demean others. They died almost completely alone; the family asked me to conduct the service even though the person had not attended our church in over 15 years. I was glad to serve the family and the Lord by doing what they asked. I believe the person is in heaven although I am not in charge of who gets in or doesn't. Today I will conduct another funeral. The service will literally be held in a football stadium because there is no church large enough to hold the crowd that will come to show their love, respect and admiration for the one who died. This person gave their life teaching, coaching, motivating, correcting and staying active until the day of their death. This person was not a saint. They will get in heaven the same everyone else will by the grace of God. But their influence will last for generations. They retired years ago and could have spent the last decade sitting out the last days of their life doing whatever they wanted. They chose to keep doing what they had always done teaching, coaching, motivating and correcting those they came in contact with. They did not allow people to settle for mediocrity. In practice if you did not do your assignment he shouted "run it again" and your ran it as many times as it took to get it right. That meant every person doing their job and staying with it until the whistle blew. If your family needs to improve, "run it again". Get the help you need from a professional if necessary to improve. If your health needs to improve, "run it again" until you get well. If you are fighting an addiction, "run it again" until it is broken and you are free. If your faith is weak, "run it again" until your can say with a pure heart "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." This life we live is a marathon. Don't allow today's success or failure to deceive you. Things change and sometimes change very quickly. Keep doing everything you can everyday, hopefully you will leave a legacy like the person I am conducting the service for today. Run it again, until you hear the whistle blow and enter into the joy of the Lord!

Answered Prayer

What is on the top of your prayer list this week? How many things have been on the list for a month or longer? Most people can remember their list quickly and accurately but how about the list of prayers that have already been answered. How long after you get the answer you wanted before you stop thanking God that He cared enough for you to grant the request. Don't fall into the trap of becoming a little spoiled brat that never gets enough of anything. I encourage us all to set at least one time a week that we spend simply thanking God for who He is and what He has already done for us. Remember, I Thessalonians 5:16 and following says "rejoice always (even before you get all your answers to prayer)... in everything give thanks (not for everything IN everything) for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you". On this day decide to trust the Lord for everything that concerns you. Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God and He will provide everything we need. I suggest we spend more time thanking Him and less time giving Him our instructions about what He needs to do every day. A thankful child will bring pleasure to any parent every time, let's grow into those kinds of kids!

Meditate on God's Word

If Jesus were to knock on your front door, what do you think He would say? He would say exactly what is in His Word. He would quote it verbatim. Jesus is the Word made flesh, the same Jesus who lived among us. He would not be the most attractive in the room. He would not float, He would not sound religious. One reason so many have a hard time relating to Him is because they do not have an accurate picture of Him. Jesus came to earth to re-establish a relationship with mankind. He came as the most humble "non-god like" figure He could come in. He faced every test, trial and temptation that we face and He did it without sinning; so He could offer the one perfect sacrifice that was capable of paying for all of humanity's sin. As we enter the week of Easter, put yourself in a place with the Jesus of the Bible. Talk with Him about your dreams, your fears, your hurts and your needs; you will find Him to be the most understanding and comforting person you have ever met. He will listen intently and He will likely tell you to do something that seems to simple to solve your problems. He may say, forgive the one who harmed you the most. He may say serve the little widow across the street. He may tell you to volunteer at a school teaching people to study properly. He may tell you that even though you will not get out of the current battle your are in quickly that He will walk every step of it with you. Jesus trusted His Heavenly Father with His life, now it is our turn to trust our Heavenly Father with ours!

A few days from now we celebrate Good Friday. A review of the hours leading up to Jesus hanging on the cross for our sins, all of the sins of all of humanity for all time, shows that the closest friends He had on earth would completely abandoned Him. He would endure the pain and suffering completely alone. I believe every Christian must go through their own personal Gethsemane in order to realize that nothing on this earth can be counted on permanently. Because we all go through this, Jesus went through it too. When we realize there is no one who can "fix" all our problems we must decide what we are going to do. Are we going to trust God and His plan for humanity or are we going to try and prop up our lives with temporary solutions. Jesus put His life in His Father's hands; this is the only answer that guarantees hope and success in our lives. Once you have been through your Gethsemane (there may well be more than one in our lives) you have trust in God than cannot be experienced until you come out of the "death" of your will and emotions. It is "natural" to try to avoid these experiences but we can never "know the love and character of God" until we come through them. May you surrender to the plan of God for your life and as you die to the desires of "temporary comfort" to walk in an eternal relationship just like your older "Brother" did!

Don’t get trapped living everyday like “nothing ever changes” so you just exist. As Christians we are to walk by faith. Don’t let the enemy steal the promises God has given you in His Word; especially those you think He has given you personally to stand on. The enemy uses simple tactics. Apathy, persecution from a friend or family member, boredom, and even riches that distract us from focusing on God and His plans for our lives are all tools he uses. Make sure you spend time everyday seeking God by reading His Word, praying, that means listening as much or more than talking giving Him His “to do list”. The happiest we will ever be is when we are staying close to Him. This season reminds us how much God loves us. Take some time during the Easter preparations to thank Him for His grace. Call on Him and expect Him to answer you as He promises in Jeremiah 33:3. He is risen. Death could not hold Him in the grave. He is coming again to receive His bride - maybe even today, Stay ready, He is closer than He has ever been!

Easter is 2 weeks away. Easter celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave! Truthfully this does not digest well. We have never seen anyone dead come back to life but the days are coming when we will see dead people begin to breath again and live full lives again. Mark 16 says we will see and perform signs and wonders, eat poison and not be harmed, lay hands on sick people and they will be healed. All of this happens because Jesus Christ defeated death, hell and the grave at Easter! Prepare yourself, the day is coming when you will walk into a room, or walk up on someone who is dead or nearly dead, lay your hands on them, speak the name of Jesus over them and they will get well. This is no more a fairy tale than Jesus coming out of the tomb. We will be like the disciples "who had a hard time believing" but the more you learn of God's Word and draw near to Him, the more real this will be for you. Please give time to the Lord for preparation. Let God's Word become so real to you that these things become more and more realistic. God will use everyone who makes themselves available but it will require faith. Remember Elijah had his servant go back 7 times before he saw a rain cloud. You may have to pray more than once but when you have confidence in God and His Word, you will see mountains moved out of your way and thrown into the sea!

Are you where the Lord has told you to be? Are you doing what the Lord has told you to do? Remember the story of the disciples fishing all night and catching nothing. Jesus told them to throw their nets “on the other side of the boat” (John 21:6). What would have happened if they had said the difference is only 6 or 8 feet; surely the fish can swim over to the nets in that small amount of distance. The disciples did what Jesus said and when they did, their nets filled with fish, so many fish that the nets began to break. There are times when we are in a place of holding, learning and even discipline but there are also times when we are disobeying the Lord and preventing change. If you are not sure which of these places you are in ask your spiritual mentor. I did not suggest you take a poll because we are clearly forbidden from getting advice from the ungodly (Psalm 1). Everyone needs a mentor. A mentor is someone who knows you, cares about what is going on in your life and is committed to leading and instructing you to a place of growth. A mentor is already in a place that you would like to go.

In addition to a mentor you need a church home and Pastor that teaches you the Word of God and watches out for your soul. If you don't have a Pastor who knows you and that you are willing to take spiritual advice from (many Christians do not these days) you are hindering your own growth. No Pastor is perfect but just like we are to honor our father and mother, who also are not perfect, we do need to obey the Lord's order and follow a Pastor. Most Christians begin their walk with God by joining a local church and attending services on a regular basis. Sadly today many feel they grown mature enough to "walk on their own" and watch church TV. The day is coming when this idea is going to prove inadequate and costly. Make changes if you need to but don't put them off, this is too important to delay!