Posts

Be Holy

/1 Comment/in /by

We can learn a lot from the servant of God, Joshua. Remember the story of Joshua and the Israelites conquering Jericho. That victory came after Joshua sought Gods face, and humbled Himself before the Almighty God. Joshua was contrite. He was meek – humble. He realized his success was because of God.

But, after Jericho, Joshua and his troops set out to take over another town – Ai. And they suddenly seemed to forget that they are Gods servants. They forgot that their success in Jericho was only by the Lords hand. So they failed to ask God for direction in Ai.

Ultimately, Joshua and the Israelites forgot to aim for holiness, first. There was sin in Joshuas camp that had to be dealt with before the Lord could help them. So when the army tried to take Ai by themselves, they did not have victory. God had to remind them again that He wants purity. He wants holiness. Theres nothing more important.

My friend, God has great evangelistic victory for us. But first, He wants our hearts, our souls, our minds. He wants all of us. Why not surrender yourself again – today – to become holy for the Lord? Make a fresh start! He will use you in unimaginable ways to reach your world for Jesus Christ!

“Yes, but differently than you think”

/0 Comments/in /by

National Football League running back Sherman Smith was the Seattle Seahawks most popular player. Then, without warning, he was traded to the San Diego Chargers. Everything changed for this Christian football star. He wasnt with the Chargers for more than a few weeks when he blew out his knee. While rehabilitating, he wondered, “Lord, why did you ship me to San Diego?”

As his knee mended, Sherman led one of his teammates to the Lord. That converted party-man, Miles McPherson, has since become an outstanding youth evangelist. He reaches tens of thousands each year with the Good News of Jesus Christ!

Why was Sherman traded to San Diego? He had prayed for God to use him, and God responded! When we pray bold prayers, we must be prepared for God to say, “Yes, but the answer may be different than you think!”

The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”

When you pray for a friends salvation, Gods timing and ways may be different than you would like, but dont give up. Keep praying! Dont ever stop praying that the people in your life will come to Jesus. God will use you in the process, just dont give up.

Our Competence Comes from God

/0 Comments/in /by

I have a dear friend who recently, for the first time, led a person to Christ. Hes a committed Christian and a fearless businessman, yet he had never experienced one of the greatest joys of a Christian life – sharing the Good News of eternal salvation and Gods love.

The majority of Christians never share their faith with others. A lot of people feel incompetent and nervous. We all can be nervous at times, but that doesnt mean that we should not share our faith. We can have confidence to speak out because of Jesus Christ!

The apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians that “confidence is ours through Christ…not that we are competent to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.” God, through Christ, qualifies each of us to be personal evangelists.

Have you hesitated to share your faith because youre nervous or feel inadequate? My friend was able to share one of the greatest joys this side of heaven when he stopped depending on his own abilities, asked for strength from the Lord, and turned to the competence that comes only from God. Try it today.

Your Family

/0 Comments/in /by

Theres a wonderful promise in the Old Testament that I came to understand when I was a young boy. The promise is found in Genesis 26:6. God says to Abraham, “Through your descendants all the nations on earth will be blessed.”

When I read that as a boy, I remember thinking, This is something I can pray for my own kids someday! So, as my wife and I started our family, we prayed that prayer for each of our four boys. We said, “Lord, through these boys, please bless all the nations of the world.”

Now, there were some rough years. One of our sons, Andrew, took a big spiritual hike for about 13 years. We experienced a lot of sadness. But we kept praying, “Lord, bless the nations of the world through our boys.” And praise God, Andrew did finally surrender his life to Jesus Christ!

Now, hes an evangelist – sharing the Good News all around the world. In fact, each one of our boys is serving the Lord in different capacities. Its thrilling to watch how God has answered that prayer of ours!

So, dream great dreams for your family. No matter where your kids are right now with the Lord, dont despair. Pray for your children by name, asking God to bless the nations of the world through them. The Lord will hear, and answer!

Win the Mountains

/0 Comments/in /by

Before my own ministry in evangelism launched years ago, I met with Billy Graham at a pre-crusade breakfast. He discovered my ambition was to preach in evangelistic crusades. And he advised me to stay with the big cities.

“Paul (in the Bible) always went to the centers of population,” he told me. “And D.L. Moody used to say that the cities were the mountains; and if you won the mountains, the valleys took care of themselves.”

What was Mr. Graham trying to tell me? Simply that cities are important. According to urban missiologist Ray Bakke, the word “city” occurs 1,250 times in the Bible. Cities matter to God because people matter to God.

Do you live in a city? Do you live in a neighborhood? More than likely, the answer is “yes.” The point is, you have people all around you. The Lord Jesus has compassion on these individuals and wants to save them!

Psalm 116 in the Bible states, “The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.” Pray to God; ask Him to give you His compassion for others. He will begin to use you to reach your community, your city, and your world with His love!