Overcoming Strongholds

I received an inspiring note from Jim Utter, a member of the Tomoka Christian family. After many years of battling alcoholism, Jim finally surrendered it to the Lord. Now, his struggle with this sin is over!

After 12 years of receiving God's personal gift of grace, not only am I a changed person, but now feel compelled to share my life-changing experience with others who may be struggling with the same bondage that I had become a slave to.

That bondage was alcohol. That's right... WAS alcohol, past tense. The struggle for mind control was won by God and has been removed from my thought patterns entirely!

For 15 years I battled the demon of alcoholism, through self will, through family intervention, through hospitalization, alcoholics anonymous, mockery, thoughts of suicide, and more significantly a complete surrender to its mind control.

One night I felt deeply compelled to go outside. It was the wee hours, cold and still. The side light was on. I cried out to God, "Please God remove this demon of mind control. I cannot do it alone. I need your help as only Your will can provide me."

I went down on my knees. All the weight of my body was gone. I put my cheek to the cold Earth. To my right was a single sea grape leaf. Next I held it up to the light and there I saw outlined was the "tree of life" represented by the veins in the leaf, shaped like a tree, with its trunk and branches.

All this happened in only a few seconds, yet it seemed timeless in scope and power. It was the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ filling me with a "new life," beginning at that very moment.

Pastor Joe, God's truth is AMAZING! My prayer was answered! I truly believe that it was that prayer of total surrender that removed my struggle and most importantly, my sin of alcoholism was forgiven.

You see, about one month ago you boldly stated that alcoholism was a "sin" and not a disease. I, for one, can honestly say with my whole heart that you are right: alcoholism is a sin. Mine was forgiven completely. Now I have my life with God as my co-pilot and Jesus as my navigator. We have an awesome GOD!

Give Me Strength

Here are a few more scriptures that can help you during the rough times of life.

• Psalms 103:1-5 NKJ – Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
  
  
• Psalms 103:20-22 NKJ – Bless the LORD, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His word, Heeding the voice of His word. Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, You ministers of His, who do His pleasure. Bless the LORD , all His works, In all places of His dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul! All that is within me I praise your Holy Name!
  
  
• Psalms 91:1-2 NKJ – He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God in Him I will trust.” Praise you LORD, You are an awesome and righteous God.

Excerpted from Crowned with Lovingkindness.

Healing

Here are a few more scriptures that can help you during the tough times of life.

• Mal 4:2 NKJ – But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings. LORD, you are Jehovah Rapha – The LORD who heals me.
  
  
• Luke 10:19 NKJ – Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
  
  
• 2 Cor 12:9 MSG – God said: “My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness…I just let Christ take over!”
  
  
• Eph 1:13,14 NKJ – In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. LORD thank you for the free gift of Your Holy Spirit.
  

Excerpted from Crowned with Lovingkindness.

Deliverance

As challenges come your way, remember to cling to prayer and to God’s promises in Scripture. Here are a few passages to help you feel His peace.

Psalms 91:10-12 NKJ – No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. I trust you to keep me safe from harm, in Jesus name.

Psalms 91:14-16 NKJ – Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation. Praise you LORD for healing me from all my iniquities and sin.

Prov 4:20-23 NKJ – My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it springs the issues of life. Thank you God for your divine wisdom, may I cherish your life giving Word all the days of my life. In Jesus name I pray.

Excerpted from Crowned with Lovingkindness.

Help!

Seeking comfort from scripture is the best way to handle the storms of life. Here are a few passages that can help you, with accompanying prayers.

• Psalms 46:1 NKJ – God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Thank you Lord you are always near to me you never leave me or forsake me during times of trouble.
  
  
• Psalms 46:10-11 NKJ – Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah Thank you Lord of Hosts who goes forth to guard and protect me from harm. Praise your Holy Name, You are an Almighty God!
  
  
• Hab 3:2 NIV – LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known. Thank you God that you are abundantly available for help in tight places.

Excerpted from Crowned with Lovingkindness.

Be Careful Little Thumbs What You Text

Mark Batterson of National Community Church in Washington, D.C., posted a great reminder to all of us that communications can be used for good or evil. As he puts it in "Be Careful Little Thumbs What You Text," we need to remember that God is blind-copied (BCC) on everything we write!

Read Mark's post here.

Peace!

My friend, Denny, sent me a note during the holiday season that serves as a fitting reminder of God’s love. No matter what our earthly struggles might be, we can trust that our heavenly Father has promised us eternal life that nothing on earth can overcome.

Up until a few days ago, I really was not looking forward to Christmas this year. Financially this has been a tough year. Spiritually, I have been drained, helping a good friend deal with the loss of his father and trying to understand how cancer is about to claim the life of a beloved friend and employee, Linda. On a much lesser scale, my Gators lost their chance for a perfect season and a repeat National Championship. As a result, I have been a bit grumpy, especially to my family.

My attitude has changed due to some rather unusual gifts. This is the season of Advent — the time when Christians look forward to the fulfillment of God’s promise to bring forth a Messiah, the Son of God whose birth and then his death would bring the gift of eternal life to all who believe. Material gifts that we exchange will always pale in comparison to this incredible gift of love and grace from God.

The first gift that I received in this Advent season was the gift of scripture. Last summer I was talking to a lawyer friend of mine that I have known for many years. I was trying to explain to him how I had started studying the Bible and using the Word to guide me. He was questioning how a book written two thousand years ago by hermits and illiterate fishermen could have any bearing on life in the modern age. I think I have a better answer now then I did then. I will try to explain.

During the Gators' recent loss to Alabama, Tim Tebow had the verse John 16:33 written on the paint on his cheeks. This was a different verse than the ones he had used previously and it was not something that I was familiar with from my studies. So the next day I looked it up and it reads: "I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

These words were among the last spoken by Jesus to his Disciples just before He was taken by the Romans. The scriptural message is one of hope that we can overcome our daily problems, no matter how great, through faith. An interesting choice of scripture for Tebow, who has overcome many obstacles as he proclaims his faith to the secular world.

As I have been talking to Linda and her family as they face her cancer, this phrase has come back to me repeatedly. I have prayed it for her as she deals with medical setbacks, but had never mentioned it to her or anyone else. Yesterday Matt and I drove over to Orlando to see her for probably the last time. We had not seen her in several months. Before leaving my office, I meant to print out a copy of John 16:33 to give to her but got caught up in work and did not get it done. We arrived at Linda’s hospital room as she was reading Christmas cards. We made small talk and laughed about some office news that she had not heard. She told me that she was sorry to hear about the Gators. As she was saying this she started reading one of her Christmas cards. The person that sent her the card wrote that they had been inspired by the message from Tebow and as we sat there, Linda read John 16:33 from the card. I was blown away as I told her the relevance of the verse to me.

The timing of this whole event is amazing and further proof to me that Scripture is alive. God can and does speak to us in interesting ways if we open our hearts and minds to Him.

The second gift is the spiritual gift that is from Linda. She started to work in my office on a part-time basis several years ago. She came into the office at a time of significant turmoil. We had been operating without a receptionist for a while and the stress levels were through the roof. To this environment, she brought a level of calm and peace through her composure and compassion. She restored a sense of order and calm and could handle the most difficult client tactfully. She walks daily with God and is able to face any problem, even the pain and ordeal of cancer, with a sense of grace and dignity. She has made an impact on the nurses and doctors in the hospital and she proclaims her faith — both by her conversation and her actions. That sense of peace will long be remembered by Sally, Susan, Matt and myself as we work through the challenges of running an office in trying economic times. More importantly, I will strive to be caring to those around me and not get distracted by whatever troubles I may face.

Linda’s gift during this Advent season is the gift of love, that no matter how trying and difficult our earthly challenges may be, there is always the love of God and the gift of eternal life that this world cannot overcome. It is a gift that I will treasure always. It is a gift well worth sharing with others.

Aim at the Target, Part 4 of 5

Maybe the reason so many churches are dying is that at some point they have lost the desire to accomplish God’s goal. After all, even a small church can support a missionary, help send a student to Bible College, or help the homeless. Once the wagons are circled, death is imminent. Death is certain unless a church is willing to open up and love those for whom Jesus died.

The New Testament is replete with “one another” passages. The truth is these passages can never be fulfilled without a zeal for missions. A partial list is given below.

• Love One Another, John 15:17
• Confess Sins to One Another, James 5:16
• Pray for One Another, James 5:16
• Forgive One Another, Ephesians 4:32
• Bear One Another’s Burdens, Galatians 6:2
• Teach & Admonish One Another, Colossians 3:16
• Be Subject to One Another, Ephesians 5:21
• Encourage One Another, 1 Thessalonians 5:11
• Serve One Another, Galatians 5:13
• Rejoice with Each Other, 1 Corinthians 12:26
• Weep with One Another, Romans 12:15
• Care for One Another, 1 Corinthians 12:25
• Depend on One Another, Romans 12:5
• Be of the Same Mind Toward one Another, Romans 12:16
• Show Hospitality to One Another, 1 Peter 4:9
• Fellowship with One Another, 1 John 1:7

The only possible reason for Jesus leaving His church here on earth is for the church to help others find salvation in Jesus. Therefore if that is the church’s objective, is it any wonder why God blesses churches that are focused on people getting to know our Savior?

“Churches grow best if they find a model God is blessing.” –Carl George

More tomorrow!

Aim at the Target, Part 3 of 5

Being focused on missions is obviously one of the keys to the growth of the local church. Churches that keep all of their resources for themselves will end up having few. Failing churches, like failing believers, make statements like “Charity begins at home.” The Biblical response to that statement is “No, responsibility begins at home, charity begins next door!”

It was no surprise to me that every strong, growing church whose leaders I have interviewed had a power commitment to missions both domestically and globally.
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“A man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder.” -Thomas Carlyle

The same can be said of churches, but the purpose must be God’s. The only purpose of the church of Jesus should be to see more souls saved. This theme is developed in unending ways.

• Church planting – local/ U.S./among nations
• Supporting missionaries – Prayer/finances
• Sending missionaries from the local church
• Inner city work
• Feeding the homeless
• Christmas to the poor
• Pregnancy crisis centers
• Short term missions teams
• Aids outreach
• Orphan and widow ministry
• Emergency hurricane/tornado, flood relief
• Building homes
  

While each of the churches surveyed supported missions differently, each gave at least 10% while one gave 33% of the total income of the church. Some churches gave a percentage of their general fund, some also tithed on their building funds and, some utilized “Faith Promise”, and almost all took up special offerings to give away. When we give to God’s heart, God gives back to His people.

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”–Malachi 3:10

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” –Matthew 6:33

It is one thing to read those truths, while it is another to obey the text and live the message individually and as a church.

“Someone has said that the church does not exist FOR missions, but rather BY mission. If you peek inside the fastest-growing churches in the world, you will discover that, without exception, these churches are missions-minded, and have caught a vision of “world-conquest.” Our own church really became alive when missions was placed on the front burner and became a top priority, visible for all to see and hear.” –Bob Moorehead

The local church grows as she gives herself away. God’s way is the opposite of the world’s way. The principle will not make sense, but God’s way always works.

“The preacher, the governing body, and the other key leaders must start the process. Missions isn’t optional. It’s what the church is all about. What we call the Great Commission has too often been the Great Omission. Yet, Jesus declared that missions is why the church exists. That’s why the Great Commission appears five times in the New Testament. (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:47; John 20:21; Acts 1:8.) What oxygen is to fire, missions is to the church. As fire exists by burning, so the church exists by missions. No missions, no church. I once read where an artist was asked to paint a picture of a dead church. Masterfully, he worked day and night, and finally the portrait was finished. When it was unveiled, it showed a box on a table in the church foyer. On the box was printed the word MISSIONS. There was a slit in the top of the box for the offerings, and across the slit was a spider web. It could never have been said more eloquently! Until the leadership of the church acknowledges the centrality of missions, then provides the members to become personally involved in the support of missions, that church will not grow beyond just a few hundred people.” –Bob Moorehead
Part four tomorrow!

A Man Of My Word

This is an e-mail I received from my friend, Steve Jones, that illustrates the kind of obedience God desires from us. It begins with Jeremiah 35:5:

I set cups and jugs of wine before them and invited them to have a drink, but they refused. “No,” they said, “we don’t drink wine, because our ancestor Jehonadab son of Recab gave us this command: ‘You and your descendants must never drink wine'...Then the Lord gave this message to Jeremiah: "Go and say to the people in Judahand Jerusalem, ‘Come and learn a lesson about how to obey me. The Recabites do not drink wine to this day because their ancestor Jehonadab told them not to. But I have spoken to you again and again, and you refuse to obey me.' "

Talk about a legacy! Here's a clan of families that were so zealous about keeping their promises that not one of their family members had drunk a drop of wine for TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS! And what does God say? "Learn a lesson about how to obey me." The abstinence from alcohol is not the point, (though that would serve you well), but the determination to obey God no matter what. Let's keep our promises, men. The Recabites prove that it can done. I pray that today you will keep your promises. Please pray that for me.

Obeying the Call

Lysa TerKeurst, a nationally known speaker and author with Proverbs 31 Ministries, published an inspiring post about the joys of adoption and of obeying God. Check it out on her blog here.

While you're there, scroll down and check out the video of Lysa and her amazing adoption story that appeared on Oprah. Or just view it here.

A Frightening Moment

As a parent we have all felt that moment of panic when we have lost sight of one of our children. There is no describing that feeling when your heart falls into your stomach. Try this story on for size from Luke 2:41-52.

Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you." "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he was saying to them. Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Mary and Joseph lost Jesus, their son. But think about this — they lost God. Can you imagine their prayers? "Father, we don't know what we did with your only son." They lost God! That is a moment of fright beyond what any of us can imagine.

Tragically, millions of people who once knew God have lost Him somewhere along the way. Perhaps through anger, divorce, grief, sin, or laziness — however it happened God was lost as a result. Jesus teaches in Matthew 6:33 that if we seek Him, He will meet our needs. The key to this statement is that we must seek Him first above all else. In Hebrews 11:6 we read, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

Is it time to go looking for Jesus again? Where is the anxiety, the passion? How can you lose the Savior of your soul and not be in a hurry to find Him? Joseph and Mary stopped at nothing to find Jesus. How about us?

Words of gratitude

Below is a thoughtful note I received from the Torres family of Tomoka Christian. They are planning to move out of state.

Dear Pastor Joe and our Tomoka Church Family,

As our time here in Ormond Beach comes to an end, we wanted to express our sincere gratitude and admiration for all that you are doing to spread the word of God locally, statewide, and across international boundaries.

It is not often one finds a place that not only "talks the talk" but actually "walks the walk" of spreading the will of Christ. From the moment that we joined this church, we have been dreading when the time would come to leave ... and, unfortunately, that time is now. Although we will surely join a church in Mobile, we know that it will be difficult to find a place of worship with such influence and, more importantly, influential action.

As a person who worked hard for years at pushing Him away, it was Tomoka that finally opened up my heart. I often tell the story of when Tomoka sent us a generous check to help us with the adoption costs, all with absolutely no strings attached. To me (to us) that meant so much and truly showed us that awesome things are truly impacting the world — all from our little church in Ormond Beach. God, through your church, has made a believer out of a skeptic, and for that, I cannot thank you enough.

May God continue to bless this remarkable church,

Roberto & Jennifer Torres
(Ariana, Mateo, David)

God's power revealed during fast

A couple attending and serving at Tomoka Christian, Bill and Paula Anderson, recently accepted the challenge to spend time fasting and praying. They have an amazing testimony to share after their experience.

I would like to share with you some praise reports due to 40 days of fasting that we completed. We had never before fasted for an extended amount of time together. God is so faithful. On our 40th day, our daily devotions were from Philippians 4:8, "If there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things."

Over the 40 days, we saw God work in our family's lives. We experienced many answers to prayer. Our two oldest daughters had not been employed full time in over a year. During the fast, they both were offered full-time positions. Also, our in-laws were able to leave our household to move to their own place.

When Bill was ill a few months ago for a long time, we fell behind in all of our bills. The greatest concern was our mortgage. Praise God, we are now current, which only happened in the last week of the fast. We have truly experienced that when we are faithful, He is faithful. God has done so much more for us that we cannot express all of His goodness and mercy.

We did not fast seeking worldly reward, but accepted your challenge as a way to grow closer to our Savior. We did truly grow spiritually — beyond our expectations. Our worldly needs being met was certainly a bonus.

You never know until you go!

A member of the Tomoka Christian family, Carl, recently went on his first mission trip. Below is a first-hand account of his life-changing experience.

There is nothing like experiencing a mission trip to realize spiritual growth.

I confess my complacency in keeping my growing faith in the box within the walls of our church. The truth is that the cup was not quite full by remaining there. One needs to step out of the box and stretch your faith out there on a mission trip. Then you know what it really feels like to have your cup full.

I stepped out of the box and went to Red Sands Mission in Winslow, Arizona, on the edge of a Native American reservation. I left with 12 disciples, and I was filled with questions such as, What will I do? How will the Lord use me? I was scared!

We arrived, and the beginning days were made up of working on a home for a missionary and ministering to the Native American children. It was great sharing worship and much fun and laughter with the children.

Deep inside, there was one day I honestly was dreading. It was the day we were to minister to the homeless. I prayed diligently about that day. My concern was, What will I do? What will I say? How will I respond to these people? How will the Lord use me?

The day arrived and the 12 disciples went to town. We arrived at a field where they were supposed to have lived. We found no one there. I breathed a sigh of relief, but I still felt scared. We moved on and came upon a large alley, and we saw 15-20 people there. Those who had been on the trip before jumped out and proceeded to the alley. I sat for a minute and prayed, "Lord I need you now!" I felt much like Moses. "Help me," I prayed. "I lift this all up to you. Please show me the way and use me."

As I finished my prayer it was like a hand behind me was pushing me out of the van. Like Peter, it was time to get out of the boat.

I walked down and looked into the faces of those hungry, hurting people. It was not so much hunger for food. It was brokenness and hunger for the good news. I laid hands on the first person. From that moment, the Lord took over completely. I went from one to another. I seemed to be consumed with His presence within me. His spirit filled my cup to capacity, I knew then that I would never be the same. My hope and prayer is that those I touched will also be forever changed.

On that trip I made my growing faith become a verb for the first time. This awesome God whom I claimed to serve has served me tenfold more. Now it was my turn to serve Him, to be His hands, His feet and His message!

My testament to the 12 at the end of our stay: "I'll be back!"

Remember, you never know until you go!

God can do it!

Below is a note we received from a member of the Tomoka Christian family that shows how God can make things happen just as we read in Ephesians 3:20

"I just wanted to share with you how incredible our God is. He is able to do more than we can imagine. After listening to Lindsey and Rob talk about going to Egypt with Joe, I knew I wanted to go on that trip.

Well, the reality was that I had to raise $2,000 by the end of March. After talking to Joe, he said we would not have time to do any fund-raising work and asked that each person going send 10 letters out for prayer/donations. So I remember going home worried about whom to send letters to. I have gone on many trips and have exhausted my resources.

All I could do was pray and ask for some kind of miracle if He really wanted me to go on this trip. So after much prayer, I came up with a list of people that I would send my letters out to. I prayed over my letters and sent them.

I went to work the next morning and my boss asked me about my hours at work. With so many budget cuts at school, I thought they were going to cut my hours. But to my amazement, my boss said payroll made a mistake and didn’t pay me all year for some hours I worked in the morning at school. I was skeptical about the whole thing. I told them that if it was wrong, I would not be able to pay them back later. But then I received a letter from payroll showing a breakdown of what I would be getting and also an increase in my paycheck for the remainder of the school year. Again I prayed and asked God that if this money was to be used for my trip, show me by letting it be the exact amount that I would need.

The week after, I was told two more people supported me. A third person I sent a letter to decided to go on the trip, and yet he is supporting me. Later, a lady came up to me and said she’d be praying for me, then told me “I just felt like I needed to give you this” and handed me an envelope with money! I was just amazed how God was working.

After adding it all up, my trip is paid in full, with the exact amount I am getting from my job! God even left me an additional $3.02 — probably to cover the cost for postage and printing my letters! I am learning that truly we are not able to, but He can.”

Increase Your Knowledge

The Almighty tells Daniel that the end times will be characterized by an increase of knowledge.

But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge. Daniel 12:4

While all of this knowledge causes pride that spreads sin at an unprecedented pace, there is a positive side. The church is able to:

• Share Jesus with unreached and closed people groups
• Grow in faith through an avalanche of Biblical material
• Provide private Biblical counsel to those in need

Here are a few websites that may be helpful to you, your family, or a friend:

E-Sword – free Bible program
Christian Classics Ethereal Library – Great Biblical Resources
Focus on the Family – marriage and parenting resources
Family Life – family resources
Exodus International – deliverance from homosexuality
XXXchurch– deliverance from pornography, sex addiction, masturbation addiction
World Prayer Team – submit prayer requests and pray for others
Celebrate Recovery – freedom from your hurts, habits, and hang-ups
Care Net - unplanned pregnancy
Abortion Recovery
Embraced by Grace - adoption agency
Bible Gateway – online Bible search
Resources for Women - South Daytona pregnancy center
St. Louis Cardinals

Paul penned these immortal words: “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” – 1 Corinthians 15:57

A Wall to Remember

Most of the world calls the massive structure pictured here the Wailing Wall. The Israelis refer to it simply as the western wall. It is located in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Originally, it served as a support wall for a temple area. When the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 and the Muslim armies repeated the devastation through the ages, both groups left this wall as a reminder to the Jewish people of what used to be. It speaks of their conquest.

Ironically, this wall has become a place of prayer and a remembrance of a God who is much larger than blocks.

Interestingly enough, the cross was to have the same impact upon the world. Twenty centuries later, Jesus and the message of the cross have transformed the entire world at one time or another, and will be the final trump card played when Jesus breaks through the eastern sky.

We have to take what this world gives us at times. But we do not have to let these events define us. Jesus said, "My house will be a house of prayer for all nations.”

The Mighty Mississippi: Flooding in the Midwest

When we read of the plagues in Egypt during the time of the Exodus, God’s purpose is often overlooked. His goal was to reveal himself as the one and only living God.

So as I sit not 30 miles from the flood devastation in the Mississippi Valley, what am I to think? When I consider the fires in California or the earthquake in China, famines, AIDS, hurricanes and all the evil of men, what am I to think? Could it be that the Almighty is allowing all of this to remind us that the world is temporary and that we need to look to Him for salvation?

There is one certainty: We will not tame this world as it is dying. In her death throes, she will break apart and cause great pain for millions.

The point: We need to look up, and get right.

1 Thessalonians 4-5

What's wrong with God's people?

When we read the first three verses of Deuteronomy 3, we see that Israel conquered a kingdom that was led by a giant name Og. There have been times, like in this story, when God's people talked to giants. Other times it’s just the opposite. It seems we sometimes hide from the giants in our life.

Being a giant slayer appeals to me! But what are our giants? They are unbelief, addiction, or unrepented sin. We need to recapture the spirit of God when Israel defeated Og, or when David conquered Goliath, or when the Church took on the known world. It is high time that we put our faith to the test!

Jesus told us in John 10:10 that He came to give us abundant life. Many are missing the abundant spiritual life because they will not face down and defeat the giants of their life.

Do you have giants in your life that you need to tackle? Well, what are you waiting for? They grow bigger with each day!