Everyday.

Keeping it Simple in 2011

2011-01-01T09:16:00.000-05:00

In reading Psalm 1-5 on January 1, 2011, the Lord spoke through His Words and reminded me about what I need to do for 2011 and beyond. It is really simple and something we can do if we just show some tenacity and do it. So here it is:
Blessed if you do not walk in evil ways (1:1)
Blessed if you read and meditate on the Words of God (1:2)
Blessed if you put your trust in the Lord (2:12; 4:5)
Pray everyday (5:1-3)
Rejoice as you put your trust in the Lord, Shout for joy, be joyful (5:11)

WALK, READ, TRUST, PRAY, REJOICE

Blessing will be upon you and the favor of the Lord will surround you (5:12)

Simple.

Now for 2011 do these things everyday and your relationship with Jesus Christ will be stronger and you will be a part of God's Kingdom work on earth as it is in heaven.

Blessed New Year!

Study it!

2010-12-10T10:19:00.000-05:00

In maintaining a consistent daily time alone with God and making it dynamic, I believe you need to focus on five things as you open up God's Word, the Bible: Read it. Study it. Pray it. Meditate on it. Memorize it. Not necessarily all of these everyday, but everyday you open the Bible, one or more of these five things become a part of your time alone with God. You may one day just read a chapter in the Bible. But other days you take more time to study a passage, and then you get to the point where you are praying through passages and actually memorizing them.

Today I will focus on "Study it." (Read the last blog from me about the "read it" part.)

Studying the Bible is simply taking time in your Quiet Time(time alone with God) to read a verse, passage or chapter and really study it! Read over it several times. Look at the context of what you are reading. Read the text before and after. What is the history or current situation in the text? Who is the author? Who are the readers? What is the author trying to communicate to the readers? Look at some commentaries or if you have a study Bible look to see what it says. Read different translations. Look at Maps in your Bible to see where the scripture is taking place. Finally, answer the following 2 questions:

What is the basic scripture truth?
How does this apply to my life?

Write down your answers to these two questions in a journal.

Get the idea? Your doing more than just reading it.

Studying the Bible takes time so make sure you make the time. The Holy Spirit of God can speak to you through the study of God's Word. He is ready to speak to you. Are you ready to listen? Try it this week. Study it!

Read through Psalm 119. Good stuff!!! The focus is the Word of God.

And remember....
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (New King James Version)
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Read it!

2010-10-07T08:46:00.000-04:00

When Paul commands us to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), we should see this as something that should happen each day we wake up. How can we be filled with the Holy Spirit? Yes, as a believer God's Spirit lives inside of you(1 Cor. 3:16, 1 Cor. 6:19). But if you want that daily overflow of the Holy Spirit of God in your life, then you need to spend time each day in the Bible and in prayer.

It starts by just reading your Bible. Sounds simple, but for many of us it is harder than it sounds. Our excuses are many....not enough time, too tired, don't understand it, where do I start? too many distractions.

Yes, I have used all of those before, Maybe those are just my excuses that I have used and no one else. OK. Honestly, we all have probably used at least one of these excuses. So what are ways to overcome these excuses?

It takes discipline. It takes the mind set of, "Ok, tomorrow I will get up and open my Bible and read it." It takes having a plan, "Where I am going to go in my home to find a quiet place with no distractions?" "What exactly am I going to read in the Bible?" It takes consistancy, "No matter what comes up or how I feel (emotionally), I am going to get up, open my Bible and read it. And I am going to do it everyday."

So what is your plan? Here are some suggestions:

Read in your Bible five Psalms each day. If you read five Psalms each day for a month you will be finished with the book of Psalm at the end of the month. Do this every month. Yes, it will take a few extra minutes to read that many Psalms each day especially when you get to chapters like chapter 119.
Read in your Bible a chapter in Proverbs each day. If you start reading at the beginning of each month, a chapter a day, you will finish the book of Proverbs by the end of the month.
Read in your Bible a chapter a day in any book of the Bible....the gospels, letters of Paul, or Acts. Maybe read a chapter a day of a book from the Old Testament.

The point is to get in the Bible and start reading it. I am not talking about personal Bible study, but just getting into the Word. Some days you don't have time to do personal Bible study. The key is read it! Read it! Read it!

Read the Bible even during the weekends, especially on Sunday mornings before you come to church. Don't let there be a break of reading the Bible daily. Consistency can make it become more of a habit in your life. It's like brushing your teeth. It becomes a habit. You begin to read the Bible no matter what comes up or how you feel. During the good times of life and the bad times of life.

"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much find gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward." Psalm 19:7-11, NKJV

So why don't we read our Bibles more?

silence. crickets. silence.

Plan to open your Bible beginning today and READ IT!

Walk Wisely

2010-09-21T09:51:00.000-04:00

We live in a world today where we can get information fast. Information can come to us from tv, radio, internet, and our phone pretty much instantly as it happens. I use google search engine to get information. I just type a subject or question in the box and "boom!" hundreds of articles or websites are available to me to look at about the subject or question. We also have people all around us telling us what to believe and how to live. But how do we know what we get is accurate and is the truth. The key to know the truth and understand it is to walk wisely.

In reading and meditating on God's Word, the following passage has been in my mind and heart in 2010:

Ephesians 5:15-18
"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit."

It's about walking circumspectly (which means being descreet, watchful, cautious, prudent). Not as a fool. But wise. Ok, so a fool. None of us want to be fools. I don't. We know the days are evil. We see that watching the news and also looking around in our own community.

God's Word then says not to be unwise but understand what the will of the Lord is. The Lord's will. God's will for your life. What is God's will for your life? I don't know. But don't you want to understand God's will? So how do you understand God's will? The next verse of Ephesians 5 says not to be drunk with wine which is dissipition (which means a wasting, mental distration, diversion, a dissolute way of living). Well you might not get drunk with wine but what in your life is a waste, distraction or a diversion of what you should be doing. Instead of the waste, diversions and distractions in life, the Bible says we need to be filled with the Spirit.

You are filled with the Spirit when you are a believer in Jesus Christ. But it is more than that. It is everyday surrending to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is about getting in the Bible everyday. It is about everyday communicating with God.

So what does this look like?
5 ways to grasp God's Word we call the Bible. Not originally with me but I have changed this a little bit:
Everyday we need to-

1. Read the Bible
2. Study the Bible
3. Pray the Bible
4. Meditate on the Bible
5. Memorize the Bible

Grasp God's Word daily and you will be filled with the Holy Spirit, walk wisely and understand more God's will for your life.

So are you a fool or are you walking wisely? ouch.

More to come on the 5 ways to grasp the Bible.

A Name To Mention Everyday

2010-07-17T12:38:00.000-04:00

When you begin spending time with God everyday you have to get the correct perspective and keep the correct perspective. In reading the book, With Christ In The School of Prayer, by Andrew Murray, I am discovering more about our communication with God.

Go to God's Word. How did Jesus say we should communicate to God?
"Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:9-10

The Correct Perspective:

Your Name
Your Kingdom
Your Will

It starts with a Name. Our Father. In context of this scripture it was the first time God was referred to as Father. God had never been addressed as Father. God is Holy. The disciples may have been shocked to hear Jesus refer to God as Father. But Jesus knew that once He had been sacrificed for our sins they could then have a personal relationship with God. They could then call Him Father. He was looking to the disciples and teaching them that this is what they would be able to do everyday with the Father. They could talk to Him as a child would to talk to his daddy.

Our Father in Heaven. We can call Him Father. He is Holy yet He is our daddy. He loves us and wants to spend time with us. To show us great things, to mold us, shape us, in who he wants us to be. God is interested in every part of our lives. He is our Father. He is your Father if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

For many people the term father does not bring good memories. Unfortunately, many fathers today have not shown love, they have not been there to listen to their children, they have not been there to talk to their children, they have even abused their children. But most of us understand what a father brings. In the New Testament context they understood what a father brought: great love, patience, understanding, compassion, sacrifice, ready to listen, ready to give, wanting the best for his children. That is our Father.

So everyday when you open up the Word of God and when you pray begin by understanding that your Heavenly Father is ready to speak to you and ready to listen to you.

Spend time with God today! Everyday!

Why Everyday?

2010-06-25T17:30:00.000-04:00

I am not saying it is the easiest thing to do. But I do believe it is the most important thing to do... everyday.

When I was a teenager I was introduced to this daily discipline of "Spending Time Alone with God." I read a book for teenagers about it. It was introduced at my first ever "Discipleship Now Weekend" at Hickory Grove Baptist Church. It taught me that Christianity is not just about going to church or being a good person but about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Since that time in my life I am not going to say I've had a QT (Quiet Time-Time Alone with God) everyday, but over the last year I have seen more and more the importance of striving to do it everyday. Do I want to know God more? Do I want to know what His plans are for me and my family? Do I trust Him with everything? Do I want to rely on Him more and more?

Well, the thought then is if I want to have a relationship with Jesus and know Him then I guess I need to spend time with Him in the Bible and in prayer. Like my wife and I... I have known her for over 20 years (Had to count there for a sec) and been married to her for almost 18 years. (Thank goodness I did know that) Well, for us to really know each other we had to spend time together when we were dating and then obviously spend time with each other when we got married. We see each other everyday. I wake up I see her and go to bed I see her. We eat together, laugh together, spend time with our children together, sleep together, talk together. The more we do this the more we get to know each other.

Wow! Is that not what it is kind of like with God. I mean we say we know Him but I believe more and more Christians don't really know God because we don't spend time with God daily.

So my challenge and encouragment to all Christians (believers) is to spend time with God everyday in His Word and in prayer. Take the challenge and listen to God. He wants to guide, direct, and reveal things to us. By the Holy Spirit of God that lives inside of each believer, He wants to tell us things through His Word.

So let's take the challenge and commit to do our best to Spend Time Alone with God everyday!

"Give ear to my words, O Lord, Consider my meditation. Give heed to voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray. My voice you shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up."

Pslam 5:1-3