Victim or Victor?

As a child, I could have easily become a victim of abuse. One day while riding my bike home alone from swimming lessons, I was approached on the side of the road by a man in a car who asked me about swimming in the nearby lake down the street from my house. I noticed he was sitting in his car naked. I quickly answered his question then rode my bike home in the opposite direction. I never did tell my parents until I was an adult.



Statistics have shown us all that sexual abuse is a major problem in our sin filled culture. One out of every 4 women have at some time been sexually abused, often as children. Sexual abuse has increased 350% since 1980. When we speak of sexual abuse, sometimes the church tends to stick its head in the sand in hope that the problem will go away and we won’t have to deal with it. But my experiences in ministry has taught me that as believers, we need to not only be aware of this sin problem that is so prevalent—we also need to be prepared to help those who have been victims of it. Men have also been sexually abused. The rapid rise of homosexuality in the last century in this country is often the result of sexual abuse.


All too often, there have been myths that have developed about this subject. If we as a church are going to help this hurting group of people in our churches we need to look at some of the myths, as well as how we as a church can help them through the resulting pain. I tend to see them all, abused and abusers as victims. They have all fallen prey to Satan’s attack. We know the Bible teaches us that our enemy, Satan, is like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. His goal is to kill, steal and destroy. The result of abuse causes people to be angry at God, because they think He allowed an abuser to steal their sacred sexuality and destroy their self-worth, their relationships, their sexual identities, and their very relationship to God. In many ways, you can see how Satan loves this area. It has devastated not only the Catholic church, but spiritual people across all denominational lines. I believe there are frustrated victims of sexual abuse who suffer in silence from post traumatic stress disorder, sexual identity confusion, and who spend time on the internet, involved in pornography, chat-rooms, and other questionable activities. If the church does not raise the standard from the pulpit, and learn to deal with all this in appropriate ways to help with prevention, we will all stand before God one day to give an accounting. So lets begin by debunking some of the myths many believe.


Myth #1. Normal appearing, well-educated, middle class people don’t abuse children. The Bible tells me that all have sinned and come short of God’s glory. Because we are all sinners, the potential to sin and be tempted by the enemy is in every human being, no matter how nice or educated they are. It is all the more important that we as transformed believers become protectors of the innocent, educators of the ignorant, and healers to the wounded.


Myth # 2 Children cannot be believed. Most stories are ‘planted’ by another adult with a motive of revenge or the child is just seeking attention. Most child victims of sexual abuse have little or no knowledge of what sexual abuse is or how it will affect them. It is extremely rare for children to invent such stories. Sometimes when children ‘recant’ their stories, it is out of pure fear, fearing they will loose those they love, or because the pain of their confession begins to cause so much hurt in their family. They fear abandonment, further abuse, rage of siblings, and they fear being blamed as the cause rather than accepted as the victim. Remember Jesus came to heal the broken hearted and set the captives free.


Myth #3 Good parents can always protect their children from abuse through education. In reality, even though we teach our children carefully, they can still be victims. Too often we trust those who are closest to us...our friends, our extended family members. Abusers take advantage of that trust. They are excellent manipulators. It’s important to teach our children the difference between good touches and bad ones. It’s important they learn to say “No!” and run or scream if they feel threatened in any way. Abusers will seek occasions when they are alone with their victim and have control over them. Keeping your kids in groups helps prevent this kind of abuse. But even though we teach them, they are still children, pushing the boundaries, discovering, and learning. They will learn some things they never wanted to learn—the hard way. Even when they make mistakes, Christ is always there with open arms to love and forgive them, and will heal the broken heart.


Myth # 4 The majority of children are abused by strangers. We hear of pedophiles and sexual deviants on the prowl in the community, but we should be even more cautious about friends and family. It is people the children and parents know and trust (80%) who often do the majority of all abuse. If a child tells you of abuse, listen carefully to them. If you have any doubts, trust your child first before you believe the adult. Teach your child that any area covered by a bathing suit is out of bounds for others to touch.


Myth #5 It is not abuse unless rape occurs. Wrong! We know the Bible teaches that it is even sinful to look upon a woman and lust. So touching in any inappropriate way is far beyond just looking. It damages the child. Sometimes they suffer from unresolved guilt feelings, post traumatic stress, eating disorders, flash-backs and feelings that cripple relationships with others. Jesus said in Matthew 8:16 But if you give them a hard time, bullying them or taking advantage of their simple trust, you’ll soon wish you hadn’t. You’d be better off dropped in the middle of the lake, with a millstone around your neck. Doom to the world for giving these God-believing children a hard time. Hard times are inevitable, but you don’t have to make it worse. Dooms day for you! (The Message Bible)


Myth #6 They wanted or asked for it. The abuser often subdues his guilt with this thought. Sexual abuse is about power. We must always remember that children are children, not understanding the power of adults or of sexuality. It is always the responsibility of an adult to say “no” to his own temptations...never the child’s. Children who appear seductive may already have been abused. If you are now an adult, and you failed to say “NO” as a child, you may feel like it is your fault. It is not your fault. You were a victim of the abuser and of Satan.


Myth #7 Children can stop the abuse by just saying “no.” We must remember—these are children and there is a huge difference in this power ratio. Abusers will often fail to listen to or obey the ‘NO” of a child. They often pick on a child that is weak and vulnerable. They use fear and intimidation tactics to control their victim. Maintain a healthy relationship with your kids so they can tell you anything without feeling rejection!


Myth # 8 The abused will always become abusers as well. No! There is One who wants to break the chains of sin and violence. His name is Jesus. He heals the broken in both abused and abusers. He is in the business of life transformation. He conquered sin, Satan, death, disease and fear when he rose from the dead. He desires to make all things new again. Oh, there may be scars. Even Jesus has scars. But those scars will be testimonies of the healing power of God. They will help Satan’s victims discover hope as they see you victorious in Christ Jesus. He makes victims into victors!


Solutions:


The real solution to the problem of sin is the blood of Jesus Christ. His blood cleanses us from all sin. Because of the cleansing power, we can become new creations...made just as if we had never sinned. When we fall into the trap of abuse, we often tend to feel all alone. We feel confused and traumatized.


The apostle Paul knew all about abuse. What was his solution to the pain? As he traveled the world telling about Jesus, he tells us We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 The Message Bible) Persecution was the daily norm for early church saints. Paul never denied the pain. He just refused to be defined by the pain. He was more than ‘persecuted’—-he was God’s masterpiece! “10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Eph 2:10 (NLV) When you know Christ and his forgiving power, you become His temple (2 Cor 6:16) and you become part of His family—sons and daughters (2 Cor 6:18). So just think of it, no matter what you have done, no matter what others have done to you, you are still His ‘masterpiece’ His ‘temple’, his ‘sons and daughters’. Let His identity define who you are! If you have repented of your sin, you are not damaged goods, but you are a blessed Child of the Almighty God, a masterpiece of His grace— a victor—that’s who you are!          J. Johnson

Is SATAN Real???

When you think of the devil, what do you think about? The shadowy dark figure with a pitchfork and tail often in red? Perhaps you think of him as a very large beautiful angel. So often we develop ideas about spiritual concepts from movies Hollywood has produced. As a result some think of Clarence the angel in It’s a wonderful Life, or of John Travolta as an angel with a trench coat. If Satan was an angel like that, perhaps that is what he looks like. However, nothing could be further from the truth. The bible describes him this way—"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” 1 Peter 5:8. He is not a lion...but he is like one in nature...a stalker. His ultimate goal is to kill, steal and destroy what God has perfected.

Did you know that only 1% of today’s younger generation believe in a literal devil? Barna Group tells us: Four out of ten Christians (40%) strongly agreed that Satan “is not a living being but is a symbol of evil.” As a result, the church has a major problem on its hands. If folks think Satan is not literal, then they also believe that hell is also not literal. That belief causes them to think that there are no eternal consequences for sin and rebellion against God and His rules. Yet the Bible teaches us so much differently. If we reject what the Bible teaches us in just one area, how does that affect the rest of the Word of God? Some take these non-Biblical stances simply because of ignorance. In this age of Biblical ignorance, when we don’t take the time to read and study what God has to say about angels, demons and devils, all too many form false doctrines and then doubt the reality of Satan and who he really is.

The bible teaches us that Satan is a real individual. His original name was Lucifer, before his fall. In his pre-fall state, he was a beautiful cherub, one of many cherubim. These were angelic creatures whose role kept them around the throne of God. Lucifer’s particular role involved music and the harp. We read about it in two places in scripture, Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. There we learn the mistakes he made. He allowed pride in his heart and the moment God saw that pride, He cast him down from heaven to the earth( Ez 28:17). From it we also learn that angels have a free will to choose, much like we do (Jude 6). Satan chose to want something he could not have...to be like God (Is 14:14). In Ezekiel we also learn that they are created beings (28:15), that God had appointed Lucifer as an ‘anointed guardian cherub’ (28:14)and that he was in the garden of Eden (28:13). But there are also many qualities we give to Satan that he does not possess.

Too often we think Satan is as powerful as God. That’s what Satan wants us to think. But in reality, Satan has far less power than God. God is all knowing (omniscient). Satan has limited knowledge. He knows the past, but he does not know the future. He can only guess about the future. So he has his psychics and false prophets do just that. Sometimes they get it right and sometimes they are way off. God is also all powerful (omnipotent). Satan, however has limited powers. He cannot make you do anything you choose not to do. He can influence your will but he cannot control it unless you give him that freedom. (People who are demon possessed have done just that!) His power is limited to the same power that all angels were given. God is present everywhere (omnipresent). Satan is limited and can only be in one place at one time. Because he has others serving him, other fallen angels of lesser rank, we now call demons—they are found everywhere and make it appear as if Satan were everywhere. God is truth. He cannot lie. Satan on the other hand is a liar and cannot be trusted to tell the truth. Jesus called him the Father of lies. (John 8:44) He is also called a murder, not because he kills people, but because he influences people to kill just as Cain killed Abel. His plan to murder the Messiah backfired when Jesus rose from the dead. God is eternal. He has no beginning and no ending. He always was and is and will be. Satan, on the other hand, did not exist until God created him (Col 1:16). Now he is an angelic spirit being which will live on, facing God’s judgment. His end is written. He will be bound in the ‘bottomless pit’ for 1000 years, then loosed for a short period of time (Rev 20:2,3) then he will eventually be thrown in to the ‘lake of fire’ a place of eternal torment where he will spend the rest of eternity. (Rev 20:10)

So what is Satan/Lucifer really like? He was a cherub. He was not the cutsie little valentines cherub that shoots arrows through your heart causing you to fall in love. No—far from it. A cherub’s job in heaven was to guard the throne of God. (Psalm 99:1) It is thought that because Lucifer had a part with harps, timbrels (tambourines or drums) and pipes. (Ez 28:13) He dwelt in a place of absolute beauty and was dressed in gems to reflect the glory of God. So we know his part around the throne of God involved music. Cherubim around the throne are described as saying words of praise and worship “"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." (Rev 4:8) It is quite likely then that Lucifer had a leadership role is this worship before the fall. Apparently he desired that same worship for himself because the Bible says that he wanted to be like God.

There are also fables about how Satan is like mankind. Yet the Bible teaches us some very different things. He is a spirit being, not a physical body. Psalm 104:4 Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire. Angels do have the ability to appear in a human-like form and this does happen in the Bible such as the angels that visited with Abraham and Daniel (Dan 9:21-22), or the angel which led Peter out of jail. But unlike people, angels do not procreate. Matthew 22:30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. Therefore the notion that Satan or angels can have sex with humans is a notion stemming from movies such as Rosemary’s Baby, as well as error regarding giants called nephalim in Genesis. As spirit beings, they do not have the physical characteristics to be able to procreate. Another way Satan and fallen angels are not like man is in redemption from sin. God provided salvation for man through the blood of Christ’s sacrifice. However, fallen angels will never experience salvation. They are doomed to eternity without redemption (Matt 25:41). God designed hell just for them. They are asexual—that is—neither male nor female. God told mankind to be fruitful and multiply but he never told angels to multiply. He created all he needed. There are as many now as when He created them.

Yes, Satan is real. He is as real as God. For that reason, the apostle Paul reminded believers...“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”- Ephesians 6:12-13 We are in a battleground. Satan is at work full time to destroy what God wants to do in the lives of believers. He wants to destroy your relationship with Christ. He uses every temptation he can against you. He listens to what you say and aggravates your weaknesses. He also wants to destroy your marriage and your family. He causes believers to get their eyes on themselves and what they want instead of keeping their eyes on the Lord and what He wants. Soon selfishness overtakes the marriage and splits the family. Satan also wants to destroy the church. After all, it is the ‘bride of Christ’. He works on the church through division causing a church to split. God’s goal for the bride is unity in the Holy Spirit. A church that is filled with the Spirit, walking in the gifts, and listening to the voice of God is a strong church. But the moment people get their eyes on man, the church fails. Satan often does this through pastoral failures. One moment of seduction and sin can destroy the church.

How do we overcome Satan’s efforts? Revelations gives us a clue. It tells us… “"Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11. "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. (Revelations 12:10-11) Two methods are given here. First, using the blood of Jesus, the blood which cleanses us from sin, applied to our lives and hearts. Secondly, our testimony conquers Satan. We can tell what Christ has done for us. What you say is important. You are a first-hand witness of the power of Christ over sin, sickness and death. So take your stand against the enemy of our souls, Satan, and put on the whole armor of God. That armor is the Word of God, the gospel of salvation, the Holy Spirit’s power at work in our daily lives and so much more. A well equipped believer who knows who he is in Christ Jesus has nothing to fear from our enemy, Satan. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He [Christ] who is in you is greater than he [Satan] who is in the world. 1 John 4:4
J. Johnson

Spiritually Fit for Service....

January is the month many folks try to get fit. They go on healthy diets, start an exercise routine and determine to loose those extra pounds they put on over the holidays. Some think fitness involves the spiritual man, looking to the new age gurus for answers. They fail to seek the guidance found in the Bible, instead seeking the advice of holistic advisors who teach their followers to think about their bodies as a home for spiritual unity… “The paradigm of duality is no longer working for our planet.  More and more of us are coming to the realization that we are indeed all One and that there is no separation.  The "parts" we see are literally a figment of our imagination.  Now is the time to embrace and begin practicing this concept of Oneness.  What is it that you would like to change? ….. ” These new age peddlers focus on things such as, “fitness training and weight loss, pilates, core work outs, therapeutic massage, rising star healing systems, prema birthing, quantum touch, spiritual counseling, energy clearing for the home, spiritual fitness workshops and so much more…” but they forget about God! Spiritual fitness for a new decade is more than just exercising the physical body and looking within for answers to life’s stresses. For the Christian believer it is allowing the spiritual core to be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Unity by the Holy Spirit
John 17 gives us the wonderful prayer of Jesus in the garden, before he went to Calvary. There Jesus prayed that His followers would be one, as He and the Father were one. That unifying power never linked us to this carnal sinful earth with all it’s problems. We were designed to be like Christ, who was in perfect union with the Father. That union came by the power of the Spirit. But few really are intimate with the power of the Spirit of God. They fail to live and walk daily in the Spirit. Instead, they fall into the intellectual trap of trying to do the best they can with what they have in themselves...and when they fail to conquer their problems, they blame God. Yet in reality, they never really came to trust God enough to give Him their problems in the first place. Walking in the power of the Spirit begins with yielding ourselves to Him, letting Him take the lead. Our independent spirits fight at that idea. We want to try to do it all by ourselves. Some gravitate to the world’s ideas of ’making it’ and think perhaps they are right and we need to change and focus on who we are. Christ asks us instead to focus on who He is!

You are What You Eat!
We all know that if we eat nothing but junk food, our bodies will suffer incredibly. Back in 2004 Morgan Stanley produced the award winning film “Supersize Me” proving the dangers of eating junk food for a month. (http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/super_size_me/ ) Take some time to see it if you have not already. We are clearly affected by all the media hype around us and it is affecting not only how we eat, but how we think. We tend to go with the flow. We become lazy, taking the easy way instead of working. We are truly sheep, but we are often following the wrong shepherd, mostly because we are not listening to the voice of the Good Shepherd. “And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” John 10:4,5 So how do we listen to His voice? First of all, we must get to really know Him. Most people who attend church regularly know the voice of their pastor. If they hear him speaking in a store to someone, they recognize his voice, even if they cannot see him. Yet many do not know God well enough to know His voice. He is continually speaking to His children, asking for their love and obedience, yet we wander off like stray sheep. Getting to know His voice means spending time with Him, reading the Bible, praying and listening. God’s voice will never contradict His Word, and so you can recognize it by it’s unity with the Word of God. For example, God will never ask you to tell a lie. His Word teaches us that lying is a sin. How much time you spend dining in the Word of God will determine your intimacy with God and your spiritual health.
How is your spiritual diet? What are you daily feeding your soul with? Everyday, you take time to eat. Some have three or more meals a day. They just won’t miss that opportunity to eat. It is satisfying and comforting. Yet spiritually, most Americans are starving to death. We have all seen photos of third–world children suffering from malnutrition with bloated stomachs or skeletons with skin stretched over them. Yet we don’t think of ourselves that way. Although some 70%+ say they believe in God, this nation is one that is Biblically illiterate. At one time, the Bible was used in public education as a text book. Today, it is a forbidden entity. Those who decided to strip America of its faith in God and of all religion, have succeeded in creating a generation without Biblical knowledge, values and wisdom. As a result, many are starving spiritually. Added to the problem is the lack of church support in the education of children. Sunday Schools have become ‘old-fashioned’, replaced with ‘superchurch’ featuring fun and games, puppets and magic tricks, crafts and music. Yet most kids never learn basic Bible truths or experience the presence of God in a church service. Few know what the 10 commandments are. We must be cautious that we are not feeding our kids ‘spiritual junk food’! Parents, what are you feeding your kids at home? Don’t leave it up to the church. Once a week meals are not enough for spiritual health. Take every opportunity to teach your children as they go through life, with lessons to match each days experiences. Is there a problem with anger...teach them what the Bible says about anger. If you as a parent do not know, look it up (Prov. 15:1)! If it’s a problem with sexuality, read the Book (Romans 1)! Obedience? Look at the Old Testament lessons for Israel. Love? Read Romans 13:9. Do you want spiritual health? "You don't get wormy apples off a healthy tree, nor good apples off a diseased tree. The health of the apple tells the health of the tree. You must begin with your own life-giving lives. It's who you are, not what you say and do, that counts. Your true being brims over into true words and deeds. (Luke 6:43TMB) Health comes from within and you are what you eat. How healthy is your tree? This last year, I watched a good friend dramatically loose weight after gastric bypass surgery. She suffered intense pain in her knees from being over weight. Health problems were on the increase. She risked heart problems, diabetes and arthritis. A wrong diet and a lack of dietary discipline over a period of many years had done a lot of damage. Now, after being forced to eat healthy choices she has lost half her body weight. But it was at a price. It demanded a new way of life. Spiritually we are no different. If we are spiritually obese or malnourished, we must experience a new way of life. It takes yielding all that we are into the hands of the Master surgeon who will strip us of what we no longer need. By the Spirit’s power Our spiritual dietician) we will learn new truths to lead us into healthy spiritual living. New ways of spiritually thinking and living must become a part of our lives. God wants the body of Christ to be lean and mean… ready to face the enemy of our souls with spiritual power and confidence.
When I look at the world around us today, I fear for the church. It is no longer lean and healthy. It is overindulged, complacent and malnourished. What should be an army of soldiers, is, for the most part, sick. It demands a lifestyle that does not prepare it for battle, and the battle is coming. Spiritual fitness demands spiritual health. I am often reminded of Eli the high priest in the Bible who two sons Hophni and Phinehas, who were to take over as high priests one day. But Eli had failed to teach his sons well. They abused their positions, living to please themselves. Eli had gotten fat and sloppy, and the attitudes had passed on to the next generation. The price was death. Eli fell over dead, his sons died in battle, and his grandson Ichabod was born without a father...Ichabod meaning “the glory is departed.” Each of the three generations paid a price.
It’s too easy to point fingers at others and see all their faults. It takes honesty to look within and see what God sees. Ask yourself these questions: Am I spiritually fit for battle? Am I spiritually strong? How do I face spiritual opposition? If I were to face a spiritual battle tomorrow, would I be ready? What can I do now to alter my spiritual life style? How does the next generation look at me? What kind of example am I to them? What do I value most in life? Am I ready for eternity?
My friend who had surgery now is returning to health, has new energy, less pain, will not have diabetes, and heart problems are much less likely with her new exercise routine. A new lifestyle has dramatically changed her health and stamina. If only the church would discover its need for spiritual health and change. What kinds of change would it make?
You've been raised on the Message of the faith and have followed sound teaching. Now pass on this counsel to the followers of Jesus there, and you'll be a good servant of Jesus. Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. You can count on this. Take it to heart. (1 Tim 4:6-9 TMB)
J. Johnson

Christmas Greetings 2009

Dear Friends and family….
We want to wish you a wonderful Christmas filled with joy and blessings from the Lord. It has been a year of transition for us and we are not done yet. First of all, we gained two more beautiful grandchildren, Luke Johnson (9 mos)Son of Heath and Theresa Johnson, and Rainey Mae Johnson (6 Mos.)Daughter of Jarred and Jenny Johnson. They fill our lives with joy! Also in May, we transitioned from life in Milwaukee to Waupaca WI, closing The Ministry Center and graduating our final class(see picture of some of the graduates) of ‘ministers’ who are now busy fulfilling their ministries, leading Bible studies, doing prison ministry, running an after school program and ministering to veterans. We rejoice in what God has done through them all. We also transitioned back into the Assemblies of God. Now we are awaiting God’s repositioning of our own ministry. We have already waited for 6 months and we are getting anxious to serve Him more. We love serving the Lord in ministry and we are praying for whatever God has for us.

It has been a wonderful time of refreshing and rest. We took full advantage of it to visit with our families and friends in Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee, and Missouri and just celebrated Thanksgiving at our home, with three of our four sons, one of them surprising us at the last minute….What fun! Our four grandsons got to meet their first girl cousin….our granddaughter . It was almost like Christmas. We will be spending Christmas in Madison with them and loving every minute. David has kept busy with home maintenance that had long been neglected. Joyce has kept busy down sizing our possessions, writing a book, doing the newsletter as well as helping David cut and split our winter wood supply….at least 3 cords of firewood.
We want to wish each of you a wonderful year of blessings in 2010. We do not know what each new years holds, but it is all in God’s hands. Pray that God will help us discover a place of full time service. We pray that you are loving God with all of your heart for there is no other reason to celebrate than to live for Him daily and let Him lead and guide our lives. God bless you and may you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year filled with His love and presence!

Rev. David and Joyce Johnson
PO Box 655
(E2619 Lindee Lane)
Waupaca WI 54981
(715-258-5543)
wordofthelordministries@gmail.com

I Don't Need A Thing!

I have a wonderful little grandson, who, at the age of 3 going on 4 discovered that he could express his wants and desires. When it came time for his birthday, grandpa asked him, “So what do you want for your birthday?” The list began…”Do you know what I want for my birthday...I want a ….and do you know what I want for my birthday? I want a …….And do you know what I want for my birthday? I want a…..” and the list went on and on. Sometimes our wants simply get out of hand when we start acting like a three year old. We focus on ourselves and our desires and our lusts, instead of on the Lord.
When we look at the secular world around us, we are quick to point out the greed in the financial world as bonuses are handed out like candy to children. To them, greed is good—-motivation to make more and climb higher on the ladder of success. It is the ‘American Way’. More is better. But where do we draw the line? Where does blessing and plenty become too much and greed? We are reminded in the Charles Dickens's classic “Ebenezer Scrooge” that when our desire for more becomes strictly selfish, we loose touch with the real world around us and fail to see the needs.
Christmas is a perfect time to examine our problem of greed and want. Even if we don’t verbally list our desires, we still have them. We go shopping and we see this new electronic gadget or that new style, or a handy tool. Soon we start adding to our mental list of wants. We drop hints, and point out how nice that is to someone who might catch the hint and we hope they will give it to us otherwise we plan to get it for ourselves one day...perhaps in the clearance sales.
I recall the children of Israel, wandering in the Sinai desert longing for all the things they used to enjoy in Egypt...onions and leeks, fish and garlic. So soon they began to complain to their leader, Moses. They wanted more. (Numbers 11:4-6) 4 The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, "If only we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. 6 But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!" When we are not satisfied with the provisions that God gives us, we tend to get grumpy and complain. God hears us. And he will sometimes give us what we want rather than what we need. Selfish ‘wants’ can get us all into trouble. The story is told of a little boy cared for by a nanny in a wealthy home. The boy was spoiled, demanded everything he wanted and when he failed to get it, he cried. Soon the mother was disturbed from her rest by the child’s constant crying. She yelled out to the nanny…. “Give him what he wants!” The nanny did….and soon the child shrieked in pain. He had wanted to touch a wasp and the nanny had kept him from the danger for his own good until the Mother interfered and ignorantly gave bad advice. Sometimes our wants sting us!
Sometimes we desire things we do not need, and should not have. Our desires must be shaped by God’s desires for us. I am always taken back to the well known 23rd Psalm. GOD, my shepherd!
I don't need a thing.
   You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from.
   True to your word,
      you let me catch my breath
      and send me in the right direction.
When the Lord is our shepherd, we don’t need anything but what He provides for us. All sheep need is green grass, water, and safety. It is the job of the shepherd to see to it that the basic sheep’s needs are met in full. The Lord is my shepherd. He knows my needs. He knows my wants. He knows the dangers around me. Just as a mother anticipates the needs of a child, God does the same for His children. He allows us to go our own way at times so that we will learn that we need Him more than we think we do.
As we move into the Christmas season, our ears are tuned to the blaring ads on the TV, the lure of the jingle that plays over and over in our heads, reminding us to spend, spend, spend. We tell ourselves we are not good parents if we don’t give our kids more each year. Yet, if we look in the closets of America, we will see them stuffed to overflowing. I challenge you to search around you for a need. We have a choice. We can feed the greed, or feed the need. Give as the Lord directs you to give. Ask Him… “What should I do about this need Lord?” Then walk in obedience and do what He tells you to do. Balance comes into our lives when we do things God’s way. Put the shepherd in charge. Let Him show you needs around you...a family out of work….a family with sickness and medical bills—overwhelmed by needs….a neighbor who doesn‘t know your name or that you even care…a veteran who suffers as he remembers the past…a senior who just needs a listening ear...a teen who thinks nobody cares…. Look around you! Needs are everywhere! . Look for a family out of work. Bless them this year. Is there someone who has no family to spend the holidays with? Invite them into your celebrations. Remember the lonely folk in senior centers, and spend some extra time with them. Ask your kids about their friends and the families they come from. Visit a food pantry and see how you can help. Do you know someone in jail, or hospital….plan a visit. Tired of eating alone? Invite someone over for dinner. Teach your children to be givers instead of getters. Give them some coins or bills to drop into the red kettle this year. Teach them to make a sacrifice to give to someone else. Teach them to watch for needs around them. Children will do what is modeled before them by their parents. Let your children catch you in the act of giving without restraint. Christmas is not the only time of year you should be giving. Make a habit each month to go out of your way to give above and beyond the call to someone in need. Perhaps a serviceman or woman needs a card in the mail, or perhaps an elderly neighbor needs a helping hand with snow shoveling or raking leaves, or running an errand. Giving has no season. God designed tithing to meet the needs of the priesthood and the tabernacle. But offerings go beyond that. Even more than offerings, there are tasks that need to be done that God wants each of us to do. When we do them, we practice being servants like Christ was to His disciples...washing their feet, meeting their need.
Giving restores balance in our lives. There is a new series called “Hoarders” that shows a kind of compulsive sickness that a few folks suffer from in our culture. They collect all kinds of stuff and just can’t bear to part with it because somebody might need it. However, in every case, the stuff never finds its way to needs, but instead accumulates until the interior of what once was a home becomes a garbage can filled with wall to wall trash. Their life is out of balance. When we take in and fail to take out, we trash our dwelling place. But when we learn to get rid of the kind of stuff that is no longer usable, when we learn to distinguish between valuables and trash, we can evaluate and organize our stuff and get rid of the garbage in our lives. Sometimes we let our hearts get trashed with all the stuff our greedy hearts have demanded. The shepherd has given us all we need, but we, in our childish demanding ways have chosen to want more and more. We spend all our days wading through the trash when we could be relaxing in the lush green meadows of His divine provision.
There is a unique blessing for those who learn to give without reserve, expecting nothing in return...God opens the windows of heaven and pours out a blessing so that you cannot contain it.( Malachi 3:10) Of course He does that, not so that we can keep it all, but so we can have more fun giving it away. Have you discovered the joy of giving?
Remember the children of Israel who wanted more than manna? God satisfied their lusts with all the quail they could eat...bushels of them….and while they satisfied their lusts, God stuck them with a plague and they died with the meat in their teeth. There is a price for greed….for desiring stuff more than God. We must guard our attitudes, our desires, our wants and be cautious lest we become hoarders in the desert. Their price was death. The price is the same today. We die spiritually, the moment we place things and wants ahead of what God wants for us. The thing I have determined that I want is more of God….more of his presence, more of his will, more of his plans for me. When I become satisfied with nothing but Him in my life, I will discover that I am where He wants me to be, in green pastures, by still waters, with a table of blessing prepared before me, protected from my enemies, and I shall not be in want, for I will have everything I need.
Perhaps this year, you are the one in need, and you think you have nothing left to give. Your cupboards are empty. When you get to that place, attitude is everything! Learn to give what you have….a smile! Let the joy of the Lord shine through you to a hurting world around you. Give someone a word of encouragement...a kind word of thanks….a pat on the back, a little note of appreciation. This costs you nothing and means everything to a world who sadly lack kindness and love. Be Jesus to someone! You can pray for their needs. You can share His love! Everyone has something to give! And when God opens the windows of heaven for you, don’t forget to say thanks….to God….and to the vessel God used to bless you. Appreciation is the seed for future blessing. God loves a thankful heart because it acknowledges the source. Those who neglect little things like saying “Thanks” reflect their lack of appreciation, and the divine source from which it came. All we have comes from God, who shares it with those who know how to give and say thanks.
When you get heavenly blessings this year...thank God….and His servants who delivered it. And remember, you can give because you don’t need a thing….you shall not be in want! J. Johnson

God Calls It.....SIN!

I recently read an article by comedian Bill Cosby in which he, without apology, addressed the shortcomings of the Americans who share his same cultural background. He minced no words. He chose to tell it just like it was….refusing to soft-soap his peers. You can find it on the internet here: http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/cosby.asp
In the media, another person who often says it like he sees it is the senior commentator, Andy Rooney. While I may not always agree with his viewpoints, I appreciate his honest candor. In our internet/media generation, we hear, see and read all kinds of information. Some of it is valid, and some of it is not. It is so important that we be discerning. It is even more important that Christians be spiritually discerning and learn to face the world in honest terms. We need a firm guide by which we can measure truth from error and deception from reality. We have that guide with us but how often do we choose to use Him? He will not soft-soap the truth. He will tell it to us just as it is.
The Promise
Jesus taught His disciples that after He was gone, He would send to them One who would guide them into all truth. (John 14:16-17) He would remind them of all that Jesus had taught them. He would not bring glory to Himself, but to Christ. Who is this? It is the person of the Holy Spirit. Read the whole chapter of John 14. It is the work of the Spirit to do so many valuable things for us as believers. Yet how often do we stumble along trying to figure it all out our own way. We read what this one and that one says. We listen to our friends and voices that seem confident on the TV or radio. Yet many of those voices do not speak the truth but instead promote their own ideas for their own agendas. Some seek financial gain. (That’s an automatic red flag.) Others seek fame and recognition. Others just like to gain followers. We are to only follow others as they follow Christ. What is worst of all, is a failure, even in the church, to call sin— “SIN.”
But how do we determine whether or not they are really following Christ? The Bible tells us we are to be fruit inspectors. If they fail to bear the fruit of the Spirit of God, they are not what they appear to be. What do they value most? Money, or lost souls? While many ministries do require finances in order to do the work of the Lord, it is important that finances don’t overshadow the ultimate goal...winning the lost. Personal comforts should be secondary to the divine directive to win the lost. So often it seems to come down to a problem of sin. It is sin that separates us from God. It is sin that causes spiritual leaders and Christians to fall.
The Sin
In today’s world, sin is a word no one wants to talk about. We call it everything except what it is. We call it a lapse in judgment, a mistake, a moral failure, a problem, a weakness, but we do not call it sin. In the Bible, the Lord does talk about it. Look again at John 14:15 “If you love me keep my commandments” These are the words of Jesus. He instructs his disciples to obey the law. In the Old Testament, those who disobeyed the law were considered ‘sinners’, and in rebellion against God. God warned Cain in Genesis 4:7 about sin waiting at his door, wanting to control him. "If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.'' Sin is a problem we must face and deal with.
Today, the law is written on our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who convicts us of our sin. It is the Spirit who draws us to Christ and as we are confronted by His awesome holiness, we see such a stark contrast that we are compelled to do something about it…. repent. Yet how many who have renamed sin by other terms, think they are not sinners, just people that make mistakes. We are all sinners. The Bible tells us this...If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.1 John 1:8 (KJV) But there is One who Jesus sent to help us with the sin problem. “for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:” John 16:7-8 So you may feel the weight of that sin in your everyday life. You are continually attacked by the enemy of your soul, Satan, to give in to the power of sin. What is sin? It is anything that displeases and comes between you and a holy God. The Holy Spirit is continually prodding you to not do certain things. In your heart you know the difference between right and wrong and when you sin, you choose to deliberately disobey and do what you know is wrong. It may be as small as an unkind word, or thought. It may be watching something on TV or a DVD that you know God hates….but you do it anyhow. It may be a problem with sex—adultery or fornication. It may be using chemicals to help you forget the sin in the past….alcohol, drugs, etc. But the moment their affect wears off, the problem is still there.
Freedom
There is only one way to be free. We are slaves to sin. But Jesus came to set us free. You don’t have to continually live a guilt filled life. If God chooses to forgive you when you come to Him and repent, then you can also forgive yourself. Jesus came to change the sin problem forever. “But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:20-21 In other words...where there was lots of sin, God’s favor and blessings were even more abundant, all because of the holiness that comes to us through Jesus Christ when we make Him Lord—in charge of it all. It does not just happen because Jesus died. It is up to each individual to accept the blessing for himself or herself. It means we must first repent of our sin, then put Christ in charge of our lives in everything we do. If we love Him, we will do what He says. A key chapter to read in the Bible is Romans 6. Here we learn to be slaves to a new taskmaster. Once we were slaves to sin and death. Now we can be love slaves to God who frees us from the sin that bound us. I love the way the Message Bible puts it here. That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don't give it the time of day. Don't even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—remember, you've been raised from the dead!—into God's way of doing things. Sin can't tell you how to live. After all, you're not living under that old tyranny any longer. You're living in the freedom of God. (Rom 6:12-14) This gives us something to be truly thankful for. It means you can do whatever GOD wants...instead of what YOU want. You may be thinking, “well, I’m a nice person, and I don’t have a huge sin problem. I’m not addicted to drugs and I don’t steal or hurt people.” Yet the Bible tells us we are all born in sin and the wages sin earns us is death, not just physical death, but spiritual death. Unless we all tell God we are sorry, we will die! “the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Ezekiel 18:4 Sin looks enticing for a moment, but sin has consequences. We must not die in our sin. God provided a way for every person to escape eternal death. “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
The Choice
It is easy to follow the crowd, and do as they do. But inevitably, we all will come personally face to face with eternity. One hundred percent of us will die. What will you do? Is sin in control of your life? You and you alone can change things. You must choose life! Don’t wait until you cannot choose. Choose now to make it right with your Creator. You may say…” Well, I don’t know for sure if there is a God...or I don’t care about God…” But all the while, there is One who cares about YOU! He sent His only Son to die to free you from sin. You could struggle all your life trying to be good and never be good enough. Only God can make you truly ‘good’! But you must choose Him. Life is filled with choices. This is one choice that will truly transform your life and your eternity.
Many are living fear filled lives today, not knowing if they will get the H1N1 flu, or some other pandemic down the road. Some are facing death daily, as they serve their country in Iraq and Afghanistan. Others do not know if they will meet their Maker on the highways of life. We do not know what our tomorrow holds. That is why we must make plans now for the future. How many plan for their life here and now—a wedding, a baby, a home, a job—but fail to plan for their life eternal? We get the best education, save our money, try to make good decisions and plan for a happy retirement, but all we do does nothing to prepare us for our eternity. It’s not the nice things we do that will get us into heaven. Its only by His love and grace, and our acceptance of it, that will defeat death and open life eternal to us all.
The thing God calls sin can keep you from heaven! But God has made a way...and you can take full advantage of His free gift! It is available to all! With it comes guilt free living, peace of mine, a certainty about tomorrow and a happiness that overflows into everyday living. You don’t have to be a sinner. Forgiven sinners are saints!
As we face our eternity, let’s get serious about life! Pray this prayer and mean it from your heart today: “God, I know that I have sinned and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me. I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.”
J. Johnson

I meet people everywhere I go who are in a battle. They face every imaginable kind of struggle. Some face a mountain of debt that they don’t know how to destroy. Others have a physical battle with sickness that not only robs them of their health but also their finances and their spiritual stamina. Some are facing the battle of living with an aging body. Others are trying to raise a family for God. It’s not easy, whatever mountain you are facing today.
When I read in Revelations of the different churches and how John received a message for each of the seven churches, I always notice the phrase, ‘He who overcomes...” Each is given a special reward for being an ‘overcomer.’ One gets to eat from the tree of life, while another gets hidden manna, and still another gets power over the nations. One gets a white robe, while another gets to sit with Christ on His throne. There is obviously rewards to those who strive to overcome the difficulties in life and the attacks of the enemy. The question is, how do we accomplish it? Where do we begin?
I like to think of life as a progression, the kind of role that a mountain climber must face in order to reach the top of the mountain. He may begin life as a baby, not even thinking he will ever climb that far distant mountain, yet, in time, it will happen. As we mature, we begin to notice those mountains in our life and as we approach them, we realize that if we are to overcome them we must make some necessary preparations. A climber will gather his climbing gear together, tools necessary for the arduous climb. The believer has tools too. There is the Word of God, your rope, lifeline and guide map. There are fellow climbers who have climbed before us, that “cloud of witnesses” who will cheer us onward and upward. Then there are times of preparation for our physical ascent. We must workout, exercise those weak muscles and prepare for a long tiring trip. In your journey through ministry and life, we need to establish some healthy habits to make the journey a success.

1. Prayer
Nothing happens if we don’t pray. Psalm 127:1 tells us “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.” When you face a mountain, you need to pray. There is no other means of communication with God that will guide you safely to the top but prayer. Without talking to God, there is nothing of lasting value that will ever happen. Thinking and working can never replace prayer. Prayer is our battle mode! It continually reminds us that God is in control, not us. He is the one who is guiding and directing each of our steps up the steep grade. It is in the place of prayer that we get our guidance, receive divine encouragement, and keep our focus. In Ephesians, we read about the armor for the believer, but it is the activity of prayer that wins the battle. The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing...and that means prayer should be a constant activity—a way of life. Never, never stop praying!

2. Vision
Where are you going? If you see the mountain as a problem, rather than as an opportunity, you will find yourself bogged down. God allows difficulties in our life to make us stronger and to teach us lessons we can teach to others along the way. Is your vision only of yourself and your problem, or do you see it as a way to help others grow too? Sharing your vision of how to conquer your mountain will inspire faith in others to climb beside you. Get your mountain climbing goggles on! Pull out your binoculars so you can see the goal ahead. Focus on where you are going, not on where you have been. If life seems out of focus for you, let the ‘Doctor’ (Jesus) refocus your sight so that you see as He sees. If your eyes are on the ‘stuff’ of this world around you...look up and see Jesus!

3. Atmosphere
Some live in a fog bank, and can’t see the mountain ahead. They are satisfied with lowland living. Their attitude is often one of criticism and complaining, yet rarely doing anything to lift their vision above the fog around them. Our attitude is reflected in everything we do. Let the wind of the Holy Spirit blow away the fog in your life and lift your spirit so you can see clearly. An atmosphere that glows with the joy of the Lord, builds faith in your heart and in the lives of others around you. Your personal loving warmth will attract others to you who can help you on your climb. Put a smile on your face and give the glory to God and watch how the fog clears.

4.Goals
How do you know where you are going if you don’t know the goal? Heaven is my ultimate goal...and Jesus! But there are other lesser goals along the way. Sometimes when we are weak, we need to choose short range goals we can handle. Other times we can see a lot further down the road, and can see the mountain peak ahead of us and determine to make it all the way to the top. Making a goal gives you something to shoot for. As you work to achieve a goal, you will begin to see progress that you can measure and it will encourage you to keep going. Some people like to write their goal down so they can look back at it later and see the progress and achievements they have made. When you reach your goal, whether it is just through the valley or just to the foot of the mountain, or all the way to the top, give God the glory for helping you all along the way. God dwells in our praises. When something special happens along the way, celebrate it! We keep a miracle file in which we put little markers that testify of what God has done. When our faith is down, we take a look in the file and our faith is lifted to take one more step. Don’t hide the miracles. Tell someone what God is doing!

5. Praise
When is the last time you praised the Lord out loud? Praise to the Lord should naturally fall from your lips. The world thinks nothing of swearing—-believers should think nothing of praising! There is great power in praising. When we daily live a life that is continually praising God, we find that there is a supernatural energy to forge on ahead through whatever comes our way. Praise is the power behind our faith. God loves to hear us praise Him. We were created for that very purpose. God’s power is always readily available to the believer, but when the believer praises God, it is a step of faith the brings the power of God into the midst of our problems. How often do we find ourselves grumbling when we should be praising? Just as your children are encouraged when you praise them as they accomplish a task, so God is encouraged when we deliberately take the time and forethought to praise Him—even before the answer comes. Don’t praise just because you get an answer….praise because you love Him!
D.L. Moody once said: “We don’t thank and praise God half enough! That is one reason why so many of our churches are so dull and gloomy. When churches get into a backslidden state, they hire singers to stand away up in some organ loft and praise God for them. How can we expect God to give us further blessings if we don’t thank Him for what He has given us?? There ought to be more of thanksgiving in our prayers, and there ought to be more of thanksgiving from the heart in our singing. One of the best ways to wake a church up and start a revival is to hold a praise meeting.” Jesus spent time climbing to His mountains….when he faced Satan in the wilderness...when he went up into the mountains alone to pray, on the Mount of Olives as He prayed in agony, and when he climbed that lonely road to Golgotha. If Jesus climbed mountains, we can expect a few as well. There is nothing like a mountain to give us a mountain-peak experience! All of life is not at the top of the mountain. Most of it is climbing one step at a time, keeping our eyes on the Master.
Like the apostle Paul, though we are not perfect, we need to run for the prize...keep our eyes on the goal, remembering that eternity is our home, not this world.
12I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect. But Christ has taken hold of me. So I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize. 13My friends, I don't feel that I have already arrived. But I forget what is behind, and I struggle for what is ahead. 14I run toward the goal, so that I can win the prize of being called to heaven. This is the prize that God offers because of what Christ Jesus has done. 15All of us who are mature should think in this same way. And if any of you think differently, God will make it clear to you. 16But we must keep going in the direction that we are now headed. …..we are citizens of heaven and are eagerly waiting for our Savior to come from there. Our Lord Jesus Christ 21has power over everything, and he will make these poor bodies of ours like his own glorious body. (Philippians 3:12-16,20-21CEV) So be encourage today as you climb your mountain. You may not have reached your goal yet, but He is with you all along the way. Be an overcomer and climb that mountain! J. Johnson

What's In Your Hands?

Have you looked around lately and wondered where you got all this ‘stuff’? I have been doing that this summer. It motivated me to get rid of a lot of my ‘stuff’, and simplify my life. Sometimes we just let the ‘stuff’ of life accumulate in our lives until it overwhelms us and starts to take over all our waking and leisure moments. One look at the basement or the garage, or the storage locker and we should realize something needs to be done. The government wants us to spend, spend, spend….but we have no where to put all the stuff they want us to spend our money on. Thrift stores are over flowing. Our closets are jammed full. So what’s in your hands today? Are they full of the stuff of life’s accumulation? Or are they busy at work for God? Are they hands that give or hands that take?

Family Hands
Families have their hands full! They are holding on to little hands, trying to guide them in the right direction. These can be the busiest years of their life. But sad to say, while they are busy with a flurry of activities, all too often they get so busy, they forget to put their hands to spiritual things. Money is often tight, so they stop tithing, and focus on the needs of the family. Time is of such a short measure that some families begin to neglect church attendance, just to sleep in or to spend time with the kids. While families do these things, they often fail to notice the gradual spiritual decline in their lives while raising the kids. Before they know it, the kids are teenagers, struggling with life’s values, and the impressions we have left on them now take on great importance. Kids will learn the most from what they see their parents do. If spiritual values were your highest priority, then it is more likely that your children will also have high spiritual values and priorities. If you tithe, they are more likely to tithe. If you value church, prayer, Bible reading and God, it is more likely that they will too. But those who let the cares of life deteriorate their values will discover that their children will also let slide those very same values. The lesson here is to start when they are little, and maintain those values. Take the hands of those little ones and guide them to God.
I remember looking at my parents hands when I was little. I often noticed the calluses, the muscles, the evidence of hard work. I also noticed the wedding rings that spoke of their commitment to each other. I watched those hands work hard for our family, and discipline us as children. I watched them give to others and I watched them give praise to God. I loved holding my daddy’s hand. There I knew I was safe and secure. As you hold on to your Heavenly Father, and learn to follow His lead, you will do well in leading your own family to God.

Needy Hands
Are you empty handed? In a down economy, there are a lot of needy hands, even more than usual. Those hands are looking for help. Some need a little extra cash to make it through the month. Some need groceries. Some need a job. Some hands are old and feeble, unable to do the things they used to do. Some hands are young and strong. Need has no age barrier. As we see needy hands around us, we have an obligation to help. Jesus noticed the needy in His world. “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. Luke 12:29-31 If you are needy, you need to seek the ‘kingdom of God’ instead of the normal things you usually worry about, for when you do, God is obligated to keep his promise… “all these ‘things’ shall be added to you. When our priorities are right, we will not ‘need’ in the usual sense. He will meet our needs. He wants us to seek Him, not stuff. This is a profound solution to meet the needs in our world today. Too often we spend so much time anxiously worrying how we will do this or that….when all the time, God is waiting of us to let Him do it. But until we turn it over to Him, He can do nothing. When we do it...we get the glory. When God does it...God is glorified. Jesus also noted that the ‘poor’ will always be with us. There will be some who will never learn those divine principles. They develop a way of life that learns to just take, and they become totally dependent on the givers of the world around them. They need to become ‘new creations’ in Christ Jesus. They need to learn they are children of God. God’s children are well cared for and do not need to beg. But God does discipline His children. He teaches them a work ethic. He expects them to earn so they can give to others.

God’s Hand
What’s in your hand? Is it God’s hand? How often do we walk in fear, forgetting we are part of a vital family...we are God’s children. Our heavenly Father knows our deepest needs, our greatest concern and our unknown future. As a part of His family, I can know for certain that He is holding my hand. The Bible tells us…..Do not fear for I am with you; be not dismayed for I AM your God; I will strengthen and help you as I up-hold you with My righteous right hand ! Isaiah 41:10
There should be nothing in this life we cannot face with the God of all eternity holding us in His righteous right hand. The right hand signifies the position of power. The power that created the universe is now holding the believer who places his trust in God. When God is pleased with us, as we follow Him and love Him, we can rest assured that God is looking out for us, for the Bible again tells us…. If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand. Psalm 37:23-24 How often do we think that at the moment we feel like we are falling, stumbling through life, God is watching and acting to keep us from falling. When my children used to hold my hand, I often remember them stumbling over something in the path, but my firm grip on their hand helped them to re-establish their footing, and continue walking without falling down. When we place our hands in His, we can walk with confidence. It is when we get out on our own, taking our hand from His, that we stumble and often fall. It is our pride that causes us to fall. We think “I can handle this…” and the next thing we know we are down….and the Lord reminds us once again….Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18 Then we foolishly pray… “Lord, humble me” when in reality, the only one who can humble us is ourselves… for He tells us...Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. James 4:10 The moment we make that choice to humble ourselves before God, God steps in and picks us up. When we realize how helpless we are on our own, that we need Him, everything changes. The shepherd often cared for wayward sheep this way. When they got away from the group, broke a leg, and fell, that’s when the shepherd would step in, pick up the injured lamb and hold it until the leg healed properly. Little lambs cared for in this loving way rarely ever again strayed from the shepherd’s side. That intimate bond of love kept it close.
Are you straying from the shepherd of your soul? Are you doing things your way? Expect a fall! Do you remember times in your life when someone reached out for your hand and you withdrew instead of reaching out to grasp that hand. That kind of action puts a wall of disagreement between individuals. All the while, God has his hand extended out to you. Are you withdrawing or reaching out to grasp it?
There are benefits to holding His hand. His hands can heal us. (Job 5:18) His hands can restore us, when we doubt. Remember Thomas? Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and BEHOLD MY HANDS; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. John 20:27 Thomas got to reach out to the hand that was pierced for you and me. Somehow, I think he never again was a doubter. When I think of all the things that Jesus hands did in His short ministry, breaking the bread to the thousands, touching the leper, beckoning Zacheus from his perch in the tree, taking the hand of the dead damsel and commanding her to rise (Matt. 9:25), lifting Peter from the sinking water (Matt:14:31) laying his hands on the little children to bless them (Matt 19:13)….the list goes on and on. He used His hands for our good. What are we doing with the hands he gave us to use? We are do to with our hands what He did...heal the sick, reach out to the hurting, bless the children and keep our hands busy serving the Lord.

Your Hands
So what’s in your hands, the stuff of this world, or the work of the ministry? When you stand before Him on that final day to give an accounting of your life, what will you hold in your hands? The only thing you can take with you into eternity is the souls you lead to the Savior. If your hands are so filled with the carnal stuff of this world, it’s time you set that stuff down, and reached out once again for His hand. Let Him lead you. Let Him fill your hands with good fruit of righteousness. Let Him show you needy souls around you that need to be fed. You are not too old to serve Him still. You are never to young to take His hand. Unclench that fist and reach out once again, one hand to God and one hand to those around you who need His love. We are His hands and feet. I don't want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don't want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences. Eph 4:1 TMB

J. Johnson

The Silent Killer

The Silent Killer

We listen to the advise of experts to protect our home and families from things that can harm them, even kill them. One of those deadly silent killers is radon while another is carbon monoxide. Radon, an invisible radioactive gas that seeps into homes through foundation cracks, causes 100 times more deaths than carbon monoxide poisoning, says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. We learn that there are ways to deal with these two deadly problems. We place detectors in our homes that will alert us to the impending danger. Those detectors have saved many lives while homes without them, have sometimes had fatal consequences. As families have slept, the gases have filled the homes gradually eliminating healthy life giving oxygen with deadly odorless gases, causing the human body to begin to shut down, go into coma and sometimes die from lack of good clean air.
There is a silent killer lurking in many homes and churches across America. Daily it does its task of destroying the plans and purposes of God in the lives of God’s people. Like the deadly gases, radon and carbon monoxide, it seeps into our lives when we least expect it, and begins gradually doing its deadly work. This silent killer begins with a casual remark, a careless word, an undeserved jab or even a thoughtless deed. It results in cracks in our clay vessels that cause our love to leak out and the painful killer to seep in. What is it? Unforgiveness! You may lightly say…”Oh, but that’s not my problem!” Unfortunately, it’s everyone’s problem. In our own personal lives, it colors our view of life. In the church, it affects everyone with whom we rub shoulders. It has been known to destroy marriages and families, as well as dividing churches and ruining ministries. Most pastors have at one time or another heard someone say, “I’ll NEVER forgiven them!” They say they are Christians, but the pain of the deadly silent killer has already tainted their soul. They forget everything they ever learned from the Bible and make the pain of the past more relevant, more significant. They unconsciously choose to never forget, and in doing so, they also never put it behind them.
How To Clear the Air.
Forgiveness clears the air in our spiritual lives. Refusing to forgive invites poison that pollutes our souls. But how can we forgive those who have hurt us in such awful ways. How does a child forgive the incest? How does a woman forgive the date-rape? How does a mother forgive an abusive husband who damages not only her but her children? How does a wounded Christian forgive abuse of another Christian? It is not impossible. Just as you choose to love and trust, you can choose to forgive.
1. Recognize that the anger and frustration you feel comes from a moment of hurt that needs attention. Sometimes we tend to sweep it under the rug and ignore it, hoping it will just all go away in time. Yet the wound continues to fester.
2. Remember that others who may have hurt you are also vulnerable to hurts and may have been hurt in the past. Abusers often were abused themselves. When you see them as victims, it creates compassion rather than hate.
3. Forgive yourself. Perhaps you did something for which you blame yourself, resulting in the problem. We all make choices, some good and some bad. We learn from our mistakes. A baby learns to walk by falling down and getting up again and again.
4. When you can, restore relationships. Some have a habit of ‘snipping’ others out of their lives. Each person who wounds them in any way gets ‘snipped’ from their list. A story was told of a woman who did this all of her life. She began with many friends, but on the day she died, her family expected a large crowd at her funeral, only to be surprised when only the immediate family came to pay their respects. All the old friends of the past knew they had been snipped out of her favor years before. How sad! When we ostracize family and friends, we are expressing our lack of forgiveness. How sad it is to see families where parents and children no longer speak to each other, or churches where whole groups leave because of a lack of forgiveness. Practice reconciliation.
5. Take the Initiative. Be the bigger person and look beyond the faults of others. Don’t let the past keep you in the past. See the future God sees. Let your forgiveness build a bridge over troubled waters. Launch your lifeboat and watch what God will do. Tell your abuser sincerely… “I forgive you….” and watch them bend over backwards to make things right. Guilt will do that. Use your experience to help others be free from the past and the pain.
6. Remember what the Bible teaches! Forgiveness is Biblical. Jesus always practiced forgiveness instead of condemnation. He told the adulteress, “Go and sin no more.” He told the Father “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” One key verse we must lock onto is found in Matthew 6:14-15 14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. According to this verse, we cannot expect God to forgive us if we fail to forgive others who sin against us. Our eternal destiny depends on our willingness to forgive. Even Paul taught the principal of forgiveness. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Col 3:13) Jesus sets the example for us all. Just imagine how many of us would not make heaven our eternal home if we failed to forgive.
I love the Message Bible version of Psalm 130:3 If you, God, kept records on wrongdoings, who would stand a chance? As it turns out, forgiveness is your habit, and that's why you're worshiped. Our God chooses deliberately to forgive...and forget. Unlike God, it is difficult for us to forget. While me may not forget, we CAN forgive!
7. Forgive with eternity in view. Life here is not all there is. We are planted on this small blue planet for just a few brief years. In those years, we are given opportunities and choices. We can become better or bitter. We can cut and snip, or glue and paste. We can give Satan a foothold or allow Christ to be the center of it all. Ask yourself these questions: “In eternity, when I stand before the Lord, what will matter the most? Will it be my anger or my forgiveness? How will it affect my eternity?” One person who learned to forgive put it this way: When you haven't forgiven those who've hurt you, you turn your back against your future. When you do forgive, you start walking forward. (T. Perry) Have you stopped in your tracks, paralyzed by the past? Your attitude will affect everything around you. It will cause you to be angry….and your children will be just like you. But the moment you forgive, you break the chains that bind you to the past, and set your steps moving forward again into freedom. God cannot use your potential when it is bound in unforgiveness.
Joseph in the Egyptian jail had every right humanly speaking to be a hateful bitter man. His own brothers had sold him into slavery and deceived his father into thinking he was dead. His employer had him thrown in jail on false charges of rape. His own cell mates forgot all about him after he had helped them. But GOD...had a plan bigger than anything Joseph could have imagined! God’s plan was based in Josephs attitude. He never allowed bitterness to take root. He let God take the lead and God used Joseph for the saving of his family and the nation.
8. Forgive with a Helper. There are many things that the Christian often discovers he cannot do on his own. He needs help. Jesus sent us a Helper. It is the Holy Spirit. He comes along side to speak into our lives, to guide us, to give us boldness, to make us more like Christ. He comes into our lives at salvation, and the moment we receive God’s forgiveness, He is there to help us forgive others. He is the ‘wind’ that blows away the poisonous gases in our spiritual lives. He fills us with His Presence. He points out to us all of our failures so we can let Him help us each day. He convicts us of our sin so we can see His forgiveness. He prods us to reconciliation with God and others. He is the potter who mends our broken vessels, then fills us to overflowing with Himself.. He lifts us above the circumstance, above the past, and gives us a hope and a future. (Jer 29:11)
What about you? Have you forgiven? Are you forgiven? Will you choose to forgive? I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Phil 4:13: . Remember these words...Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Cor 5:17 Put the old ways of unforgiveness and vengeance behind you. God wants to give you a new day. Let it begin right now. Let the Holy Spirit be your ‘unforgiveness detector’. When His warning sounds, take immediate action. Forgive completely and immediately. Make forgiveness your habit and change your world! Let the wind of the Spirit blow away the silent killer of unforgiveness in your life today. J. Johnson

Pentecostal Power

There are all kinds of power in the world. Some folks are power hungry. They want to be in control. They want others to look up to them. Then there are those who love the power that money gives them. They climb the ladder of success hoping that at the top of the ladder they will find the financial wealth that will position them for life. Some love the power that a title or position brings to them. They want and crave respect. Sometimes the power folks seek after, is knowledge. The more education and knowledge they can attain, the more powerful they feel. For some, sexual achievement is power. For others, dominance and control is power. But for the believer, power originates with God, and unless the believer is 100% yielded to the source of ultimate power that originates in God, he does not know what power is all about.

Power is an awesome thing.
Not everyone can handle the position of power. Many are intimidated by those around them who appear more powerful. They feel weak, without authority, uncertain, indecisive, and anxious. But Christ Jesus never intended that any follower of his feel that way. Too often we forget what we have been given—an awesome gift. It was promised by Jesus long before he ever died and the promise was fulfilled shortly after his resurrection. Gifts can be wonderful things if we know what they are for, how they are to be used and when they are to be put to work on our behalf. If you gave Christopher Columbus a piece of paper that was printed, detailing his flight from England to American on a American Airlines jet, he would have no understanding of what it was or how is was to be used. Yet such a piece of paper could have provided him with a quick flight across the ocean instead of a journey of months. He did not know the power of air flight. All he knew was sailing ships. Knowledge had increased over time. Today, we look back through the pages of history and the Bible to the days of Christ and the disciples, and the gift God gave on the Feast of Pentecost. We have seen the power of Pentecost at work in our world and in days gone by. Yet like Christopher Columbus, many are just as ignorant about the gift given on that momentous day in history. We often tell ourselves that the power of Pentecost is mostly for preachers and evangelists and missionaries. They are the ones who get to experience the miracles, the power, the dynamics of this gift. Let’s look back for a moment to the Bible and see what it tells us.

Who is it for?
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. (John 16:13) Jesus was speaking to the future leaders of the early church. He wanted them to know that the purpose of this Spirit was to teach and guide, and that He would lead them to grasp divine authority. Since the fall of man, in the garden of Eden, authority had been stripped away. But now, this new authority would lead these fledgling Christians into an new walk of spiritual authority, the kind that Jesus used every day. It was not just for those early disciples… but as Joel the prophet said hundred of years before...this gift was for everyone, young and old. 28 “ And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. 29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.( Joel 2:28-29)
He gave his followers some very clear instructions. There were to wait for a ‘gift.’ and when that gift arrived, it would change them all, giving them ‘power’....“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised...For John baptized in water, but in a few days you will be BAPTIZED with the HOLY SPIRIT”... you will receive POWER WHEN the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses...” (Acts 1:4-5, 8) And of course like every promise God makes, it came to pass. They knew something outstanding had happened because of the strange thing that happened to them all… When the day of PENTECOST came, they were all together in one place.... All of them were FILLED with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:1-4) Then they remembered what Jesus had told them all just before he ascended to heaven….“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20) And so we know that this power is for all believers, young and old, for all nations. Jesus does not have an exclusive company. It is not reserved for the few rich and famous. It is for everyone. The gift is for all.

Where did the power go?
Many churches today seem to be lacking in the power that these early disciples experienced. We often ask ourselves why? As I study the Word of God, I see several key things that the church of today is sadly lacking. While we often seek the power….we fail to seek the power giver. It is a misplaced affection. We want shortcuts. We want instant results. We want numbers, and ministry and respect. But we are lacking in modeling our lives after Jesus. Jesus did not come to promote His will or ideas. He came only to speak the will of the Father who sent Him. He was a humble obedient servant. He had no personal agenda. He only wanted what God wanted. God wanted a sacrifice. We don’t like that word very much. We don’t want to make sacrifices let alone be one. I wrote an article some years ago that spoke of the sacrifice God expects of us. For there to be a fire, there must be wood or fuel. And that fuel must give its all to produce the fire. It has no will of its own. It is just fuel in the hand of the fire tender. If the church is to experience holy fire once again, it needs to re-learn the role of sacrifice. It’s not what the pastor wants, or what the family demands, or what the President decrees that matters. It is where your own heart is in relationship to God. Daily, He wants to find it on the altar. We will never know what could have been if we continue to do things our way….
So often it is a struggle in authority.
We allow ourselves to be intimidated. We let Satan take the lead. We walk in fear. We tremble at His voice. And we have forgotten he is an ‘already defeated’ foe. We have been given the authority he once had. Remember the words you just read a moment ago??? “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore …” We also forget how He gave that authority to his followers….”Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.”( Luke 9:1) If we have that same authority today, why does it not seem to be working? Has God changed? No! We have! We have failed to walk in humility before God. We have failed to know His heart. We are intimate with everything around us that is earthly, but we are not intimate with Him. We listen to all the voices around us, but we fail to listen to His voice alone. When we pursue power, position or results we are out of line. John Bevere describes it this way…. “How would you describe a marriage relationship of a woman whose only ambition was to produce children for her husband? She would only be intimate when it would produce the offspring she wanted; she would have no interest in knowing her husband personally. I know it sounds absurd, yet how different is it from our cry for God to ‘use us to get people saved’ when we ourselves don’t enjoy relationship and fellowship with Him. When we are intimate with God, we will reproduce the way He intends.” God never wanted to be ‘used’ but he does want to be loved. Yes, there is a secret we must learn and that is that integrity and power are linked to a holy intimacy with God. How many have ‘used’ God...called Him Lord, did miracles in His name, even cast out devils, but because they lacked intimacy and integrity, he will tell them, “Depart from me you who practice lawlessness.” (Matt 7:23)

Pentecostal Power...
The power is still there. It is waiting for us. As we first prepare our hearts for humble service, then listen to his voice and move in His direction, we too shall see a demonstration of the power of Pentecost. We can walk in divine expectation of miracles, healings, deliverances. That power will change our services from performances and entertainment to the pursuit of God. It will change our music from carnal rhythmic repetitions to heavenly inspired melodies from the heart. But there are some things we must do. We must recognize the attacks of the enemy and not be intimidated by them. We must stand our ground in the power and authority Christ has given to us by the power of the Holy Spirit. As the disciples experienced Pentecostal Power, they change from timid men, afraid of worldly authorities—to powerhouses for God. As they were filled to overflowing, the boldness oozed from them. They took their stand in God. They knew His authority was greater….for greater things they would do. We also can step forward into that place of intimacy with God, being filled with the Spirit daily, walking in His guidance, moving at His direction, flowing in the gifts, overcoming the attacks of the enemy and putting satan under our feet. You can fear man or devils and walk in defeat or you can stand tall, focused on the One who is your Deliverer. Remember…."God is looking over your shoulder. Christ himself is the Judge, with the final say on everyone, living and dead. He is about to break into the open with his rule, so proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don't ever quit." ( Tim 4:2 TMB).
J. Johnson